A water system model for exploring electric energy alternatives in southeastern U.S. basins

This research paper describes the creation, calibration, and validation of a climate-driven water resource systems model designed to analyze the impact of electric power generation on water resources in three river basins in the southeastern United States.

• The researchers developed a climate-driven water resource systems model for the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint, Alabama–Coosa–Tallapoosa, and Tombigbee River basins across Georgia, Alabama, and Florida to examine how alternative electric generation affects regional water resources, specifically addressing thermal pollution from power plant cooling and steam generation.
• The model incorporates various water users, including municipal users, agricultural users, and power plants, and accounts for population growth and per-capita use estimates. Calibration was conducted using hydraulic conductivity of soil horizons, water capacity, and land cover for flow, while channel slope properties and width were used for river water temperature calibration.
• Validation using goodness-of-fit statistics demonstrates that the model accurately represents water temperatures and monthly average streamflow based on water use levels from 1980 to 2010.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2013). A water system model for exploring electric energy alternatives in southeastern U.S. basins. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-water-system-model-for-exploring-electric-energy-alternatives-in-southeastern-u-s-basins/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. A water system model for exploring electric energy alternatives in southeastern U.S. basins. 2013. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-water-system-model-for-exploring-electric-energy-alternatives-in-southeastern-u-s-basins/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=A water system model for exploring electric energy alternatives in southeastern U.S. basins |date=13 September 2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/a-water-system-model-for-exploring-electric-energy-alternatives-in-southeastern-u-s-basins/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2013water, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{A water system model for exploring electric energy alternatives in southeastern U.S. basins}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/a-water-system-model-for-exploring-electric-energy-alternatives-in-southeastern-u-s-basins/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }