Shifting Paradigms for Water Management from Short Term to Sustainable: Strategic Integrated Water Management for Damascus, Oregon

he City of Damascus, Oregon, prepared an Integrated Water Resource Management Plan to sustainably manage urban growth and preserve the area's rural character. A customized dynamic simulation model was developed using CH2M HILL's Voyage™ software to analyze water resources and system management alternatives. The model demonstrated that it is potentially feasible to fulfill city water demands with water resources from within the city. Making large-scale and long-term planning decisions regarding complex and dynamic urban systems requires tools that are capable of evaluating system interactions, but also techniques and expertise to efficiently manage data needs, computational requirements, schedule, and budget to facilitate real decision-making. Damascus is a case study of this approach but many elements are applicable to a broader selection of communities.