Data Automation for Water Supply Management

The available daily water supply of a multi-reservoir river system, the Upper Snake River in Idaho, is managed more efficiently using an automated system of data collection, transmission, and processing. Streamflow, reservoir, and canal data are transmitted daily from remote gage sites and regional terminals to a central computer where a FORTRAN program computes natural (unregulated) flow and accounts for storage water supplies. Natural flow is distributed among various uses (primarily irrigation) and users based on established water rights. Storage allocations are monitored daily to better manage remaining supplies. Daily uses and resulting supplies are projected ahead by as much as one week to reduce river operation response times. The improved management correctly accounts for water distribution by rights and for storage allocations while promoting conservation of water supplies.