SPDSS_Feasibility_20011001

• Title: SPDSS Feasibility Study
• Description: This report presents the results of an investigation to determine the feasibility of developing a decision support system for the South Platte and North Platte River basins in Colorado
• Decision Support - Doc Type: Study
• Date: 10/1/2001
• DSS: South Platte
• Basin: South Platte
• Contract/PO #: C153984A
• Bill Number: SB01-157, HB02-1152, SB03-110, HB04-1221, SB05-084, HB06-1313, SB07-122
• Prepared By: Brown and Caldwell, CDM, Leonard Rice Engineering, Riverside Technology inc

• Need for additional flow data along the South Platte River and major tributaries to assist in
water quality investigations
2.11 NEEDS IDENTIFIED BUT PROVIDED BY OTHERS
A few of the needs expressed by water users are within the services and products typically
provided by other State or Federal agencies. These needs, indicated below, are left to those
agencies and are not considered further in the SPDSS Feasibility Study.
Streamflow forecasts are provided cooperatively by the National Weather Service and the
Natural Resources Conservation Service. The needs that have been expressed by water
users for forecast information can be addressed through a combination of coordination with
responsible agencies and through tools provided in the SPDSS to efficiently access forecast
information provided by these agencies. It is not anticipated that a component that
performs streamflow forecasting will be included in the SPDSS.
Water quality issues are handled by the Water Quality Control Division (WQCD) in the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Although the WQCD does not
maintain a comprehensive database of water quality data (a need expressed by water users),
large quantities of these data are stored and maintained in EPA's STOREY database. Most
public entities that want to share their data make it available through STOREY. Therefore,
water quality will not be further pursued as a potential component in the SPDSS.
As part of ongoing investigations related to endangered species in Nebraska, a number of
tools have been developed or refined by State and Federal agencies. In order to not
replicate these efforts, SPDSS linkage to out-of--state components (e.g., the OpStudy model
or a Nebraska DSS) will not be considered further in the SPDSS. However, the
development of the SPDSS will not preclude the integration or linkage of components to
external systems or models such as the Nebraska DSS or downstream OpStudy models of
the Platte River or the North Platte River.
2.12 SUMMARY
Water users and State officials who will utilize the data and tools of the SPDSS communicated
each of the needs outlined in the above sections. These needs require that the SPDSS have both
data and analysis components. The data required to fulfill both the direct data needs of the users,
as well as the data required for analytical tools, are discussed in Chapter 3. The components
required to interface with the user, display data, perform analyses and present results are presented
in Chapter 4. Three alternative DSS systems, each incorporating different combinations of data and
components, are presented in Chapter 5.
Table 2-1 indicates the locations of responses in Chapter 3 (Data Assessment) and Chapter 4 (DSS
Components) to the expressed needs detailed in this chapter.
p:data\gen\spdss~final report\chapter 2.doc 2-10
October 31, 2001