Arkansas - CSU Geospatial DSS for Integrated Water Mgmt_ Application

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Water Supply Reserve Account -Grant Application Form Form Revised May 2007 Arkansas River Basin in Colorado. This project is unique in that all modeling components are incorporated into a geographic information system (GIS) which maintains real-world coordinates of all facilities in the Basin and their interconnections, as well as providing powerful spatial analysis tools for evaluating complex, spatially-distributed stream-aquifer interactions. f. Over the past decade, Colorado State University (CSU) has conducted studies to develop insights into current water-related problems in Colorado's Lower Arkansas River Valley below Pueblo Reservoir and to identify promising solution strategies for consideration by water managers and stakeholders. Over the past 3 to 4 years, significant funding support has been provided by federal, state, and local agencies, including the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District and the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, This has allowed extensive field data and modeling tools to be incorporated into adecision-making framework focused on: (1) increasing the net economic benefits of agricultural production by reducing salinity and waterlogging; (2) reducing salt and selenium (Se) concentrations in the river at key locations, including the Colorado-Kansas state line; (3) increasing salvaged water by reducing non-beneficial consumptive use from high water tables under naturally-vegetated and fallow alluvial lands and from invasive phreatophyte vegetation along the river corridor, and (4) providing tradeoff information relating expected economic net benefits and salinity/Se reduction to expected costs of implementing alternative water management strategies and expected environmental and social improvements. g. The Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District and the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District have supported CSU's monitoring and modeling efforts in the Lower Arkansas River Valley in the amount of about $115,000 and $400,000, respectively, over the last 4 years. It is anticipated that they will provide continued matching funds for the work proposed herein in the total amount of $150,000 to $300,000. h. Matching funds of about $100,000 to $120,000 are to be provided over the next 2 to 3 years in support of this project through the MUSIC-USBR project for developing a coupled agent-based model to address some of the major social, economic and environmental challenges facing the Lower Arkansas River Basin in Colorado. i. Although limited funding is available from federal sources, local Districts and other entities within the Arkansas River Basin, ongoing projects are collectively insufficient to support the entire data collection effort, data processing, model development, model calibration and verification, and the strategy development and analysis required for aGIS-based spatial decision support system for integrated water management over the entire Arkansas River Basin in Colorado. Meeting Water Management Goals and Objectives and Identified Water Needs j. Funding is required for enhancing the current geospatial decision support system developed for the Lower Arkansas River Basin and extending it to the entire Arkansas River Basin in Colorado. The proposed Arkansas River GeoDSS assesses strategies for satisfying both consumptive and nonconsumptive water uses, while enhancing environmental, water quality, and recreational objectives within the confines of Colorado State water law and the Arkansas River compact. k. This proposed project meets all of the water management objectives identified in the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI), including: sustainable satisfaction of municipal, industrial and agricultural demands; optimization of existing and future water supplies; recreational and 6