Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP)

Purpose: Integrated water resource management software accounting for supply and demand
Developer: Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
Key Features: Free for non-profit organizations, universities, government and academia in developing countries
Latest Release: 2015
OS Platform: Windows
Cost: Free, subscription
Related Software: eWater Source, Mike Hydro, RIBASIM
Website: WEAP home page

Introduction

The WEAP program, first released in 1988, is an integrated water resource management planning software designed to evaluate current and future water supply and demand scenarios for which the biophysical and socio-economic conditions are changing within the watershed. WEAP performs water balance computations for every node (demand usage) and link (water transmission or streamflow). The distribution of water is based on linear programming. WEAP has been applied around the world for forecasting water supply and demand, pollution modeling, climate change analysis, and hydropower.

Key features of the WEAP software include no cost for governments, non-profit, or universities in developing country. The program can be coupled with MODFLOW (groundwater model) and QUAL2E (water quality model).

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages Limitations
  • Excellent graphical user interface
  • User manual includes technical details
  • Solves for scenario analysis and sensitivity analysis
  • Model interfaces with MODFLOW and QUAL2K
  • Software has built-in calibration tool
  • Free for NGOs and governments in developing countries
  • Program has been continuously updated
  • Not applicable for detailed design
  • Data needs to be imported into the model
  • Cannot model reservoir water quality
  • Cannot account for stream attenuation

Illustrative Screens

Sample Applications

Africa East Asia and the Pacific Europe & Central Asia Latin America & the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa South Asia
Ethiopia (Climate Change) Kosovo (Water Security)

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