scholarly journals Estimating Reservoir Sedimentation at Large Dams in India

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 03042
Author(s):  
David C. Froehlich

Mathematical expressions are developed that relate the storage capacity loss of reservoirs in India to the catchment area, the reservoir surface area, the original storage volume, and the time since the first filling of the impoundment. The relations for sedimentation of reservoirs found on eastward and westward flowing rivers differ significantly, because of meteorological and geological influences on land surface runoff and sediment yield within reservoir catchments. The formulations give good fits to the assembled data and allow an uncomplicated calculation of the half-life of reservoirs (that is, the time needed for the storage capacity to be reduced by 50%), which offers a measure of when sedimentation will have a significant adverse impact on the functioning of dams.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Epari Ritesh Patro ◽  
Carlo De Michele

<p>Reservoir sedimentation has a prominent impact on the hydropower performance in the future and is a growing concern for hydropower stakeholders. Sedimentation caused by soil erosion is influenced by various parameters. Reservoir sedimentation is one of the most challenging problems that affect hydroelectric production since it overall causes a reduction of the reservoir capacity that overcomes the annual increase in storage volume and implies a dangerous net loss of energy. The first part of this study examined various Italian reservoirs (50 dams) to determine sedimentation rates and storage capacity loss based on available bathymetric surveys. All the reservoirs studied here have reached an average age of 74 years as of 2019, with the highest loss of capacity observed at 90% and the highest annual sediment yield of 2471 m<sup>3</sup>/km<sup>2</sup>/year. Out of all the reservoirs studied, 25% of them already have reached their half-life as of 2019. The second part of this study extended the work to the specific case study of the Ceppo Morelli hydropower plant. The study was carried out to analyse the water-sediment interaction, future sediment load and prioritizing of critical soil erosion areas using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The distinguishing feature of this work lies in the possibility to exploit remote sensing data (i.e. actual/potential evapotranspiration) to successfully calibrate hydrological models in scarce data regions. Simulation results indicated that the discharge and sediment load entering Ceppo Morelli reservoir will decline and the rate of reduction of latter is higher than that of former for all the future climate scenarios implemented. This analysis will provide a starting point for management and prioritization of adaptation and remediation policies for addressing the issue of reservoir sedimentation. These results are part of the RELAID project funded through PRIN-Italy. The aim of this project is to integrate updated knowledge on hydrologic, hydraulics, and sedimentation processes to address the water and flood risk management of impounded Italian rivers through a holistic paradigm.</p><p>Keywords: reservoir sedimentation; hydropower; hydrological modeling; RELAID; Italy</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline W. Maina ◽  
Joseph K. Sang ◽  
Benedict M. Mutua ◽  
James M. Raude

Abstract Soil erosion is one of the main soil degradation phenomena that threaten sustainable use of soil productivity thus affecting food security. In addition, it leads to reservoir storage capacity loss because of sedimentation. This not only affects water quantity but also water quality. Worldwide, annual loss in reservoir storage capacity due to sedimentation is 0.5 to 1%. Similarly, about 27% of land in Africa is largely degraded by erosion. As a result, there is need to minimize soil erosion and deposition through site specific estimation of soil erosion and deposition rates in the reservoirs. To achieve this, Fallout RadioNuclides (FRNs) are some of the methods in use. The most common radionuclides include; 137Cs, 210Pb and 7Be. Only few countries in Africa have exploited these FRNs. In these countries, 137Cs has been largely exploited but in some regions, it has been reported to be below minimum detection limit. Using 137Cs and 210Pb, maximum reference inventory in Africa is found to be 1450 and 2602 Bq/m2, respectively. However, there is minimal application of 7Be within the continent. Also, very little has been done in Africa to assess chronology and sedimentation rates of reservoirs using FRNs measured from sediment cores. In conclusion, a gap still exists on FRNs application in Africa in assessing soil erosion, deposition and reservoir sedimentation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanfang chai ◽  
Wouter R. Berghuijs ◽  
Yao Yue ◽  
Thomas A.J. Janssen ◽  
Han Dolman

2019 ◽  
Vol 270 ◽  
pp. 04018
Author(s):  
Dyah Ari Wulandari ◽  
Dwi Kurniani ◽  
Sutarto Edhisono ◽  
Ferdian Ardianto ◽  
Denri Dahlan

Rawa Pening Lake is one of fifteen priority lakes. The problem in Rawa Pening Lake is the rapid sedimentation rate and blooming of water hyacinth which has an impact on the decreasing of storage capacity and water quality. The handling has not shown significant results. Therefore, that it needs to innovate on improvement and maintenance of Rawa Pening Catchment Area that has never done that is in the form of small dam development in Rawa Pening catchment area. The construction of a small dam in the Rawa Pening catchment area can temporarily hold water and prevent the rate of sediment from entering the lake. The purpose of this research is to analyse the influence of small dams in the Rawa Pening catchment area to sedimentation rate in Rawa Pening Lake. Sedimentation is calculated based on soil erosion in the catchment area, using the USLE formula. If There are 40 small-dams in Lake Rawa Pening catchment area, the sedimentation decreased to 78.75%. If there are only 2 small-dams constructed in the Klegung sub-watershed and the Legi sub-watershed, the sedimentation decrease to 67%.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 2547-2565 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Tang ◽  
P. J. Bartlein

Abstract. Satellite-based data, such as vegetation type and fractional vegetation cover, are widely used in hydrologic models to prescribe the vegetation state in a study region. Dynamic global vegetation models (DGVM) simulate land surface hydrology. Incorporation of satellite-based data into a DGVM may enhance a model's ability to simulate land surface hydrology by reducing the task of model parameterization and providing distributed information on land characteristics. The objectives of this study are to (i) modify a DGVM for simulating land surface water balances; (ii) evaluate the modified model in simulating actual evapotranspiration (ET), soil moisture, and surface runoff at regional or watershed scales; and (iii) gain insight into the ability of both the original and modified model to simulate large spatial scale land surface hydrology. To achieve these objectives, we introduce the "LPJ-hydrology" (LH) model which incorporates satellite-based data into the Lund-Potsdam-Jena (LPJ) DGVM. To evaluate the model we ran LH using historical (1981–2006) climate data and satellite-based land covers at 2.5 arc-min grid cells for the conterminous US and for the entire world using coarser climate and land cover data. We evaluated the simulated ET, soil moisture, and surface runoff using a set of observed or simulated data at different spatial scales. Our results demonstrate that spatial patterns of LH-simulated annual ET and surface runoff are in accordance with previously published data for the US; LH-modeled monthly stream flow for 12 major rivers in the US was consistent with observed values respectively during the years 1981–2006 (R2 > 0.46, p < 0.01; Nash-Sutcliffe Coefficient > 0.52). The modeled mean annual discharges for 10 major rivers worldwide also agreed well (differences < 15%) with observed values for these rivers. Compared to a degree-day method for snowmelt computation, the addition of the solar radiation effect on snowmelt enabled LH to better simulate monthly stream flow in winter and early spring for rivers located at mid-to-high latitudes. In addition, LH-modeled monthly soil moisture for the state of Illinois (US) agreed well (R2 = 0.79, p < 0.01) with observed data for the years 1984–2001. Overall, this study justifies both the feasibility of incorporating satellite-based land covers into a DGVM and the reliability of LH to simulate land-surface water balances. To better estimate surface/river runoff at mid-to-high latitudes, we recommended that LPJ-DGVM considers the effects of solar radiation on snowmelt.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ubaldo Marín-Comitre ◽  
Susanne Schnabel ◽  
Manuel Pulido-Fernández

Watering ponds are an important source of drinking water supply for livestock in semi-arid rangelands. Understanding the hydrological functioning of this kind of infrastructures is crucial for efficient water management in areas where water resources are often scarce. In this line, we have analyzed temporal patterns of water availability in a set of watering ponds located in Iberian rangelands and their relationship with temporal rainfall variability. In addition, the effectiveness of the ponds for conserving stored water during dry periods and some influencing factors (pond size and catchment area) have also been assessed. The results showed a high correlation between water availability and precedent rainfall, confirming, on the one hand, the capacity of storage of these infrastructures and, on the other hand, the importance of temporal rainfall patterns in their hydrological behavior. Our findings point to a minimum pond area of 2000 m2 and a catchment area/storage capacity ratio around 100 m−1 in order for watering ponds can face the dry summer period with certain guarantees, at least in regular hydrological years. Nonetheless, the vulnerability shown by the majority of the watering ponds in times of drought limits their usefulness as unique sources of water supply in many farms.


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