Water Quality Operation with a Blending Reservoir and Variable Sources

Abstract

A linear programming approach is used within a simulation model to manage water quality for an urban water supply agency with a blending reservoir and a raw water source of variable quality, the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. Schedules of source water quality and availability in addition to the physical storage and conveyance constraints, regulatory restrictions, raw water demand, and urban water management priorities are used as input to the simulation model. Resulting schedules of delivered water quality, reservoir storage, and other relevant data can be used to assist with the evaluation of proposed water projects, regulations, and operation strategies that impact water supply performance. This method is applied within the raw water simulation model of the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD), a water district that operates a large blending reservoir with the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta as its primary water source. A parameter variation study involving salinity levels in the delta quantifies the sensitivity of CCWD’s delivered water quality to changes in source quality.