A GROUNDWATER-MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR SALT LAKE COUNTY, UTAH WITH SOME WATER RIGHTS AND WATER-QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS

A deterministic optimization model is presented for analyzing groundwater development and use options in an urban setting for a multi-year planning period. Water quality management issues are considered through aquifer flow control. Groundwater rights of individual water supply agencies are handled by accounting for groundwater flow across agency boundaries and by restricting well drawdowns. A response matrix formulation is used to develop a compact, nonlinear optimization model. Penalty Successive Linear Programming (PSLP) is used for model solutions. Example applications of the model to Salt Lake County, UT are made for various demand scenarios - uniform demand, demand growth and drought conditions. The results from these applications show that economics, water quality and water rights considerations, as well as the spatial and temporal distribution of demand are important factors in determining optimal groundwater development.