Expert Systems Water Management: A Demonstration

Expertise is one of the major assets of the Bureau of Reclamation. However, with the current downward trend in government funding, the Bureau is facing an 'expertise crisis'. For example, an early retirement program within the Bureau could potentially cut technical staff by one third, many of them with valuable expertise. Any new hires for the Bureau will most likely have entry level experience, which means they will need time to gain valuable expertise before they can efficiently solve future problems facing the Bureau. The paper discusses how expert systems can play an important role in retaining the Bureau knowledge base and transferring it to new hires. Applications discussed include the municipal water well expert system, and administration of the Reclamation Reform Act.