Ft. Worth, Texas

Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) utilizes a RiverWare model for both daily operational decision-making and long-term water supply planning.  Hydros staff have been involved in the development, testing, and application of this RiverWare model for a variety of TRWD management objectives.

TRWD incurs significant energy costs in delivering raw water to their municipal contractors. They have an extensive system of pipelines and pump-stations to move water from their east-Texas reservoirs into terminal storage facilities in and around Fort Worth.  The inability to forecast near-term hydrologic inflows can result in pumped water being spilled if a climatic wet-cycle develops.  Our forecasting tools provide managers with probabilistic forecasts that allow the District to simulate conditions that are anticipated over the next 3-6 months.  This biased-hydrology approach to operational planning allows the District to save money on energy costs for pumping while still meeting its water delivery and other operational obligations.

TRWD and Hydros continue to expand and utilize the RiverWare model and forecasting tool, as new supplies and infrastructure are added to the TRWD system, including the $2.3 billion Integrated Pipeline (IPL) and pumping project, shared between TRWD and Dallas Water Utilities.