Free Flow

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ater

ducation

and

nstitutional

evelopment

with Reclamation, the Tennessee Valley Authority and

the US Army Corps of Engineers, the software employs

a ‘click and drag’ graphical user interface that greatly

improves usability. Moving to an alternative platform

was a sizeable task requiring considerable commit-

ment to redevelop a model that exactly reproduced

the FORTRAN results. Ultimately, this investment led

to a significant expansion of CRSS use, both within

Reclamation and with stakeholders. The new model

also enables the incorporation of new operational

polices, increased detail and new model needs, all with

relative ease.

Commensurate with the commitment to long-term

planning tools and capabilities is the commitment to

strong relationships within Reclamation and other

federal agencies, and across the broad range of state,

local and non-government stakeholder groups.

Acceptance of a common modelling platform and

regular discussion has helped foster mutual trust among

the players involved in managing – and using – the

river’s resources, evident through numerous success-

ful undertakings in recent decades. These collaborative

efforts have received high praise in the past several

years, twice culminating in the US Department of the

Interior’s Partners in Conservation Award. Given poten-

tial pitfalls, varying objectives and the ever-changing

dynamic of the Colorado River basin, maintaining exist-

ing partnerships and cultivating new ones continues to

be a high priority for Reclamation.

Under the auspices of the US Department of the

Interior’s WaterSMART programme, Reclamation and

the seven US basin states commenced the Colorado

River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study in 2010

in collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders

Even with this phenomenal water capacity, the Colorado has

become strained in recent decades due to the combined effect

of overallocation of water and an unprecedented drought that

continues today. With climate change threatening to reduce flows

even further, long-term planning is more important than ever.

In response, the US Department of the Interior launched several

programmes that focus on climate adaptation and long-term plan-

ning, programmes that incorporate forward thinking, collaboration

and expanded science to elevate water planning and management

to new – and needed – levels.

For these programmes to succeed, benefits from previous invest-

ments, buy-in from stakeholders and significant groundwork by

the entities involved are all necessary. Although Reclamation oper-

ates many of the large water storage and conveyance projects in the

western United States, the water is apportioned at the state level;

hence, involvement from those respective state agency representa-

tives is especially critical. Owing to the complexity and size of the

basin, Reclamation has made investments over recent decades in

long-term planning on the Colorado, both in technical tools and

stakeholder relationships. They are the essential foundation for

comprehensive management and long-term planning.

Approximately 35 years ago, Reclamation began developing a

computer model of the Colorado River basin, the Colorado River

Simulation System (CRSS), to address the many ‘what if’ questions

arising from proposed development or changes in river opera-

tions. For roughly the first 20 years of its existence, the model used

FORTRAN programming language. Over time, it evolved in size

and complexity, growing to tens of thousands of lines of code and a

commensurate associated data.

In the mid 1990s, the model was implemented in the RiverWare

modelling platform to better accommodate the intricacies of the

Colorado River system and promote stakeholder access. Developed

at the University of Colorado’s Center for Advanced Decision

Support for Water and Environmental Systems and in conjunction

Lake Mead, seen from the Hoover Dam – low water levels reveal the ‘bathtub ring’

Image: Lori Warren, Black & Veatch