Growing demand for water supply coupled with increasingly frequent drought and flood risk requires optimal
management of the Nation's available water resources. Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) is a
research-and-operations partnership strategy that capitalizes on scientific improvements in weather and
hydrologic forecasting to improve reservoir management. The FIRO research program now encompasses four
pilot
sites at varying stages of assessment, and the emerging development of a FIRO Screening Process to assess
suitability of the full USACE portfolio of dams.
The FIRO research program is in response to an update to the US Army Corps of Engineers Water Control
Management Engineer Regulation (ER 1110-2-240) that allows for forecasted conditions to be used in
planning
water management operations. At FIRO sites, collaborative teams of stakeholders and researchers rigorously
assess the possibility of using atmospheric and hydrologic forecasts in making release decisions. Where
viable, FIRO improves water supply availability, flood risk management, ecosystem benefits and other
project
purposes.
"This is exactly how we want the Federal Government to operate"
"It's a huge deal to become adaptive like that. I don't think bureaucracies do that naturally," he said. "It restored my faith in the government, obviously, a little bit."
FIRO is a highly collaborative Research and Development effort with partners from across the spectrum of Federal, State, Local agencies as well as academia, Native American Tribes, and other stakeholder organizations. Links to some FIRO information available from partner websites are found below.
