Members,

We are in the process of developing a model to facilitate management of a
complex system of irrigation channels and small reservoirs on one of our
wildlife refuges. Our end product needs to be fully compatible with ESRI's
ArcGIS 8.x GIS software and simple enough for someone with little
hydrologic background to use. The MIKE suite of programs, from DHI
Software, Denmark has been recommended as a possible solution. Although
their GIS-based program, MIKE BASIN, is only functional with ArcView 3.x
now, it will supposedly be compatible with Arc 8.x in the near future.
ArcHydro is another option. However, as I understand it this provides more
of a framework for storing geographically based hydrologic data and would
require additional programming to actually model the distribution of water
through an irrigation system. My questions for the group are:

1) Is anyone out there familiar with MIKE BASIN? If so, could you share
your comments, thoughts, and problems you've encountered with it?

2) Has anyone used ArcHydro to develop a model for surface water
distribution/management? Again, could you share your experiences using it?

Thank you,

______________________________

Fred Wurster
Division of Engineering / Water Rights
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Portland, OR