Integrated Water Resources Management

Water is fundamental to economic vitality, agricultural productivity, healthy ecosystems, energy generation, and overall quality of life. To ensure water is available for all these needs—now and in the future— and of sufficient quality, it must be managed as a unified system. For water quantity this includes supply management, storage and routing through and within the natural and human-engineered hydrologic network, and the dynamic interactions between surface water and groundwater. For water quality, management of point and non-point source pollutants within a watershed from the sources to the receiving waters is necessary. The interconnectedness of hydrologic systems requires scientific, engineering, and programmatic expertise; robust analyses and assessments; and tailored decision-support tools for effective planning, management, and operation of the human infrastructure and demands on these systems, especially in the face of a changing climate and increased land development.  

We bring the full watershed and supported human systems into focus with integrated tools and expert capabilities. Our solutions support long-term planning and real-time operations—helping agencies and stakeholders make informed decisions about investment prioritization, climate adaptation strategies, land use planning, system optimization, and drought mitigation. We support all levels of government, non-governmental organizations, utilities, and commercial clients in assessing their current and potential future water needs and management options.

Our multidisciplinary team offers expertise across a wide range of areas, including:

• Watershed management assessments—evaluating and prioritizing actions like land conservation, nature-based solutions, and infrastructure improvements
• Reservoir and systems operations modeling and optimization—enhancing performance and reliability across interconnected water systems
• River basins water balance analysis—evaluating current and future supply and demand scenarios
• Decision support systems—empowering data-driven planning and operational decision-making through custom and off-the-shelf solutions
• Source water protection—developing assessments and frameworks for evaluating stewardship projects and facilitating strategies across collaborative management efforts
• Long-term water planning—adapting to changing land use, water demand and climate conditions
• Remote sensing to support hydrologic modeling—providing spatially distributed data such as evaporation estimates to improve water balance and resource assessments
• Groundwater modeling and mapping—supporting sustainable pumping and aquifer management

Learn more about the RTI Center for Water Resources