Services / Water Resources Planning and Management
CRAM Modeling Tool
Hydrosphere is an acknowledged leader in the field of water resources system modeling. We have successfully met the needs of our clients through the development of custom models and through application of generalized modeling techniques.
Hydrosphere team members have developed a generalized network modeling tool, called the Central Resource Allocation Model (CRAM). CRAM combines a network flow model, originally developed by Quentin Martin at the Texas Water Development Board, with customizing capability to provide the user with considerable power and flexibility.
CRAM allows for accounting functions and iterative solutions to address:
- Hydrological and physical features
- Reservoir operations
- Hydropower
- Bank storage
- Evaporation
- Dynamic return flow
- Well pumping
- Water quality constituent concentration
- Conveyance loss
- Institutional features
- Storage accounts
- Instream flow requirements
- Water exchanges
- Water rights and decrees
- Interstate compacts
- Water supply contracts
Hydrosphere's programmers and water resource engineers have built CRAM into a sophisticated system of compiled DLL modules linked to Microsoft Excel, allowing integration of the network optimization code with Excel’s spreadsheet and graphing capabilities. With its advanced features and the ability to add custom VBA programming, CRAM is able to simulate river and water system problems that other models cannot.
CRAM has been successfully applied to a wide variety of water resources projects, including:
- North Platte River NE v WY Litigation
- Severe Sustained Drought Study
- City of Boulder, CO Drought Plan
- Yampa River Basin
- City of Aurora, CO Water Supply System
- Centennial Water and Sanitation District, CO Water Supply System
- Town of Vail, CO Water Supply System
- City of Seattle, WA Water Supply System
- City of Boulder, CO Water Supply Master Plan
- City of Northglenn, CO Water Supply System
- Blue River, Lower Washita River, Clear Boggy River Basins (OK)
- South Platte River Basin (CO, NE)
- Colorado River Basin (CO, WY, UT, AZ, NV, CA, NM)
- Gunnison River Basin (CO)
- Conejos River Basin (CO)
- Snake River Basin (ID)
- CBT/Windy Gap Operations (CO)
- Salt River Basin (AZ)
- Gila River Basin (AZ)