Conjunctive operation of surface water and
groundwater systems is a key element in integrated
water resource management. The cyclic
storage of available water in both surface
impoundments and groundwater aquifers reliably
maximizes efficient use of available
resources with minimum cost. Very large reservoirs
are often needed to increase the marginal
reliability of the naturally available surface
waters. However, this option may result in high
costs, extensive evaporation, and increasingly
negative effects on the environment. The
authors present a semidistributed optimization
model for design and operation of a proposed
cyclic system. The model includes interacting
components of surface water and groundwater
subsystems with the objective of minimizing
total system costs. A generalized and modified
unit response matrix method is developed and
embedded into the optimization model. Water
suppliers can use this information to develop
their own model in order to manage their
resources and go even further in banking their
water. Includes 21 references, tables, figures.