Craig Boroughs

Abstract: The Upper Rio Grande Water Operations Model (URGWOM) has been used for years for daily accounting to track water for individual water users, planning studies for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes, and for preparing Annual Operating Plans (AOPs) to forecast flows and operations for an upcoming year. Use of the model is now projected to expand to include real-time water operations modeling and simulations for even longer-term analysis periods for climate change studies and to evaluate impacts of operations on endangered species. In an effort to refine the tool to meet existing and new modeling needs while utilizing as simple a configuration as possible to improve transparency of all aspects of the modeling for basin stakeholders, adjustments are being made to the physical model, accounting, rules, and data management. All changes are being implemented using newer capabilities in RiverWare to streamline all the applications of URGWOM. Updates are also being incorporated as needed to reflect the latest details on all aspects of reservoir operation policy along with the details of various potential solutions for meeting the water needs in the basin that are being analyzed with URGWOM.