Institute: Colorado
Year Established: 2002 Start Date: 2002-03-01 End Date: 2005-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $21,449 Total Non-Federal Funds: $42,904
Principal Investigators: Luis Garcia
Project Summary: Local water management organizations in the Lower South Platte have sought the development of computer based tools tailored to the modeling needs of this unique area. Specifically, there is a need to upgrade current technology used to manage the conjunctive use of ground and water resources in the South Platte Basin and to determine augmentation requirements. These systems are complex and require data and models that can work with both large and small areas and time periods. Computer tools can be used to manage this data and run models specifically designed for this problem. Current SPMAP tools are proving themselves to be very valuable, but there is a need to maintain the spatial database to run these tools as well as develop additional enhancements to better address the needs of local water providers. This project will continue the close cooperation with water managers that has been established over the last five years and allow the SPMAP tools to be improved and maintained. Water user groups consider the SPMAP effort as the foundation of the future South Platte Decision Support System (SPDSS) now being scoped by the State of Colorado. The enhancements in this proposal will provide a package of computer tools that the State of Colorado can consider incorporating as part of the SPDSS.