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RIBSIM Application to the Rio Grande River <br />Purpose of the Model <br />In 1990, Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engineers, Inc. completed a study for the San Luis Valley <br />Water Conservancy District and the Colorado Water Conservation Board to examine the legally and <br />physically available flow (storable flow) at four potential reservoir sites in the Rio Grande Basin <br />upstream of Del Norte, Colorado. As part of this study, a computer tool was developed to help <br />organize and analyze data directed at quantifying storable River yield under different administrative <br />and operational scenarios. <br />Modeling System <br />The River Basin Simulation (RIBSIM) model is a generalized computer program that can be used to <br />estimate storable flows at potential reservoir sites considering various water supply and water use <br />scenarios. The model was developed by Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engineers, Inc. and has <br />been applied to storable flow analysis in several river basins in Colorado. <br />The RIBSIM model is configured to a river basin by the definition of water uses, return flows, <br />reservoirs, instream flow requirements, etc. to be superimposed on a flow network. The model uses <br />traditional accounting methodology to allocate water supplies to uses by the prior appropriation <br />doctrine. The allocation is performed for each month of the modeled period based on user assigned <br />priorities of the water rights. <br />RIBSIM Model Characteristics <br />Network Representation of the Rio Grande River <br />Physical features represented in the Rio Grande model include depletion points (direct flow <br />diversions), inflow points (Flow Base inflows, Closed Basin inflows), instream flow rights, and <br />operations of the Rio Grande Project. Diversion points include: <br />• Rio Grande Canal <br />• Farmers Union Canal <br />• Prairie Ditch <br />• Monte Vista Canal <br />• Rio Grande Lariat Ditch <br />• Empire Canal <br />• San Luis Valley Canal <br />• Costilla Canal <br />• Other senior water rights. <br />The network also represents several flow "monitor points" to help examine flood flow conditions, <br />the Compact credit and debit situation, and instream flows. In addition to representing Elephant <br />Butte, Caballo, Cochiti, and Abiquiu reservoirs, the model represents four potential reservoir sites in <br />the Upper Rio Grande Basin. A diagram of the network used to represent the Rio Grande River in <br />the RIBSIM application is provided as Attachment 2. <br />C:\cdss\Task3Mem.doc Review Previous Modeling Efforts Apri16, 1999 -Page 8 of 11 <br />