![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081107221424im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
2005 Progress Report: Integrating Water Supply Management and Ecological Flow Requirements
EPA Grant Number: X3832386Title: Integrating Water Supply Management and Ecological Flow Requirements
Investigators: Smith, Mark P. , Apse, Colin , Huber-Lee, Annette , Vogel, Richard
Institution: The Nature Conservancy , Tellus Institute , Tufts University
EPA Project Officer: Sergeant, Anne
Project Period: May 1, 2005 through April 30, 2008 (Extended to April 30, 2009)
Project Period Covered by this Report: May 1, 2005 through April 30, 2006
RFA: Collaborative Science & Technology Network for Sustainability (2004)
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development
Description:
Objective:This project addresses a question central to environmental sustainability – how to balance the use of water to meet both human and environmental needs. The project is building a decision support system (DSS) that integrates scientific models of ecological flow needs, water demand management and water supply planning into a decision-oriented simulation and optimization framework that promotes sound ecological and water supply management. The DSS will allow water resource managers to simultaneously maximize use of water storage capacity, strategically use drought management measures to optimize their effectiveness, and meet key ecological flow needs based on real-time environmental conditions.
Progress Summary:1) Initial version of simulation model completed. Refinements continue to be made on an ongoing basis. Model is being built directly into WEAP as WEAP provides a much more powerful analysis and reporting tool than a separate model would allow. Application Program Interface (API) developed that allows for ‘batch’ processing of simulation runs with variations in key parameters.
2) Framework for measuring trade-offs between human demands and downstream releases developed. Results summarized in paper An Optimization Approach for Balancing Human and Ecological Flow Needs that was presented and published in the proceedings for EWRI 2005 World Water and Environmental Resources Congress, May 15-19, 2005.
3) Analysis of trade-offs between human demands and downstream releases completed. Results summarized in paper Relations Among Storage, Yield and Instream Flow submitted in June 2006 to Water Resources Research for publication (see attached).
4) New measure of flow alteration developed: Eco-deficit – generally defined as the difference between annual flow duration curve of unaltered and altered conditions. Further flow alteration measures under development.
5) Initial list of reservoir management policies are developed.
6) Initial literature reviews on ecological flows, systems analysis for determining optimal water allocation strategies from a river/reservoir system, and general relationships between storage, yield and instream flow completed.
7) Presentation of initial results at national and international conferences and meetings:
Richard M. Vogel:
“Emerging Themes in Hydromorphology: (1) Impact of urbanization on streamflow (2) Balancing water for humans and nature and (3) Water Use Regimes”, University of Bologna, Italy, May 8, 2006.
“Balancing Human and Ecological Needs for Water”, Seminar, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Melbourne, Australia, February 2006.
“Balancing Human and Ecological Needs for Water”, Seminar, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, September 30, 2005.
“An Optimization Approach for Balancing Human and Ecological Flow Needs” EWRI, 2005 World Water and Environmental Resources Conference, Anchorage, Alaska, May, 2005.
“Balancing Instream and Human Needs for Water”, Water Policy and Management: Instream Flow, Stormwater and Aquatic Habitats, American Groundwater Trust, Marlborough, MA, April 2, 2004.
Colin D. Apse:
“Integrating Water Supply Management and Environmental Flow Requirements”, North American Benthological Society Annual meeting, Anchorage, Alaska, June 2006.
“Integrating Water Supply Management and Ecological Flow Water Requirements” Poster presentation, American Museum of Natural History Conference – New Currents in Conserving Freshwater Systems, Spring Symposium, April, 2005.
Year 2 Work
The project team continues its work generally according the workplan as described in the grant agreement. We are currently working on a series of sensitivity analysis related to key reservoir management, ecological flow, and drought and demand management policies. These analyses will allow us to identify policies that are likely to more effectively meet competing demands for water in different circumstances, particularly related to reservoir and watershed size. We will also identify two water supply systems with which to work to demonstrate use of this tool and these policies. We continue to seek opportunities to share results from this work at professional meetings and in peer-reviewed published journals. We will also attend the EPA annual meeting in November, 2006.
Changes to Workplan
The work remains on track compared to the original scope in application. Deliverables are generally on schedule given the May 2005 award date. Minor changes to scope include:
1) Original scope envisioned developing a separate simulation/optimization model and then integrating this model in the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model. However, upon further discussion the team has built the simulation components directly into WEAP. This decision was made for several reasons, including that WEAP could, with relative minor adjustments, undertake the analysis we anticipated; that WEAP had extremely powerful reporting functions that would be difficult to duplicate in a new program; and that it would be a reduced level of effort to create the model only once. While the code for WEAP is not open source, the coding of policies and operating rules in WEAP is open and transparent, readily available for review, and allows for easy adjustment of policy parameters by users.
2) The original scope envisioned an optimization analysis looking at how various parameters might be optimized to meet several different priorities. This optimization was to be built on the basis of a series of simulation models. To date, our use of simulation models has allowed for a sophisticated demonstration of trade-offs among policies given various key factors, such as watershed size, storage fraction, and demand fraction. We continue to explore whether an optimization analysis is appropriate and which parameters and trade-offs might be further refined based on such an optimization process. It may be that simulation models are the most effective decision support tool for water resource managers to analyze trade-offs of different management policies. However, we continue to explore optimization model possibilities.
3) Workload among the partners is slightly different than originally anticipated, though the project remains on time within budget. Tellus/SEI has undertaken more work than anticipated early in the project given the decision to program directly into WEAP. Also, given that Richard Vogel was able to devote substantial time during his sabbatical to this project and the development of the draft paper, Tufts has spent higher than expected during the first year but within its overall budget.
Project Schedule and Milestones:
This section outlines the schedule of sub-tasks and managers (TU=Tufts University, TNC = The Nature Conservancy and TI = Tellus Institute) as described in the final grant application. This original schedule assumed a February 1, 2005 start date. As the award was not made until May 12, 2005, the deliverable dates have been adjusted according. Updates to schedule and completion are shown in redline/strikeout form.
Background and Literature Review
Task 1: Review of literature on ecological flow needs and instream flow statistics (TNC, TU)
Original Schedule: July 31, 2005 Update: Initial literature review completed. Ongoing to keep up with new published articles.
Task 2: Review of literature on water withdrawal and allocation policies (TU, TI, TNC)
Original Schedule: July 31, 2005 Update: Initial literature review completed. Ongoing to keep up with new published articles.
Information on System States:
Task 1: Define Instream Flow Statistics for DSS (TNC and TU) Original Schedule: September 30, 2005 Update: TNC has identified a set of 5 ‘flow components’ for use in analysis of impacts to ecological flows. Tufts developed a new metric to measure changes to flow -- called the eco-deficit. TNC and Tufts continue to work on defining a key set of metrics to define flow alterations.
Task 2: Define Ecological Flow Needs for DSS (TNC and TU) Original Schedule: December 31, 2005 (see Task 1 above)
Task 3: Definition of water supply and environmental indicators that ‘trigger’ a water supply operation or management decision. (TNC and TU) Original Schedule: February 1, 2005 Policies for releases and drought management have been developed that allow different triggers to be used. Sensitivity analysis will help determine potential optimum triggers for use in reservoir management.
Development of Decision Support System
Task 1: Development of simulation model (TU and TI) Original Schedule: December 30, 2005 Update: Rather than develop a separate simulation model, WEAP has been updated and refined to allow for more detailed reservoir simulation and flow policy analysis. SEI has developed an Application Programming Interface (API) that allows batch processing of analysis.
Task 2: Integrate simulation and optimization models to formulate Pareto Frontier (TU and TI) Original Schedule: February 1, 2006 Update: Paper developed and submitted for publication that defines key trade-offs among policies and reservoir sizes.
Task 3: Evaluation of a wide range of water withdrawal policies to determine which set of policies lead to the most negotiable Pareto Frontier. (TU and TI) Original Schedule: February 1, 2006 Update: Draft paper on initial policies submitted for publication. Sensitivity analysis of different policy parameters currently underway and expected to be completed by October, 2006.
Task 5: Incorporation of simulation/optimization modeling approach into WEAP (TI and TU) Original Schedule: February 1, 2006 Complete and ongoing. Model is being developed within WEAP rather than as a separate model.
Task 6: Prepare technical journal article summarizing our methodology applied to initial case study (TU, TI and TNC) Original Schedule: September 30, 2006 Completed – draft submitted May, 2006. Initial results presented at numerous conferences.
Demonstration Projects
Task 1: Identify two demonstration project partners (PP) and develop of a stakeholder advisory committee (SAC), (TNC, TI) October 1, 2006
Task 2: Definition of Ecological Flow Needs for demonstration projects (TNC and TU) Original Schedule: March 1, 2007
Task 3: Conduct beta tests with SAC group in order to expose framework deficiencies and identify additional capabilities required by stakeholders (TNC, TI and TU) Completed: June 30, 2007
Task 4: Collaborate and facilitate of water supplier PPs to modify existing operations using WEAP DSS (TNC, TI and TU) Original Schedule: January 30, 2008
Transfer Results
Task 1: Share methodology and decision process with all five states in the Northeast working on streamflow protection policies. (TNC, TI and TU) Original Schedule: Sept. 30, 2007
Task 2: Share methodology and decision process with USEPA, USFWS and USGS for use in future planning, regulatory and water management studies. (TNC, TI and TU) Original Schedule: September 30, 2007
Task 3: Share methodology and decision process with The Nature Conservancy’s national Sustainable River Programs and with other TNC chapter engaged with water supply management issues (TNC) Original Schedule: September 30, 2007.
Task 4: Share methodology and decision process with water utilities in the US broadly through the American Water Works Association Research Foundation (TI) Original Schedule: September 2007.
Task 5: Prepare technical journal articles summarizing our DSS, methodology and case studies (TU, TI and TNC) Original Schedule: March 30, 2007
Task 6: Presentation at annual EPA workshops (annually)
Reporting Prepare annual progress reports at the end of each fiscal year.
Prepare draft and final reports. This memo constitutes the annual report for Year 1 of the project.
Budget (through June 1, 2006)
|
TNC |
Tufts |
SEI/Tellus |
|
Total Budget |
$72,400 |
$94,666.00 |
$104,440.00 |
|
Spending to date |
$7,639* |
$50,335.32 |
$42,220.57 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance |
$64,760 |
$44,330 |
$62,219 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Attachments (Papers as submitted to EWRI and WRR)
Journal Articles on this Report: 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 8 publications | 2 publications in selected types | All 2 journal articles |
| Type | Citation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Vogel RM, Sieber J, Archfield SA, Smith MP, Apse CD, Huber-Lee A. Relations among storage, yield, and instream flow. Water Resources Research 2007;43:W05403, doi:10.1029/2006WR005226. |
X3832386 (2005) X3832386 (2006) |
|
, Sustainable Industry/Business, Scientific Discipline, RFA, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Environment, Urban and Regional Planning, sustainable development, decision making, water evaluation and urban planning tool, ecological design, sustainable urban environment, sustainable water use
Progress and Final Reports:
Original Abstract
2006 Progress Report