GIS Visualization and Analysis of Environmental Effects of Operations in the Lower Colorado River

The lower Colorado River below Parker Dam is highly influenced by the needs of mankind, with several dams and diversion structures controlling flow for a variety of purposes. Along this reach of river, many natural and manmade backwater areas provide habitat for a diverse community of aquatic and aviary species. The environmental, ecological, engineering, and biological communities have expressed concern over the effects of river operations on the habitat in these backwater areas. Engineers from the Bureau of Reclamation, in conjunction with Colorado State University, have utilized a geographic information system (GIS) in association with a numerical hydraulic model to assess these effects. The system estimates the water surface elevations within the backwaters during the passing of a hydrograph created by reservoir releases, then quantifies and visualizes the change in habitat for many species of life living in the areas. Geostatistical analysis techniques are applied in the GIS to refine the geographic data for analysis purposes, and an object-oriented computer program is developed for automating the analysis and visualization processes.