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2007 Ground Water Summit |
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 : 2:00 p.m.
The Use of Numerical Models in Water Resources Management in The Middle Rio Grande Basin
Managing the water supply of the middle Rio Grande (MRG) basin in New Mexico is highly constraint by the variability of its water supply and existing laws and regulations that govern water deliveries to downstream state. Several surface water and groundwater models have been used in managing the MRG water supply and evaluate impacts of physical system and policies changes. Most recently the Upper Rio Grande Water Operations (URGWOPS) review and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) provided an understanding of the current water operation. The main purpose of the EIS was to consider the effects of adopting an integrated plan for water operations in the upper Rio Grande basin. Using numerical models was an essential tool to differentiate between alternatives. Several alternative plans were evaluated that include using Abiquiu reservoir to manage New Mexico compact delivery water, using the Low Flow conveyance channel to deliver water to Elephant Butte reservoir, increasing channel capacity of the Rio Grande Below Cochiti dam. The Upper Rio Grande Water Operation model (URGWOM) was used in the URGWOPS evaluation to link water storage and release to the down stream demands and compact deliveries. An additional demand was imposed on the MRG as a result of listing the Rio Grande silvery minnow and the Southwest Fly Catcher as endangered species. The 2003 Biological Opinion (BO) established a minimum target flows in the MRG based on the type of the hydrologic year. Due to the variability of the MRG water supply and the continually increasing demand, the ability to meet these target flows each year is a challenging task. URGWOM was used to explore the likelihood of meeting the target flows on an annual basis.
Nabil G. Shafike, Ph.D., New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission Over 20 years of professional experience in major aspect of hydrology and water resources, with greatest emphasis being on water resources planning and management, numerical modeling of complex hydrologic systems, surface water and groundwater interaction, water rights investigation, mine dewatering, contaminant transport, and environmental impact analysis and related Endangered Species Act.