Decision support for implementation of conjunctive management

An urgent matter facing water managers throughout the western United States is the need to implement conjunctive management of water rights in basins that support diversions from surface and ground waters. The analysis procedure and logic used in the management process must be transparent to all interested parties and be defensible in administrative venues today and into the next century. Phase 1 of the process involves acquisition of information regarding (1) water rights as determined by an adjudication process, (2) hydrogeologic impacts of ground water pumping, (3) water quality impacts resulting from water diversions, and (4) applicable water laws including existing statutes and rules. Phase 2 consists of implementing a water distribution process which incorporates conjunctive management principles. Decision support approaches being considered for implementing Phases 1 and 2 are discussed, using the Boise River watershed in Idaho as an example. This paper presents a preliminary application of an artificial neural network to a water management situation. The artificial neural network appears to have strong potential in the decision support design.