**Appendix C**

#### *Determination of the Water Strategies' Evaluation Values*

In order to select the evaluation values of each water strategy with respect to the final sustainable development criteria for the risk-based GDSS model, the related variables have been extracted from the relevant IWRM project reports [71,74–77] and MODSIM modeling report [81], which have been provided by the Iran Water Resources Management Company and ToossAb Water Engineering Consultant Company and approved by the Iran Ministry of Energy. Indeed, the variables of the GDSS modeling for the Kashafroud watershed are related to the outputs of the IWRM project and MODSIM modeling project, which have been already analyzed for this study area.

The input data that should be entered into the MODSIM modeling includes the following:


Accordingly, the output data that are taken out from the MODSIM modeling includes the simulated results in hydrometric stations and aquifer unit hydrograph, which are compared with the observed data, based on an iterative calibration-validation process.

The parameters that are involved in the model calibration include the return water to aquifers from agricultural, urban, and industrial consumptions, the surface runoff infiltration values into the groundwater reservoirs, the outflow groundwater, and, if necessary, the efficiency of used water.

Additionally, the model calibration criterion for surface flows is primarily the hydrometric stations and the water resources budget data of the study area.

In addition, the model calibration criterion for the aquifers and groundwater reservoir is primarily the unit hydrograph of the aquifer and then the water resources budget data of the study area.

Accordingly, the model calibration is done in two parts: surface water and groundwater. In the surface water calibration, the output data from the station in the model is compared with the hydrometric station data within the watershed.

To calibrate and validate the outputs of the groundwater reservoir, it is done by calculating the changes in groundwater volume from the unit hydrograph of the aquifer. This is implemented for the modeling period. Then, the changes in the volume of the aquifer are compared with the changes in the volume of the groundwater reservoir in the simulated model. It should be noted that the calibration of the surface and groundwater due to the dependence of the parameters on each other should be performed simultaneously.

Ultimately, in order to determine the evaluation values of each water strategy with respect to each sustainable development criteria, the related data (see Table 6, Appendix B—Definitions of criteria) are extracted from the IWRM project reports [70,71,75–80,86], as well as the relevant variables are obtained from the outputs of the MODSIM modeling project report [81]. Accordingly, the detailed variables used for calculation of the evaluation values of the five water strategies with respect to the 10 final selected sustainable development criteria are presented in Table A6:


**Table A6.** The detailed variables for the determination of the evaluation matrix of the water strategies.

### **References**


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