Optimal Allocation of Water Resources in Utah

A linear programming model was formulated to represent the 10 interconnected hydrologic study areas of the state. The comprehensive model considers virtually all uses, areas, sources, transfers, and costs of water. The model has 204 constraints and 338 variables and was solved by the simplex method. Included in the results are the following: the optimal water allocation of the ground water, surface water, and water transfers which minimize the cost; the shadow prices of the resources; sensitivity analyses to identify the critical cost coefficients in the optimal solution; parametric analyses to test the effects of changing constraints; and manipulations of the model to test other factors such as operating rules, legal policies, political, and institutional limitations. Flow diagrams and graphs summarize the important information.