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Sustainable Water

Extending The Life Cycle Of Water

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Engineers Reveal Model of California Reservoir Network

Engineers at Caltech recently unveiled a first of its kind statewide model of the California reservoir network. Data gathered from over a 13-year period, including the latest drought, was used to construct a model that allows researchers to decipher how the state’s 55 reservoirs respond to a variety of external conditions.

Published by Water Resources Research, the study centers on the interconnectedness of the reservoirs. During periods of drought, water is released from reservoirs to generate hydroelectric power or diverted for agriculture and human consumption. As part of the state’s water management plan, reservoir managers must maintain a baseline amount of water in each reservoir. As water levels fall and drop closer to the minimum mark, they reduce the amount of water released, in turn affecting all of the reservoirs downstream. Reservoir managers try to avoid having to stop water being released entirely, since that can potentially have catastrophic consequences for farms and communities that rely on the water.[1]

Speaking with Caltech News, Armeen Taeb, lead author of the report cited the 2012 – 2015 drought as the catalyst for team’s research. “We were really close to disaster by the end of the drought period. In fact, two of the 55 reservoirs studied in our work had zero or very little water release in 2014.”[2]

The goal, according to Taeb, is for managers to have a better understanding of the demands that will be placed on their reservoirs. This will allow them time to adjust their behavior earlier by curtailing water releases more gradually – reducing the possibility of having to cut off water releases altogether.[3]

For now, the model is in its final phase of testing. Taeb and the team hope to use this empirical modeling as a template for other states facing similar challenges.[4]

[1] Caltech News. Engineers Model the California Reservoir Network. Caltech, November 22, 2017. http://www.caltech.edu/news/engineers-model-california-reservoir-network-80458

[2] Caltech News. Engineers Model the California Reservoir Network. http://www.caltech.edu/news/engineers-model-california-reservoir-network-80458

[3] Caltech News. Engineers Model the California Reservoir Network.http://www.caltech.edu/news/engineers-model-california-reservoir-network-80458

[4] Caltech News. Engineers Model the California Reservoir Network.http://www.caltech.edu/news/engineers-model-california-reservoir-network-80458

Image Credit: Flickr, Brian Altmeyer

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