Water Resource Planning

As the basis for future project planning and construction, water resources planning helps lawmakers, water managers, and citizens to identify the best options for water development, reuse, and conservation. For over 30 years, INTERA has been solving water supply problems by providing sound, quantitative planning tools on which our clients make informed water management decisions. Our clients include municipal water suppliers, state and federal agencies; and industry. We started as a technology development firm, and using that knowledge, we routinely apply state-of-the-art technologies to support decision making. However, we also understand that no decision is made based on purely technical considerations. We have experience in coupling technical considerations with policy, regulatory, economic, and environmental constraints.

Water resource planning is one of the more complex activities because it often includes competing interests and limited resources. It is a combination of technical issues that are inherently quantitative balanced with other issues that are qualitative in nature, such as public perception, stakeholder support, or environmental suitability. INTERA is experienced in developing decision support methods for water resources that allow a transparent assessment of both qualitative and quantitative performance metrics in alternatives analysis. We are experts in communicating complex technical concepts to a non-technical audience using a tried and true stakeholder communication process.

Our water resource planning services include:

Decision support systems

• data compilation and analysis
• development and construction of data support systems
• analysis of alternatives
• use of decision support systems for public outreach and stakeholder input

Demand forecasting

• data reconstruction (filling data gaps)
• time series analysis
• web-based systems for demand management

Water availability

• groundwater
• surface water
• predictions of future availability and sustainability
• analysis of supply impacts

Stakeholder involvement

• development of multi-media exhibits for public meetings
• training and outreach
• development of decision-support systems that allow stakeholder input and scenario analysis