Decision Support System for Water and Environmental Resources in the Connecticut River Basin

Abstract

This paper describes the development and application of a reservoir management decision support system for evaluating floodplain benefits and socioeconomic trade-offs of reservoir management alternatives in the Connecticut River watershed. The decision support system is composed of a reservoir system simulation model, an ecological model, and two river hydraulics models. The reservoir model simulated current operations at 73 reservoirs and flows at locations of interest in the Connecticut River watershed. Regulated flows from the reservoir model were compared with unregulated flows, both statistically and spatially, for a suite of environmental flow metrics based on inundation patterns related to floodplain vegetation communities. Analyses demonstrate use of the decision support system and show how its use illuminates (1) trends in existing hydrologic alteration for the Connecticut River mainstem and one of its tributaries, the Farmington River, and (2) management scenarios that might have ecological benefits for floodplain plant communities. The decision support system was used to test two management scenarios to assess potential floodplain benefits and associated trade-offs in hydropower generation and flood risk. The process described shows the usefulness of large-scale reservoir management decision support systems that incorporate environmental considerations in assisting with watershed planning and environmental flow implementation.