Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Alternatives should also include the concept of more efficient management of existing <br />supplies of irrigation water. <br /> <br />3.2.4 Identification of Plan Elements <br /> <br />The plan elements are the building blocks which are used individually or in combinations <br />to develop planning alternatives; they may be structural or non-structural. Structural plan <br />elements would include, for example, water storage and conveyance facilities. <br />Non-structural plan elements would include measures for reducing demands or increasing <br />supplies by means which do not require substantial structural improvements. Some <br />examples of non-structural plan elements are water rights exchanges, new or revised <br />institutional arrangements, pricing policies, and conservation programs. <br /> <br />3.2.5 Preliminary Evaluation of Plan Elements <br /> <br />After a broad range of plan elements has been identified, they should be evaluated in a <br />preliminary fashion to determine which elements appear to be most useful for plan <br />formulation. The evaluation might include capacities, locations, geotechnical <br />characteristics, yields, costs, and impact~. This is generally a very preliminary analysis <br />based mainly on professional judgment. <br /> <br />3.2.6 Formulation of Preliminary AlternativfS <br /> <br />Some or all of the plan elements which have been evaluated in the previous task can now <br />be used to formulate a number of alternative plans. Plan formulation is generally a <br />trial-and-error process in which various combinations of plan elements are formulated and <br />tested for effectiveness in meeting the study objective(s). <br /> <br />One commonly used method for testing alternatives is an algorithm or model of the <br />system being studied. The model can be used to perform a series of operation studies to <br />evaluate the demands and yields which result from each combination of plan elements. <br /> <br />Prior to the formulation of alternatives, a strategy or rationale for plan formulation should <br />be developed. The strategy provides a framework for the formulation process. <br /> <br />Example: A city plans to augment existing water supplies to provide for future <br />development. Assume that the city will consider independent sources of supply <br />as well as obtaining water from a nearby city. In this case, the formulation <br />strategy could be described in ternls of three sets of alternatives as follows: (I) <br />Alternatives for a completely independent system, (2) Alternatives for obtaining <br />the needed supply from the nearby supplier and (3) Alternatives that include both <br />independent and dependent plan elements. <br /> <br />17 <br />