Post-2026 Operations Exploration Tool to be presented at WaterSciCon24

Anonymous — Wed, 29 May 2024 16:17:13 +0000

Post-2026 Operations Exploration Tool to be presented at WaterSciCon24 Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/29/2024 - 10:17

Reclamation has partnered with the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Virga Labs to create a web-based platform on which stakeholders can explore different operational strategies through a Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty lens.

The Post-2026 Operations Web Tool has been used for the negotiation process to find a new operating policy for the Colorado River Basin. You can access the tool here, and if you're headed to WaterSciCon24 you can hear KRG doctoral graduate Dr. Rebecca Smith present about the tool on June 25.

The title, authors, and abstract are found below and at the conference website.

The Colorado River Basin Post-2026 Operations Exploration Tool: Connecting Policymakers and Stakeholders Through a Web-Based Decision-Support Platform

R Smith, S Martin, EA Zagona, JR Kasprzyk, N Bonham, N Daniels, C Jerla

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is currently leading a formal decision-making process to replace Lake Powell and Lake Mead operating agreements, which expire at the end of 2026. Enabling a wide range of stakeholders to engage with technical information is key to identifying successor guidelines that are robust to the effects of climate change while balancing diverse resource priorities. To support these objectives, Reclamation has partnered with the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Virga Labs to create a web-based platform on which stakeholders can explore different operational strategies through a Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty lens. Across a series of dynamic dashboards, users can create their own custom strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead operations, compare hundreds of potential strategies in terms of performance tradeoffs and robustness, and learn what hydrologic conditions could lead to system vulnerability under any given strategy. This Colorado River Basin Post-2026 Operations Exploration Tool represents an advancement in the ability of policymakers at Reclamation to collaborate with stakeholders in the generation and analysis of technical information. The platform is also an example of a successful years-long partnership between a government agency, academia, and private industry to create an innovative tool that is supporting an important, ongoing long-term planning process.

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