SITES Integrated Development Environment for Watersheds with Multiple Reservoirs

Development of rehabilitation plans for watershed dams requires re-analysis of the upstream watershed using current hydrologic and hydraulic design criteria, and current stage-storage information. The Natural Resources Conservation Service software, SITES, developed with the assistance of the Agricultural Research Service and Kansas State University, has recently been upgraded to analyze watersheds containing multiple reservoirs within a modern, windows-based, Integrated Development Environment. A beta test version of this software is scheduled to be released for public use in the spring of 2000, and the final version is anticipated to be available in 2001. The environment consists of a full graphical user interface for the SITES software, with extensive help to guide the user through the data entry and to assist in interpretation of output. The environment allows the user to interactively compare and contrast design alternatives. SITES is the successor to the SCS DAMS2 program that was used in the original design of many of these dams, and a utility is being developed to assist in the conversion of old data sets to the current format. Among other features, the modern version of the software is capable of developing auxiliary spillway ratings based on vegetal retardance, and analyzing the potential for spillway breach at design flows. This report reviews key features of SITES and provides an overview of its application to watersheds with multiple flood control dams using the Integrated Development Environment.