Optimal Canal Location Using Environmental Mapping

Abstract

Proper planning of water conveyance systems requires consideration of both environmental and engineering factors in the earliest phases of project evaluation. A method is presented for using environmental data directly in the preliminary selection of a pipeline or canal route. The environmental factors considered include land use; mineral, water, and ecological resources; and transportation networks. The method requires the study area to be divided by a rectangular grid into subareas or cells. A cumulative disturbance cost is calculated for each cell according to the features in that cell and subjective disturbance penalties. The possible routes are represented by a directed network with the length of each route segment corresponding to the average of the disturbance costs for the connected cells. The minimum‐impact route is determined by solving for the shortest path in the network using a mathematical algorithm. The method is demonstrated for a potential canal in southeast Texas.