Potential Applications of Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) to Enhance Integrated Water Management

ABSTRACT ONLY - When federal dollars are utilized to construct a dam that includes flood mitigation as an authorized purpose, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) becomes responsible for managing the flood operation and storage pursuant to Section 7 of the U.S. Flood Control Act of 1944. A Water Control Manual (WCM) is developed for each Section 7 or USACE dam asset that includes flood control as an authorized purpose. A WCM provides operational instructions to personnel involved in managing the reservoir.
A major element of a WCM is the “guide curve.” A guide curve describes the maximum allowable reservoir storage necessary to meet flood control objectives. The guide curve allows documentation of the variation of flood risk across each season. When dam construction in the U.S. peaked in the 1960s, skill in weather and water forecasting was limited. The procedures used to develop guide curves and for evacuating excess impounded water in flood control reservoirs relied on observations and the climatological likelihood of future weather. These procedures are codified in the WCM and water managers are largely compelled to use them.(Continued)