The benefits of using AWARE to evaluate water resource planning alternatives

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:219992

Sullivan, C; Birk, J ^[1]; Rice, J ^[2]

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1. Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA (United States)
2. Locus Consulting, Eugene, OR (United States)

This paper discusses the goals, objectives, and benefits of the AWARE methodology and software tool developed by the Electric Power Research Institute. AWARE was developed to help water project operators address competing and conflicting demands for limited resources at their projects and identify management alternatives providing positive social benefits. Its ultimate goal is to increase the overall value of the resource. AWARE evaluates alternate ways to {open_quotes}deploy{close_quotes} the resources at a water project; these alternatives may include different minimum flows, operating schedules, fish protection, recreational enhancement and a host of other possibilities. The evaluation is based on society`s willingness-to-pay for each of the project`s attributes. Fundamental to the AWARE approach is the recognition that any decision affecting the resources at a water project implies that tradeoffs are being made between the relative importance of the various resources. One of AWARE`s goals is to make these tradeoffs explicit. AWARE has been applied on many occasions to help address a requirement of the Electric Consumers Protection Act: that non-power resources (such as fish and wildlife) be given {open_quotes}equal consideration{close_quotes} with power resources in hydropower licensing and relicensing.

• OSTI ID: 219992
• Report Number(s): CONF-9507190--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

13 HYDRO ENERGY
A CODES
DECISION MAKING
HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
PLANNING
WATER RESOURCES