Publications

System Dynamics Modeling of the Colorado Basin for Optimizing Operations Reducing Risk and Increasing Resiliency

Lowry, Thomas S.; Kobos, Peter H.; Malczynski, Leonard A.; Tidwell, Vincent C.; Roach, Jesse D.; McMahon, Kevin A.

This paper is the output from SNL's involvement in the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), the Colorado River Energy Distributors Association (CREDA), and the Upper Colo rado River Commission's (UCRC) sponsored Phase II work to establish market and non - market valu es (NMV's) of water and hydropower asso ciated with Glen Canyon Dam (GCD) operations and the Colorado River ecosystem. It describes the purpose and need to develop a systems model for the Colorado River Basin that includes valuations in the economic, hydrologic, environmental, social, and cultural sectors . It outlines the benefits and unique features associated with such a model and provides a roadmap of how a syste ms model would be developed and implemented. While not meant to serve as a full development plan, the ideas and concepts herein represent what the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) research team believes is the most impac tful and effective path forward to address an ever increasing complex set of problems that occur at the basin - scale and beyond .