Water Resources Management Software
Decision support tools for water resource management bring information to the people that need it. A reservoir inflow tool developed by Vieux, Inc. supports hydroelectric dam operation. The developed system collects, stores, and analyzes both current and forecast rainfall, measured streamflow and reservoir pool elevation which is useful in reservoir operations and flood monitoring.
Operating a hydroelectric dam today is more difficult than ever considering requirements for power generation, respecting downstream environmental releases, as well as, lake levels affecting property owners. These operating requirements increase the need for accurate inflow forecast information, now more than ever. Ameren Missouri (Ameren) operates Bagnell dam and associated power generation located in Central Missouri. Constructed in 1929, Bagnell Dam creates an impoundment called the Lake of the Ozarks (LOZ). The lake’s serpentine shape has given rise to the nickname of “The Magic Dragon.” The LOZ main channel is 94 miles in length from end to end. Upstream releases from the US Army Corps, Harry S. Truman reservoir contributes flow along with runoff from an uncontrolled drainage area of 2,410 sq. mi. How much the reservoir level will change in hours, days, or weeks, is important for managing power generation, especially when lake level rise or downstream discharge impose limits. The problem of knowing reservoir inflow depends on runoff and releases from upstream reservoirs and Bagnell Dam itself. The sophisticated approach taken adds capabilities, handling the complex interaction of watershed runoff, upstream releases, and planned releases from the forecast reservoir. As operators gain confidence with forecast flows day in and day out, their system has also gained accuracy through gauge adjusted radar rainfall, and hydrologic model review and adjustment. What-if scenario testing allows dam operators to try different gate operations to accomplish power generation demands, all the while, maintaining releases that correspond to “natural valley” discharge requirements of the operating license.