Long term vulnerability assessment platform to support climate-informed decision in water resources planning for Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System
Abstract
Water resource management faces increasing challenges due to changing natural climates and human systems. A newer generation of planning tools are available to investigate water system responses to different drought conditions and policy changes to help support decisions for long term investments. However, most of these newer tools are often built without engaging with stakeholders and have difficulties supporting unique policies and strategies. This study develops a cloud-based vulnerability assessment platform for water resources management and planning in collaboration with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's (SFPUC) water managers and their technical staff built using R and Python. As SFPUC's Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System is a very complex system that includes various water uses and constraints, there is a need for a tool that organizes this complexity to support decision making under deep uncertainty. The vulnerability assessment platform links multiple modules that simulate aspects of the SFPUC water enterprise and that were built in collaboration with SFPUC to better understand the various sources of uncertainty and their importance in long term water planning. These modules include a semiparametric multivariate, multisite weather generator, physical process-based distributed hydrologic models (PRMS), distributed conceptual hydrologic models (SAC-SMA-DS), water demand model, water quality model, linear programming water system model (Pywr), and a financial model. The platform is a fully customized water planning tool that visualizes the system's responses through various economic indicators and performance metrics to determine the system's water-related risks. The platform integrates module runs and automates visualizations for communication and scenario exploration to evaluate specific decisions as possible measures for long term management in an uncertain future.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.H21O1976P
- Keywords:
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- 1880 Water management;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 6344 System operation and management;
- POLICY SCIENCES;
- 6309 Decision making under uncertainty;
- POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES;
- 6620 Science policy;
- PUBLIC ISSUES