A decision support system for adaptive real-time management of seasonal wetlands in California

This paper describes the development of a comprehensive flow and salinity monitoring system and application of a decision support system (DSS) to improve management of seasonal wetlands in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates salinity discharges from non-point sources to the San Joaquin River using a procedure known as the total maximum daily load (TMDL) to allocate the assimilative capacity of the river for salt among watershed sources. Management of wetland sources of salt load will require the development of monitoring systems, more integrative management strategies and coordination with other entities. To obtain local cooperation, the Grassland Water District (GWD), whose primary function is to supply surface water to private duck clubs and manage wetlands, needs to communicate to local landowners the likely impacts of salinity regulation on the long-term health and function of wildfowl habitat. The project described in this paper will also provide this information. The models that form the backbone of the DSS, develop salinity balances at both a regional and local scale. The regional scale concentrates on deliveries to and exports from the GWD while the local scale focuses on an individual wetland unit where more intensive monitoring is being conducted. The design of the DSS is constrained to meet the needs of busy wetland managers and is being designed from the bottom up utilizing tools and procedures familiar to these individuals.