Water and Hydroelectric Power Sharing Background For centuries, people have constructed dams across rivers and streams t
Posted: Sat May 14, 2022 3:43 pm
Water and Hydroelectric Power Sharing
Background
For centuries, people have constructed dams across rivers and
streams to hold back water to create reservoirs as a means of
managing water supplies. These reservoirs store water for a variety
of uses (e.g., agriculture, industry, residential), provide an area
for leisure and recreation (e.g., fishing, boating), assist in
preventing downstream flooding, and feed water to turbines that
generate electricity. Hydroelectric power (hydropower) is
electricity produced by these turbines as they convert the
potential energy of falling or fast-flowing water into mechanical
energy.
With climate change, the volume of water from sources feeding
dams and reservoirs is decreasing in many areas. Consequently, dams
may not be able to meet the demands for water in these areas.
Additionally, low water flow decreases the amount of electricity
generated from hydroelectric plants resulting in disruptions of the
power supply in these areas. If the water level in the reservoir
behind the dam is low enough, hydroelectric power generation
stops.
Natural resource officials in the U.S. states of Arizona (AZ),
California (CA), Wyoming (WY), New Mexico (NM), and Colorado (CO)
are currently negotiating to determine the best way to manage water
usage and electricity production at the Glen Canyon and Hoover dams
to address these competing interests. Hundreds of years of previous
agreements continue to impact current water management regulations,
policies, and practices today. The agreements allocate more water
from the Colorado River system than is present in the system. It is
likely that the system continues to work because some users do not
take their full allocations. If drought conditions continue in the
Colorado River basin, the water volume at some point will be
insufficient to meet the basic water and generated electricity
needs of stakeholders. Consequently, a rational, defensible water
allocation plan for current and future water supply conditions is
critically important.
Additional Guidance
State natural resources negotiators have asked your team to
develop a water allocation plan in their five states (AZ, CA, WY,
NM, and CO). These officials assume that recent rainfall shortages
and hotter temperatures will persist, causing problems with both
supply (water availability) and demand (electricity requirements).
They provided the following guidance:
The operations of the Glen Canyon dam (Lake Powell) and the
Hoover dam (Lake Mead) should be closely coordinated because water
outflows from the Glen Canyon dam supply part of the water input to
the Hoover dam.
• The challenge presented by this series configuration of two
dams is to determine a suitable allocation of water and electricity
to agriculture, industry, and residences in the five states.
• Your solution should address what water flows should be taken
from the Glen Canyon and Hoover dams when the demands of the
communities of interest are at stated levels and the water in the
two reservoirs is at stated height (respecting the relationship
between water height in the reservoirs and the volume of water in
the reservoirs). Recommend how often the model should be re-run to
take into account changes in the supply and demand profiles.
• Mexico has claims on the residual water left after the five
states have consumed their shares. Your plan should address
Mexico’s rights.
• After water allocations from your plan are implemented,
discuss how much water (if any) should be allowed to flow into the
Gulf of California from the Colorado River?
Requirements
In developing your water allocation plan according to the
negotiators’ guidance, you should:
• Develop and analyze a mathematical model that will assist
negotiators to respond to a fixed set of water supply and demand
conditions. Use the model to inform dam operations: When the water
level in Lake Mead is M and the water level in Lake Powell is P,
how much water should be drawn from each lake to meet stated
demands? If no additional water is supplied (from rainfall, etc.),
and considering the demands as fixed, how long will it take before
the demands are not met? How much additional water must be supplied
over time to ensure that these fixed demands are met?
• Use your model to recommend the best means to resolve the
competing interests of water availability for general
(agricultural, industrial, residential) usage and electricity
production. Explicitly state the criteria you are using to resolve
competing interests.
• Use your model to address what should be done if there is not
enough water to meet all water and electricity demands.
• What does your model indicate under the following
conditions?
o The demands for water and electricity in the communities of
interest change over time. What happens when there is population,
agricultural, and industrial growth or shrinkage in the affected
areas?
o The proportion of renewable energy technologies increases over
the initial value used in your analysis.
o Additional water and electricity conservation measures are
implemented.
Your solution should not utilize or rely on any existing
historical agreements or current political powers of organizations
or persons in these states but represent your team’s best
mathematical solution for the allocation of water in this
region.
As part of your solution submission, prepare a one- to two-page
article of your findings suitable for publication in Drought and
Thirst magazine, a monthly publication for water infrastructure
managers in the American Southwest.
Your PDF solution of no more than 25 total pages should
include:
• One-page Summary Sheet.
• Table of Contents.
• Your complete solution.
• One- to two-page Article for Drought and Thirst magazine.
• Reference List.
Note: The MCM has a 25-page limit. All aspects
of your submission count toward the 25-page limit (Summary Sheet,
Table of Contents, Reference List, and any Appendices).
You must cite the sources for your ideas, images, and any other
materials used in your report.
Glossary
Hydroelectric power (hydropower): electricity
produced by turbines that convert the potential energy of falling
or fast-flowing water into mechanical energy.
Background
For centuries, people have constructed dams across rivers and
streams to hold back water to create reservoirs as a means of
managing water supplies. These reservoirs store water for a variety
of uses (e.g., agriculture, industry, residential), provide an area
for leisure and recreation (e.g., fishing, boating), assist in
preventing downstream flooding, and feed water to turbines that
generate electricity. Hydroelectric power (hydropower) is
electricity produced by these turbines as they convert the
potential energy of falling or fast-flowing water into mechanical
energy.
With climate change, the volume of water from sources feeding
dams and reservoirs is decreasing in many areas. Consequently, dams
may not be able to meet the demands for water in these areas.
Additionally, low water flow decreases the amount of electricity
generated from hydroelectric plants resulting in disruptions of the
power supply in these areas. If the water level in the reservoir
behind the dam is low enough, hydroelectric power generation
stops.
Natural resource officials in the U.S. states of Arizona (AZ),
California (CA), Wyoming (WY), New Mexico (NM), and Colorado (CO)
are currently negotiating to determine the best way to manage water
usage and electricity production at the Glen Canyon and Hoover dams
to address these competing interests. Hundreds of years of previous
agreements continue to impact current water management regulations,
policies, and practices today. The agreements allocate more water
from the Colorado River system than is present in the system. It is
likely that the system continues to work because some users do not
take their full allocations. If drought conditions continue in the
Colorado River basin, the water volume at some point will be
insufficient to meet the basic water and generated electricity
needs of stakeholders. Consequently, a rational, defensible water
allocation plan for current and future water supply conditions is
critically important.
Additional Guidance
State natural resources negotiators have asked your team to
develop a water allocation plan in their five states (AZ, CA, WY,
NM, and CO). These officials assume that recent rainfall shortages
and hotter temperatures will persist, causing problems with both
supply (water availability) and demand (electricity requirements).
They provided the following guidance:
The operations of the Glen Canyon dam (Lake Powell) and the
Hoover dam (Lake Mead) should be closely coordinated because water
outflows from the Glen Canyon dam supply part of the water input to
the Hoover dam.
• The challenge presented by this series configuration of two
dams is to determine a suitable allocation of water and electricity
to agriculture, industry, and residences in the five states.
• Your solution should address what water flows should be taken
from the Glen Canyon and Hoover dams when the demands of the
communities of interest are at stated levels and the water in the
two reservoirs is at stated height (respecting the relationship
between water height in the reservoirs and the volume of water in
the reservoirs). Recommend how often the model should be re-run to
take into account changes in the supply and demand profiles.
• Mexico has claims on the residual water left after the five
states have consumed their shares. Your plan should address
Mexico’s rights.
• After water allocations from your plan are implemented,
discuss how much water (if any) should be allowed to flow into the
Gulf of California from the Colorado River?
Requirements
In developing your water allocation plan according to the
negotiators’ guidance, you should:
• Develop and analyze a mathematical model that will assist
negotiators to respond to a fixed set of water supply and demand
conditions. Use the model to inform dam operations: When the water
level in Lake Mead is M and the water level in Lake Powell is P,
how much water should be drawn from each lake to meet stated
demands? If no additional water is supplied (from rainfall, etc.),
and considering the demands as fixed, how long will it take before
the demands are not met? How much additional water must be supplied
over time to ensure that these fixed demands are met?
• Use your model to recommend the best means to resolve the
competing interests of water availability for general
(agricultural, industrial, residential) usage and electricity
production. Explicitly state the criteria you are using to resolve
competing interests.
• Use your model to address what should be done if there is not
enough water to meet all water and electricity demands.
• What does your model indicate under the following
conditions?
o The demands for water and electricity in the communities of
interest change over time. What happens when there is population,
agricultural, and industrial growth or shrinkage in the affected
areas?
o The proportion of renewable energy technologies increases over
the initial value used in your analysis.
o Additional water and electricity conservation measures are
implemented.
Your solution should not utilize or rely on any existing
historical agreements or current political powers of organizations
or persons in these states but represent your team’s best
mathematical solution for the allocation of water in this
region.
As part of your solution submission, prepare a one- to two-page
article of your findings suitable for publication in Drought and
Thirst magazine, a monthly publication for water infrastructure
managers in the American Southwest.
Your PDF solution of no more than 25 total pages should
include:
• One-page Summary Sheet.
• Table of Contents.
• Your complete solution.
• One- to two-page Article for Drought and Thirst magazine.
• Reference List.
Note: The MCM has a 25-page limit. All aspects
of your submission count toward the 25-page limit (Summary Sheet,
Table of Contents, Reference List, and any Appendices).
You must cite the sources for your ideas, images, and any other
materials used in your report.
Glossary
Hydroelectric power (hydropower): electricity
produced by turbines that convert the potential energy of falling
or fast-flowing water into mechanical energy.