Application of forecast‐informed reservoir operations at US Army Corps of Engineers dams in California
Abstract The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) prescribes flood control operations for reservoirs it regulates in watershed‐specific water control manuals (WCMs), which can be decades‐old and may not capture changed conditions in the watersheds or include the benefit of state‐of‐the‐science weather...
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| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Flood Risk Management |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.13051 |
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| author | Joe Forbis Cuong Ly |
| author_facet | Joe Forbis Cuong Ly |
| author_sort | Joe Forbis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) prescribes flood control operations for reservoirs it regulates in watershed‐specific water control manuals (WCMs), which can be decades‐old and may not capture changed conditions in the watersheds or include the benefit of state‐of‐the‐science weather and streamflow prediction. Considering the specific characteristics of a reservoir, forecast‐informed reservoir operations (FIRO) may be used to enhance flood risk reduction, improve water availability, and achieve other benefits. The first FIRO pilot project at Lake Mendocino in California focused on determining if water supply reliability could be improved using FIRO without increasing flood risk. The final report concluded that FIRO concepts could indeed improve water supply reliability while enhancing flood risk reduction. Subsequently, USACE chose additional reservoir systems in California with different characteristics as additional pilot study locations to further investigate FIRO concepts. These successful FIRO efforts have provided justification to continue its expansion beyond the initial pilot sites. The lessons learned from the FIRO pilot projects are being used to inform the development of the FIRO Screening Process, a screening level framework intended to scale up the implementation of FIRO. The lessons learned could support FIRO implementation at suitable USACE reservoirs by updating WCMs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0721a398707941daa820144295da0e8e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1753-318X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Flood Risk Management |
| spelling | doaj-art-0721a398707941daa820144295da0e8e2025-08-20T01:49:58ZengWileyJournal of Flood Risk Management1753-318X2025-03-01181n/an/a10.1111/jfr3.13051Application of forecast‐informed reservoir operations at US Army Corps of Engineers dams in CaliforniaJoe Forbis0Cuong Ly1US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory Sacramento California USAUS Army Corps of Engineers, South Pacific Division Los Angeles California USAAbstract The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) prescribes flood control operations for reservoirs it regulates in watershed‐specific water control manuals (WCMs), which can be decades‐old and may not capture changed conditions in the watersheds or include the benefit of state‐of‐the‐science weather and streamflow prediction. Considering the specific characteristics of a reservoir, forecast‐informed reservoir operations (FIRO) may be used to enhance flood risk reduction, improve water availability, and achieve other benefits. The first FIRO pilot project at Lake Mendocino in California focused on determining if water supply reliability could be improved using FIRO without increasing flood risk. The final report concluded that FIRO concepts could indeed improve water supply reliability while enhancing flood risk reduction. Subsequently, USACE chose additional reservoir systems in California with different characteristics as additional pilot study locations to further investigate FIRO concepts. These successful FIRO efforts have provided justification to continue its expansion beyond the initial pilot sites. The lessons learned from the FIRO pilot projects are being used to inform the development of the FIRO Screening Process, a screening level framework intended to scale up the implementation of FIRO. The lessons learned could support FIRO implementation at suitable USACE reservoirs by updating WCMs.https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.13051CaliforniadamFIROforecastoperationsreservoir |
| spellingShingle | Joe Forbis Cuong Ly Application of forecast‐informed reservoir operations at US Army Corps of Engineers dams in California Journal of Flood Risk Management California dam FIRO forecast operations reservoir |
| title | Application of forecast‐informed reservoir operations at US Army Corps of Engineers dams in California |
| title_full | Application of forecast‐informed reservoir operations at US Army Corps of Engineers dams in California |
| title_fullStr | Application of forecast‐informed reservoir operations at US Army Corps of Engineers dams in California |
| title_full_unstemmed | Application of forecast‐informed reservoir operations at US Army Corps of Engineers dams in California |
| title_short | Application of forecast‐informed reservoir operations at US Army Corps of Engineers dams in California |
| title_sort | application of forecast informed reservoir operations at us army corps of engineers dams in california |
| topic | California dam FIRO forecast operations reservoir |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.13051 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT joeforbis applicationofforecastinformedreservoiroperationsatusarmycorpsofengineersdamsincalifornia AT cuongly applicationofforecastinformedreservoiroperationsatusarmycorpsofengineersdamsincalifornia |