Colorado Water Conversation Board Division of Water Resources

• Year: 2001
• Title: South Platte Decision Support System Feasibility Study
• Author: Brown and Caldwell Camp Dresser & Mckee Inc Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engneers Inc Riverside Technology, Inc
• Description: South Platte Decision Support System Feasibility Study - Final Report
• Publications - Doc Type: Other

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1.6 FEASIBILITY STUDY ORGANIZATION
The State of Colorado, through the CWCB, contracted with Brown and Caldwell for project
management of the Feasibility Study. Brown and Caldwell, in turn, subcontracted with Riverside
Technology, Inc. (RTi); Leonard Rice Water Consulting Engineers; Camp, Dresser and McKee
(CDM); and Helton and Williamsen to assist in completing this Feasibility Study. The firms'
respective responsibilities are:
• Brown and Caldwell— Project management and technical review
• RTI— Spatial and relational database design issues, system integration
• Leonard Rice — Consumptive use and water budget data, tools and modeling
• Helton and Williamsen— Surface water data assessment for preparation of Data Collection
Report (prior to January 1, 2001)
• CDM— Surface water data assessment, tools and modeling for preparation of Feasibility
Study (after January 1, 2001)
• CDM— Groundwater data assessment, tools and modeling
In order to achieve the objectives of this study, this team addressed the following tasks:
• Introduction— reviewed available publications and provided an introduction to the
Feasibility Study and the study area in sufficient detail to allow the report to be a stand-
alone document
• Needs Assessment —met with water users, water providers, and State officials, either
independently or in groups, and identified needs to be met by SPDSS
• Data Assessment — assessed the availability and quality of existing data and determined
what new data were necessary or desirable to develop an SPDSS that accurately and
effectively addresses the needs identified in the previous task. Prioritized new data
collection based upon cost - effectiveness in meeting those needs. Identified new data that
must be obtained to fill gaps or increase SPDSS accuracy. This information was used to
formulate the specifications of the proposed system.
• DSS Components— Reviewed the existing CRDSS and RGDSS systems and identified
components that can be used in SPDSS. Identified the components required to develop
an SPDSS that addresses the needs identified in the previous tasks in a cost - effective
manner. Described the functionality of each component and the data, hardware, and
software requirements, as appropriate.
• Alternative Analysis— Developed three SPDSS component alternatives considering needs,
data availability, costs, and other appropriate factors. Fully evaluated one proposed
SPDSS alternative in consultation with the State and the SPDSS Advisory Committee.
p:data \gen\spdss\final report\chapter Ldoc
October 31, 2001