Climate change is expected to impact Reclamation’s water systems in various ways, which may trigger interest in various adaptation strategies that involve changed management of (e.g., conservation, regulation, and market-based water trading). Coupled hydrologic and economic models are essential tools for addressing questions of where and when supply management and/or demand management approaches are most appropriate for meeting the challenges of global climate change.
We will build on the S&T Program research project 5330, Boise Valley spatial water allocation modeling, which combined a conjunctive groundwater model with a partial equilibrium economic model. This research will identify water management options associated with Reclamation’s operation of the Boise River and reservoir system. The project will develop the links between selected river and reservoir models and the partial equilibrium economic model and apply the fully developed Boise Basin spatial water allocation model. Evaluation will include scenarios representing the Pacific Northwest (PN) Region’s water supply and demand conditions likely to result from climate change, including decreased precipitation, decreased streamflow, reduced aquifer recharge, and increased competition among water users. Various Reclamation strategies for dealing with the impacts of climate change will also be considered, including construction of new reservoir storage, new water conservation measures, water rights re-distribution, and market-based water management. The Boise Basin model will serve as a prototype for the development of spatial water allocation models in other
