Optimal Water Allocation under Short-Run Water Scarcity in the South Saskatchewan River Basin
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 137, Issue 1
Abstract
This paper examines the effect on economic welfare of alternative surface water allocations in the Alberta portion of the South Saskatchewan River Basin in Canada. Growing demands for urban and instream water uses add to significant irrigation withdrawals, all contributing to relative water scarcity. A computational model optimizes the annual value derived from spatially diverse water withdrawals, fully respecting their hydrologic and economic linkages. The model simulates current allocation practices and defines optimal allocations under alternative demand and supply scenarios. The use of the publicly developed Aquarius modeling software illustrates its comparative strengths relative to other models that optimize explicitly with respect to economic values. The model’s numerical estimates support the conclusion that there are sufficient surface water resources for users to adapt to a range of alterations in water supply or water demand, but that substantial short-term reallocations of water among users might be required to achieve the greatest benefit.
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Acknowledgments
The writers acknowledge research funding support from the Canadian Water Network, a member of the Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 137 • Issue 1 • January 2011
Pages: 92 - 100
Copyright
© 2011 ASCE.
History
Received: May 20, 2009
Accepted: Apr 3, 2010
Published online: May 4, 2010
Published in print: Jan 2011
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