Water Rights Analysis Package Modeling System

Abstract

The water rights analysis package (WRAP) simulates surface water development, allocation, management, and use and performs reliability and frequency analyses of simulation results. The computer modeling system facilitates assessments of hydrologic and institutional water availability and reliability in satisfying requirements for reservoir storage, water supply diversions, environmental instream flows, hydroelectric energy generation, and flood control. Salinity concentrations can also be modeled. Capabilities are provided for analyzing basin-wide impacts of water resources development projects and management practices. The modeling system is generalized for application anywhere, with input datasets being developed for particular river systems of concern. The water availability modeling system maintained by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and routinely applied by the professional water management community consists of WRAP and simulation input datasets for all Texas river basins. Model-users modify the input datasets as appropriate to evaluate alternative water use scenarios, development projects, and management strategies of interest. This paper explores concepts and methodologies incorporated in WRAP and other comparable modeling systems, as well as exploring implementation of water availability modeling in Texas and contributions to effective water management.