Optimal long‐term control of a multipurpose reservoir with indirect users

A new algorithm for optimal long‐term control of a multipurpose reservoir with direct and indirect users is described. (Indirect users are those who reuse water after some direct user, e.g., the hydro.) In such cases the usual dynamic programing algorithms cannot be used. We have developed a three‐level algorithm for solving such problems: At the first level, optimize the distribution of available water among time intervals; at the second level, allocate water to direct users in one time interval; at the third level, allocate water already used by direct users to indirect users further downstream. Dynamic programing is employed at all three levels, but the recurrence relations are developed in accordance with the decomposition of the control problem.