Evolutionary Algorithm Optimization of a Multireservoir System with Long Lag Times
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 19, Issue 9
Abstract
A scenario of particular importance in water resources management occurs when reservoir release decisions must be made well in advance of accurate hydrologic forecasts because of long travel times between reservoir releases and demand. This type of situation is evaluated using the Washington metropolitan area (WMA) water supply as a case study. Several classes of operating rules are evaluated using a state-of-the-art multiobjective evolutionary algorithm linked to a hydrologic simulation/decision model. Operating rules were evaluated using historical Potomac River streamflows (1929–2007) and synthetically generated time series. The proposed optimization framework is effective for a wide range of water resources vulnerability studies and was successful in improving the efficiency of the WMA system with respect to competing objectives ranging from reservoir storage to recreation and environmental flow requirements.
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Acknowledgments
James Stagge is a Charles E. Via, Jr. Doctoral Fellow and gratefully acknowledges support from the Via program and the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS). The authors would also like to thank the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) and Hydrologics, Inc. for providing data access and research support. Finally, this manuscript benefitted greatly from the comments and feedback from four anonymous reviewers.
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Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 19 • Issue 9 • September 2014
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 5, 2013
Accepted: Jan 22, 2014
Published online: Jan 25, 2014
Published in print: Sep 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Nov 23, 2014
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