Tools & Methodologies

Implementing Hydropower by Design on the ground requires practical and tangible tools to translate environmental, social, and economic goals into action. The tools and methodologies found on this page can be used to inform the decision-making process and support collaboration among stakeholders.

Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT)

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool is a watershed model that focuses on assessing the impacts of different land uses, climatic variables, and management options on water sediment and nutrient loads. In the context of an HbD analysis, SWAT can be used to better understand the sediment regime in a system, and how a hydropower project may affect it or be affected by it. SWAT is available in several formats including a plugin for ArcGIS or QGIS.

Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP)

The Water Evaluation And Planning system is a standalone software package that models water use and planning across multiple sectors in a river basin. It can be used to evaluate water supply and demand from agriculture, urban uses, and environmental flows, among others. WEAP is used in TNC’s SIMA tool to assess hydropower benefits and impacts in the context of multiple water users in the Magdalena basin. WEAP can be incorporated into a HbD analysis to understand dam operating parameters by modeling river flows in the context of other water users in the basin.