River Basin Web Site Development
In the past, monitoring and automation systems generated substantial amounts of data, but it was unavailable to all but a few water managers. This was a constant source of frustration to the excluded water managers and others who needed the information to improve their operations. Meanwhile, the rapid rise in the development and use of the Internet meant that many water managers were either getting on-line or considering it. It became apparent that getting the real-time data onto a Website would be a good way to distribute the information to a wide audience without requiring the purchase of specialized equipment.
In 1997, StoneFly developed a plan to connect the real-time databases to the Web. Reclamation agreed to assist with the project. The initial effort began in 1998 for the Sevier River Basin, Utah. (The development of the Sevier River Website is being partially funded through a grant from the Technology Opportunity Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce.) A second Website was installed for the San Rafael River system in 1999. By the start of the 2002 irrigation season, a similar site had been installed for the Duchesne Rivers system. Any water manager or interested individual is now able to sit down at a computer and survey hydrologic and weather conditions throughout these three river basins.
The Websites created by StoneFly are designed to serve a variety of users with a variety of displays. The log-in page gives the user several options. One popular display gives hourly flow data for the previous 7 days (see Figure 2). Current river and canal flow information is displayed in spatial diagrams (see Figures 3 and 4). Another popular display shows the real-time status of all major reservoirs throughout a Basin (see Figure 5). Web cams are being integrated into all three Websites.
Figure 2. The Web time-series plot: hourly flows at the head of Sevier Valley/Piute Canal for the previous 7 days.
Figure 3. A spatial diagram displaying real-time canal diversion information along the central Sevier River (vertical line).
Figure 4. A spacial diagram displaying real-time information at 5 sites along the Sevier Valley/Piute Canal.
Figure 5. Real-time status of all major water storage in the Sevier River Basin.
In addition to the real-time data collected by the water users, the Website displays real-time information gathered by a variety of other groups including: Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Weather Service, U.S. Geologic Survey, Stream Forecast Center, and individual project SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems.