An open-source Python implementation of California's hydroeconomic optimization model

Abstract This short communication describes a new open-source implementation of the CALVIN model (CALifornia Value Integrated Network), a large-scale network flow optimization model of California's water supply system. The model is cross-platform, uses common data formats, and connects to several freely available linear programming solvers. Given inputs including hydrology, urban/agricultural demand curves, and variable operating costs, the model minimizes the systemwide cost of water scarcity and operations including surface and groundwater reservoirs, wastewater reuse, desalination, environmental flow requirements, and hydropower. Key outputs include water shortage costs and marginal economic values of water and infrastructure capacity. We benchmark the scalability of different solvers up to roughly 5 million decision variables, using shared-memory parallelization on a high performance computing cluster. Runtimes are reduced by two orders of magnitude relative to the original model when no initial solution is provided, in addition to the benefits such as accessibility and transparency that come with an open-source platform. While this model is specific to California, the data and model structure are separated, so a similar framework could be used in any system where water allocation has been formulated as a network flow problem.

• Publication year

  2018

• Venue

  Environmental Modelling & Software

• Publication date

  2018-10-01

• Fields of study

  Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Economics

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.envsoft.2018.07.002
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Integrating water supply constraints into irrigated agricultural simulations of California

  2017cited by this paper
• A Matlab toolbox for designing Multi-Objective Optimal Operations of water reservoir systems

  2016cited by this paper
• Linking groundwater simulation and reservoir system analysis models: The case for California's Central Valley

  2016cited by this paper
• Hierarchical multi-reservoir optimization modeling for real-world complexity with application to the Three Gorges system

  2015cited by this paper
• A review of open source software solutions for developing water resources web applications

  2015cited by this paper
• Improving the multi-objective evolutionary optimization algorithm for hydropower reservoir operations in the California Oroville-Thermalito complex

  2015cited by this paper
• Calibrating disaggregate economic models of agricultural production and water management

  2012cited by this paper
• GLPK (GNU Linear Programming Kit)

  2012cited by this paper
• ECONOMICS AND THE MODELING OF WATER RESOURCES AND POLICIES

  2012cited by this paper
• A computationally efficient open-source water resource system simulator - Application to London and the Thames Basin

  2011cited by this paper
• Hydro-economic models: concepts, design, applications, and future prospects.

  2009cited by this paper
• Adaptability and adaptations of California’s water supply system to dry climate warming

  2008cited by this paper
• Implementation of holistic water resources-economic optimization models for river basin management - Reflective experiences

  2008cited by this paper
• Climate Warming and Water Management Adaptation for California

  2006cited by this paper
• Model integration for assessing future hydroclimate impacts on water resources, agricultural production and environmental quality in the San Joaquin Basin, California

  2004cited by this paper
• Optimal Operation of Multireservoir Systems: State-of-the-Art Review

  2004cited by this paper
• Optimal Hedging and Carryover Storage Value

  2004cited by this paper
• Economic-engineering optimization for California water management

  2003cited by this paper
• Implicit Stochastic Optimization with Limited Foresight for Reservoir Systems

  2001cited by this paper
• Linear Programming and Network Flows

  1977cited by this paper
• I TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1967cited by this paper

• Optimizing integrated water supply management for multi-purpose reservoirs: a policy tree approach

  2025cites this paper
• Let's Talk About Dead Pool: How We Discuss the Shallows of Reservoirs

  2025cites this paper
• Effects of reducing long-term groundwater overdraft in uluova micro-basin

  2025cites this paper
• Prognostic digital twinning of lattice-tubular hybrid wind turbine towers exposed to deterioration

  2025cites this paper
• Sensitivity of agricultural outcomes to water allocation scenarios under changing climate in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia

  2025cites this paper
• Optimized water allocation with managed groundwater recharge and prioritized wetland deliveries to moderate human-nature water use tradeoffs under climate change

  2025cites this paper
• Multi-Objective Simulation-Optimization Coupling Model of the Water Transfer Level in the East Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project

  2025cites this paper
• Review Paper — Hydroeconomic Analysis: History, Status, and Possibilities

  2025cites this paper
• Representing Hourly Energy Prices in a Large-Scale Monthly Water System Model

  2024cites this paper
• Hydroeconomic Optimization and Reoperation of Folsom Reservoir for Flood-Managed Aquifer Recharge Implementation

  2024cites this paper
• Seasonal Forecast of the California Water Price Index

  2024cites this paper
• Determination of optimal operating conditions for AC-powered electrocoagulation process coupling green additive Tartaric Acid to remove Ni2+: Pyomo and RSM approach.

  2023cites this paper
• Hydropower representation in water and energy system models: a review of divergences and call for reconciliation

  2023cites this paper
• Intimate coupling of a hydrologic model with an economic input–output model using system dynamics

  2023cites this paper
• Economically optimal hydropower development with uncertain climate change

  2023cites this paper
• Adapting Colorado River Basin Depletions to Available Water to Live within Our Means

  2023cites this paper
• Managing Aquifer Recharge to Overcome Overdraft in the Lower American River, California, USA

  2022cites this paper
• Projections of Freshwater Use in the United States Under Climate Change

  2022cites this paper
• Supporting water infrastructure investment planning within the water-energy-food nexus

  2021cites this paper
• Nexus vs. Silo Investment Planning Under Uncertainty

  2021cites this paper
• WRSS: An Object-Oriented R Package for Large-Scale Water Resources Operation

  2021cites this paper
• Hydroeconomic modeling for assessing water scarcity and agricultural pollution abatement policies in the Ebro River Basin, Spain

  2021cites this paper
• Surface Reservoir Reoperation for Managed Aquifer Recharge: Folsom Reservoir System

  2020cites this paper
• Advancing Water Resources Systems Modeling Cyberinfrastructure to Enable Systematic Data Analysis, Modeling, and Comparisons

  2020cites this paper
• MOD$$AT: A hydro-economic modeling framework for aquifer management in irrigated agricultural regions

  2020cites this paper
• Decision-making and integrated assessment models of the water-energy-food nexus

  2020cites this paper
• A water resource simulator in Python

  2020cites this paper
• A data model to manage data for water resources systems modeling

  2019cites this paper
• Statewide Effects of Ending Long-Term Groundwater Overdraft in California

  2019cites this paper
• Does More Storage Give California More Water?

  2019cites this paper
• WHAT-IF: an open-source decision support tool for water infrastructure investment planning within the water–energy–food–climate nexus

  2019cites this paper