Water Systems Operational Modeling

Analysis of natural flow hydrology and climate inputs under legal availability to water and river system and reservoir operations characterize existing conditions. These analyses also identify the pros and cons of existing water supply systems. The existing conditions can be used as a baseline against which variable demands, supplies, and operations can be compared. Future scenarios run against the baseline conditions provide planners with a decision support system to evaluate their water supply portfolio and future operations in a basin.

Analytical tools are used and developed, tailored to meet water users’ specific needs, to evaluate demand and supply in the context of conveyance and storage systems to help answer questions related to water rights and water infrastructure alternatives. Models used range from simple, off-the-shelf software to more complex models including StateMod, the State of Colorado’s prior appropriation planning model.

Representative Projects:

  • City of Black Hawk planning model
  • City of Broomfield planning model
  • City of Thornton water rights yield model
  • Lower Arkansas River / Super Ditch planning model to support rotational fallowing program
  • Colorado Decision Support System (DSS) water resources planning modeling development – White River / Yampa River, San Juan River / Dolores River, Gunnison River, Upper Colorado River, North Platte River and South Platte River basins
  • Division of Water Resources and Colorado Water Conservation Board – Testing and associated documentation of modifications to State of Colorado’s prior appropriation planning model (StateMod)
  • Colorado Water Conservation Board – Sensitivity analyses with Gunnison River DSS Model
  • The Nature Conservancy – Supplemental water supply analysis to support fish flows (Colorado RIPRAP) with Yampa River DSS Model
  • ConocoPhillips – Conditional water right yield and operations analyses with Colorado River and White River DSS Models
  • Upper Green River basin, Little Snake River basin, and Nowood River basin planning models (StateMod) in Wyoming
  • Little Colorado River basin planning model (StateMod) in Arizona
  • Eldora Mountain Resort reservoir operations modeling
  • Middle Rio Grande model of unaccounted gains and losses along stretch of Rio Grande in New Mexico
  • North Platte Coalition water use and return flow model
  • Salt River model of main stem and tributary gains and losses over area covering water supply and reservoirs of Salt River Project
  • South Adams County Water and Sanitation District FORTRAN-based model of daily exchange potential in the South Platte River below Denver