PNNL

Abstract

This document reports on first-year progress of the Integrated Basin-Scale Opportunity Assessment Initiative, an action item of the March 24, 2010 Sustainable Hydropower Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Reclamation. As envisioned in the MOU, an integrated basin-scale opportunity assessment would take a system-scale approach to identifying opportunities and actions to both increase hydropower and enhance environmental conditions within the context of existing water uses in river basins of the United States. Assessments are intended to be collaborative processes that work with stakeholders at the basin scale to identify hydropower and environmental opportunity scenarios. Opportunity scenarios are analyzed, again in collaboration with stakeholders, through modeling and visualization software to assess tradeoffs and system-scale effects. Opportunity assessments are not intended to produce decisional documents or substitute for basin planning processes; assessments are instead intended to provide tools, information, and a forum for catalyzing conversation about scenarios where environmental and hydropower gains can both be realized within a given basin. In fiscal year 2011, DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Water Power Team provided funding to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory to develop an assessment approach and toolbox, and carry out an initial pilot opportunity assessment. In February 2011, the Upper Deschutes/Crooked River Basin in central Oregon was selected as the pilot basin. Through establishment of stakeholder working groups, a technical site visit, a series of interviews, a stakeholder workshop, and identification of existing tools and data sets, initial opportunities have been identified and analytical tools selected to explore opportunity scenarios. This report documents project progress to date, describes the opportunity assessment approach, and establishes an agenda for analysis of stakeholder-identified opportunities in fiscal year 2012. Findings presented here are preliminary; the final Deschutes Basin pilot study report will be submitted at the end of fiscal year 2012.