The Utah Colorado River Accounting and Forecast Decision Support Tool (UCRAF-DST) 

The Utah Colorado River Accounting and Forecast Decision Support Tool (UCRAF-DST) is a collaborative project between Precision Water Resources Engineering and Follum Hydrologic Solutions for the Colorado River Authority of Utah (CRAU). Its primary goal is to enhance drought mitigation strategies by providing detailed analysis of agricultural water use in the Duchesne, Price, and San Rafael River Basins.

Key Components:

• Diversion-Runoff Calculator (DRC): This geospatial tool calculates the Net Irrigation Water Requirement (NIWR) at the field scale by integrating data such as crop type, irrigation method, acreage, water rights, and canal characteristics. It utilizes historical data and can incorporate evapotranspiration estimates from sources like OpenET. Additionally, the DRC estimates return flows to adjacent fields, canals, and stream reaches.​

• RiverWare® Model: Developed by Precision, this model ingests data from the DRC, including NIWR, canal losses, and return flows, to simulate stream flows, diversions, and water rights administration over historical periods. It allows for scenario analysis by adjusting field-level variables such as crop type or conveyance characteristics, enabling the assessment of various drought mitigation strategies.​