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What’s New College Course Megan Wiley Rivera will be hosting two conference call/webviewer meetings to talk about the course Computer Aided Negotiations of Water Resources Disputes for anyone interested in teaching the course, using the materials, or learning more: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 1 PM EST and Wednesday, December 2, 2009 4 PM EST. Please see http://www.hydrologics.net/CAN_Course/ for more information. West Palm Beach In November 2009, HydroLogics completed a surface water model for the City of West Palm Beach, Florida that will be used by City personnel to optimize its water resources, particularly during drought, over short-term (one week) and medium-term (up to one year) horizons. The tool can also be used for long-range planning and performing analyses designed to adapt operating policies to changing conditions. HydroLogics Implements Genetic Algorithm Search with OASIS HydroLogics has successfully implemented Genetic Algorithm wrappers for the OASIS model. The GA wrapper searches for improved parameters and forms of operating rules for multi-objective management of water resource systems. It works by combining and recombining parameters and rule forms from the best of previously evaluated alternatives in a way that is similar to selective breeding. The wrapper uses an Excel interface to structure the search and can use either the Frontline solver for Excel or HydroLogics internally developed parallel processing GA. The GA wrapper has been used to substantially improve simulated operating policies for the Apalachicola Chattahoochee Flint Basin in Georgia, Alabama and Florida and for Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti in New Zealand. South Florida The Kissimmee Basin Modeling and Operations Study (KBMOS) has been undertaken by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). An OASIS model of the basin (OKISS) is central to this effort. OKISS has been used in four Computer-Aided Negotiation (CAN) sessions in which stakeholders have tested, refined, and combined their ideas for operating policies. HydroLogics has also created a “heuristic” spreadsheet wrapper that uses a gradient search technique to fine-tune parameters of the operating policies to improve biological performance while meeting flood control and other constraints. AWWA Journal article "Science Based Collaboration: Finding Better Ways to Operate the Conowingo Pond," written by Dr. Sheer, appeared in the AWWA Journal, June 2009 on page 20. National Hydropower Association Conference Brian McCrodden will participate in a panel discussion on "Stakeholder Collaboration: Strengthening the Partnership" at the National Hydropower Association Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. May 11-13, 2009 U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution Daniel Sheer is a presenter at the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution National Strategic Planning Session May 6-8, 2009 in Tucson, AZ. The topic is "HydroLogics Computer Aided Negotiation and Operations Exercises Using OASIS." Safe Yield Analyses The Raleigh office has been retained by McGill Associates to conduct safe yield analyses for the City of Hendersonville and the Town of Mars Hill, North Carolina. Progress Energy The Raleigh, NC, office has been selected by Progress Energy to provide permitting support for the expansion of its Shearon Harris nuclear plant southwest of Raleigh. Progress Energy is proposing to withdraw water from the nearby Cape Fear River to provide additional cooling water for the expanded plant. HydroLogics will use the Cape Fear River Basin Hydrologic Model previously developed for the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources to evaluate operating scenarios that will provide the necessary cooling water while protecting the aquatic resources of the Cape Fear River. Computer-Aided Negotiation - Canada The week of September 22, 2008, HydroLogics is in Lethbridge, Alberta, running a model-aided negotiation meeting with the stakeholders of the South Saskatchewan River Basin. This is the final task in our South Saskatchewan project, the main task of which was to build an OASIS model of the system. OASIS @ University of Maryland The NSF-supported course Computer Aided Negotiation of Water Resources Disputes has begun! Fourteen University of Maryland Baltimore County students from various disciplines (including Political Science, Environmental Studies, Economics, History, and Chemical Engineering) are role-playing stakeholders in the Delaware River Basin with the goal of developing operations that better serve all parties' interests. UMBC and HydroLogics partnered on the grant proposal, and Dr. Megan Rivera of HydroLogics is teaching the course. Information about the course can be found by searching for "GES200H" at this site. New York City - Drought Risk Analysis The New York City Bureau of Water Supply (BWS) has contracted with HydroLogics to perform an analysis of the drought risk associated with operating its reservoirs at a lower elevation to provide additional flood control benefits for those downstream. BWS has long operated its water supply reservoirs in the Catskill Mountains so as to be full on June 1 of each year, meaning that the reservoirs are often full or near-full during the spring when flows are usually at their highest. Providing additional flood control would require that the reservoirs be maintained at a lower level throughout the spring, leading to the possibility that the reservoirs might not be full on June 1. HydroLogics will perform the analysis with the existing OASIS model of the New York City water supply system. The OASIS model will be used in “position analysis” mode to determine the probabilities of events such as: reservoirs going into drought “watch,” drought “warning,” and “drought” levels and the resulting shortages, if any, in NYC water supply. OASIS - IHA Link Numerous clients have asked about performing IHA (Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration) analyses on OASIS output. We are in the process of integrating the two software packages so that OASIS results are automatically loaded into IHA when the user pushes a button in the OASIS GUI. The linked programs will be available for demonstration at the FLOW 2008 conference. Saugatuck River January, 2008. The Raleigh Office was awarded a contract jointly funded by Aquarion Water Company and The Nature Conservancy to develop an OASIS model of Aquarion's Bridgeport, Connecticut, water system. Aquarion is interested in system reliability, and TNC is interested in environmental flows, particularly in the Saugatuck River. The model will be used to investigate operating strategies that might improve environmental flows without jeopardizing water supply reliability. The project is scheduled for completion in December, 2008. State of North Carolina January, 2008. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has purchased a license to use OASIS throughout the state. DENR intends to develop an OASIS application of each of the ten major river basins in the state and make them available to local governments and consultants for their use in water supply planning and permitting activities. DENR has also contracted with HydroLogics to develop an OASIS application for the Neuse River basin, which provides water supply for the cities of Raleigh and Durham. It is anticipated that the model will be useful as the Research Triangle region develops more sophisticated drought management plans and for addressing water quality issues downstream in the coastal plain. Risk Management For Municipal Water Supply HydroLogics is pleased to offer a presentation entitled “Risk Management for Municipal Water Supply”, featuring a discussion about the traditional safe yield approach, its limitations, and the advantages of risk management in the context of drought management and capacity planning. This Macromedia Flash presentation contains an overview of our company's mission, experience, municipal services and products, and OASIS software. Testimonials from clients using our risk management approach are also included. This presentation educates water system managers, planners, regulators, environmental groups, and other stakeholders about more sustainable water management strategies.
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