Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations

FIRO is a reservoir-operations strategy that better informs decisions to retain or release water by integrating additional flexibility in operation policies and rules with enhanced monitoring and improved weather and water forecasts (American Meteorological Society; 2020).

FIRO is being developed and tested as a collaborative effort in the Russian River Basin (Lake Mendocino), the Santa Ana River Basin (Prado Dam), and the Yuba-Feather River Basins that engages experts and stakeholders in civil engineering, hydrology, meteorology, biology, economics and climate from several federal, state and local, universities and others. There is significant interest and support for developing FIRO at other appropriate locations in the Western U.S. and elsewhere.


Overview
Process
News
Lake Mendocino
Prado Dam
Yuba-Feather
FIRO Colloquium

Jay Jasperse

(Sonoma Water)

F. Martin Ralph

(Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography)


Michael Anderson

(California State Climate Office, Department of Water Resources)

Levi Brekke

(Bureau of Reclamation)

Michael Dettinger

(United States Geologic Survey)

Nick Malasavage

(US Army Corps of Engineers)

Alan Haynes

(Caifornia Nevada River Forecast Center, NWS)

Joseph Forbis

(US Army Corps of Engineers)

Natalie Manning

(NOAA Restoration Center)

Cary Talbot

(US Army Corps of Engineers)

Robert Webb

(NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory)


Arleen O’Donnell

(Eastern Research Group)

Ann Dubay

(Sonoma Water)

David Ford

(David Ford Consulting)

Rob Hartman

(RKH Consulting Services)

Seventh Annual Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) Workshop Presentations


Recordings of each day can be found at the bottom of this page.

Question and Answer Transcript

Improving Forecast Skill and Enabling FIRO through Atmospheric Rivers ResearchMarty Ralph, CW3E

Atmospheric River Reconnaissance: Filling Key GapsAnna Wilson, CW3E

Atmospheric Rivers Reconnaissance: Results that MatterVijay Tallapragada, National Centers for Environmental Prediction

FIRO Project Results Panel

What’s New and Environmental Considerations

Forecast Challenges and Efforts to Improve AR and Precipitation Prediction: Examples from FIRO Projects

Emerging Directions: Water Control Manuals for the Future

Emerging Directions in Hydrology

Emerging Directions in Forecasting

Question and Answer Transcript