Conceptual Rule-Based Storage Accounting for Multipurpose Reservoirs

Rule-based storage accounting can provide a framework for efficient and equitable allocation of benefits, costs and risks associated with operation and management of multipurpose reservoir systems. Sustainable management policies must accommodate (1) timely reallocation of storage in multipurpose reservoirs to most beneficial uses, and (2) creation of a system of credits and penalties for water management that incentivizes conservation, prevents cross-subsidization among included purposes, and checks unsustainable demands. While storage accounting does not in itself allocate or prioritize uses of water, it does provide a mechanism for real-time tracking of consumptive and non-consumptive uses, and reservoir operations. By measuring system performance at all levels, rule-based storage accounting thus discloses the efficiency, sustainability and fairness of water management policies, and in so doing serves to guide operational responses to changing hydrologic, socioeconomic and environmental conditions.