Abstract

Automated Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling of a Hydroelectric System
Track: Water Resources
Authors: Eok Ngo, David Northup

Balancing the needs of regulatory requirements, maximizing energy market returns, mitigating flood hazard, and optimizing snowmelt allotment over a water year is a multifaceted process. Southern California Edison's (SCE) Northern Hydro Division commissioned the BCH2O Modeling Application to provide a detailed, real-time operating picture of the hydroelectric system based in Big Creek, California. BCH20 is a fully automated application utilizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Real Time Simulation software (RTS) which includes HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, and HEC-ResSim hydrologic and hydraulic models. These models simulate the water cycle on live data feeds, including current and forecast gridded meteorological data, and real-time field data from reservoirs and conduits. This session will emphasize the usage of ArcGIS software with the ArcHydro extension in preparing the underlying GIS data for the models. It will also cover the integration of the data processing necessary for the automation and execution of the RTS software.