Effects of an outflow regime adoption of the São Francisco River reservoir system to meet water demands for multiple uses

ABSTRACT The establishment of reservoir operation rules is a strategy used to increase storage volumes and satisfy water demands. However, these rules are not always compatible with the flow regime required to meet environmental needs. This paper aims to evaluate the effects of an outflow regime adopted by the São Francisco River reservoir system, which includes environmental water requirements, in the current laws for meeting water demands for multiple uses, according to Resolution 2081/2017 of Agência Nacional de Águas - ANA. The methodology adopted was the construction and simulation of alternative outflow operation scenarios, for a regular and a dry hydrological period, which were the following: 1) Outflow scenario according to Resolution 2081/17 and (2) Outflow scenario that considers a proposed environmental flow hydrogram for the low course of the São Francisco river. The operation effects in the meeting of multiple water uses were quantified in each scenario and compared with each other. The results suggest that when the maintenance of the aquatic ecosystems is a priority, the system demonstrated low water security in meeting the reservoirs target volumes and satisfying water demands, including the environmental flows.

Download Full-text

Operationalizing Water Security Concept in Water Investment Planning: Case Study of São Francisco River Basin

Water ◽

10.3390/w13243658 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (24) ◽

pp. 3658

Author(s):

Alexandre Lima de F. Teixeira ◽

Anik Bhaduri ◽

Stuart E. Bunn ◽

Sérgio R. Ayrimoraes

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Water Security ◽

Environmental Water ◽

Security Threats ◽

Investment Planning ◽

Security Risks ◽

Continuous Increase ◽

Sao Francisco River ◽

São Francisco River

Despite advances in water resources management and planning, the São Francisco River Basin in Brazil has suffered from systematic drought problems in recent years, leading to severe human and environmental water security threats. This paper aims to track the water security for different periods and its relations with the changes in physical and natural asset conditions. The paper explores how investment planning to mitigate the water security threats and explore opportunities to increase the value of investments. The paper finds that grey infrastructure has regulated threats from increasing in the downstream of the river basin, however, continuous increase in water security threats in the upstream of the basin threatens water security downstream. This is evident from the spatial connectivity and unidirection externalities. As the capacity to further increase in grey investment is reaching its limit in the downstream, the increases in green infrastructure investment upstream, especially in the Grande River basin, could be one the way to reduce the externalities and minimise the water security risks.

Download Full-text

Cost-benefit analysis of reservoir operation scenarios considering environmental flows for the lower stretch of the São Francisco River (Brazil)

RBRH ◽

10.1590/2318-0331.0117160014 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 22 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Micol Brambilla ◽

Andrea Sousa Fontes ◽

Yvonilde Dantas Pinto Medeiros

Keyword(s):

Reservoir Operation ◽

Cost Benefit Analysis ◽

Environmental Flows ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Energy Sector ◽

Practical Implementation ◽

Benefit Analysis ◽

Sao Francisco River ◽

São Francisco River ◽

The Cost

ABSTRACT Environmental water allocation consists in considering the environment as a licit user of water. The importance of meeting the environment’s hydric necessities to assure ecosystem protection is recognized worldwide, however their practical implementation is restricted, requiring impact assessment of the implementation towards the other water users. In this context, this article aims to evaluate the financial impacts on the hydroelectric sector considering environmental flows as reservoir release restrictions. The case study is the lower course of the São Francisco River, a region that presents a strong social and environmental degradation of great importance for Brazilian energy system. The method used to achieve this goal contemplates the construction of reservoir operation scenarios, the mathematical modeling of the water system and the cost-benefit analysis for the energy sector. The simulation points out potential conflicts between the non-consumptive uses. Assessing the cost-benefit analyses for normal and dry periods, it turns out that the first leads to total financial losses for the energy sector, while the second to payoffs, enabling agreements between Brazil’s energy generation and the implementation of environmental flows in the lower stretch of the São Francisco River.

Download Full-text

Water Security and River Basin Revitalization of the São Francisco River Basin: A Symbiotic Relationship

Water ◽

10.3390/w13070907 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 907

Author(s):

Larissa Alves da Silva Rosa ◽

Manuela Morais ◽

Carlos Hiroo Saito

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

River Basin ◽

Water Use ◽

Delphi Method ◽

Ecological Integrity ◽

Water Security ◽

Symbiotic Relationship ◽

Sao Francisco River ◽

São Francisco River

What is river basin revitalization’s place in relation to water security? This question is the basis of our reflection, posed to help in the understanding of the evolution of both concepts, taking management of the São Francisco River Basin (Brazil) as a case study. With this main objective in mind, a literature review was carried out, followed by the collection of survey data on the watershed’s revitalization program. In this context, the members of the São Francisco River Basin Committee (a total of 124 participants) were consulted, using questionnaires with the Delphi method. The respondents (a total of 47) chose the river basin revitalization strategy as the main measure to achieving water security in the São Francisco River Basin. They also highlighted the importance of the environmental dimension, underlining measures for conservation and restoration of the ecosystem’s natural functions. The concept map tool was adopted for a comparative perspective between conceptual implications of revitalization and water security for the studied river basin’s conservation. The results showed the existence of a symbiotic relationship between both concepts. Consequently, we conclude that it is urgent to reconcile water use and ecosystem ecological integrity through the comprehensive concept of water security.

Download Full-text

First Essentials Toward Environmental Flows for São Francisco River (Brazil): Recovering Damaged Ecosystems and Meeting Human Needs

World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2013 ◽

10.1061/9780784412947.126 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Lafayette Dantas da Luz ◽

Fernando Genz

Keyword(s):

Environmental Flows ◽

Sao Francisco River ◽

Human Needs ◽

São Francisco River

Download Full-text

Reservoir operation and environmental water demand: Scenarios for the Sub-Middle and Lower São Francisco River basin, Brazil

Ecohydrology ◽

10.1002/eco.2026 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. e2026 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hagen Koch ◽

Florian Selge ◽

José Roberto G. de Azevedo ◽

Gerald N. Souza da Silva ◽

Marianna Siegmund-Schultze ◽

...

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Water Demand ◽

Reservoir Operation ◽

Environmental Water ◽

Sao Francisco River ◽

São Francisco River ◽

Environmental Water Demand

Download Full-text

Food-Energy-Water Security Considering Climate and Land Use Changes in the São Francisco River Basin

10.1002/essoar.10500563.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Paula Siqueira ◽

Gabriela Gesualdo ◽

Jullian Sone ◽

Pedro Zamboni ◽

Rodrigo Pereira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

River Basin ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Water Security ◽

Food Energy ◽

Sao Francisco River ◽

São Francisco River

Download Full-text

Use of reclaimed water in the recreation and restoration of aquatic ecosystems: practical experience in the Costa Brava region (Girona, Spain)

Water Practice & Technology ◽

10.2166/wpt.2008.045 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

L. Sala ◽

S. Romero de Tejada

Keyword(s):

Aquatic Ecosystems ◽

Reclaimed Water ◽

Environmental Water ◽

Practical Experience ◽

Indirect Benefits ◽

Water Demands ◽

Bird Watching ◽

Trophic Webs ◽

Costa Brava ◽

Practical Recommendations

Where there is water scarcity, the situation is dramatic for aquatic ecosystems. In many Mediterranean basins the exploitation of water resources has gone clearly beyond renewable level and affects aquatic ecosystems. Thus, they may benefit from the recycling of high-quality effluents that can be used to cope with environmental water demands instead of being discharged. Their reclamation with natural technologies produces an improvement in quality based on the development of trophic webs built upon nutrients still dissolved in the reclaimed water. The main project in the Costa Brava area is that of the Empuriabrava constructed wetland system, where nitrified effluent is further treated to reduce the concentration of nutrients in the water and is reused for environmental enhancement. This facility is also an interesting site for bird-watching. Other projects where water recycling produces indirect benefits on the aquatic ecosystems are those in Tossa de Mar, affecting the “temporary” Tossa Creek (a watercourse which flows on temporary basis according to rainfall patterns), and in the Aro Valley, affecting the also “temporary”, but slightly bigger, Ridaura River. This document summarizes these projects and proposes practical recommendations for the use of treated effluents in the recreation and restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

Download Full-text

Effects of Holocene climate changes and anthropogenic river regulation in the development of a wave-dominated delta: The São Francisco River (eastern Brazil)

Marine Geology ◽

10.1016/j.margeo.2021.106456 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 435 ◽

pp. 106456

Author(s):

José Maria Landim Dominguez ◽

Júnia Kacenelenbogen Guimarães

Keyword(s):

Climate Changes ◽

River Regulation ◽

Holocene Climate ◽

Sao Francisco River ◽

Eastern Brazil ◽

São Francisco River

Download Full-text

Community structure of aquatic insects (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) in Cerrado streams of Paraguay, Paraná, and São Francisco river basins

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/s1676-06032013000100011 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 97-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Renato de Mei Romero ◽

Mônica Ceneviva-Bastos ◽

Gustavo Henrique Baviera ◽

Lilian Casatti

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Aquatic Insects ◽

Regional Differences ◽

River Basins ◽

Taxonomic Composition ◽

Taxonomic Resolution ◽

Sao Francisco River ◽

Original Distribution ◽

São Francisco River

We evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively the community structure of aquatic insects (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) in 19 streams in areas of Cerrado in the Paraguay, Paraná, and São Francisco river basins. The number of genera and taxonomic composition were compared at spatial (at the hydrographic basins level) and conservation levels (more preserved and less preserved areas). The influence of spatial and environmental factors in richness and abundance was also evaluated. The geographical distribution of Grumicha, Coryphorus, and Austrotinodes was expanded. The highest Trichoptera richness was found in the São Francisco river basin (F = 5,602, p = 0,004) and a higher number of Ephemeroptera genera occurred in the relatively less preserved sites (F = 6,835, p = 0,009). The pattern of genera distribution was different among basins (R = 0,0336, p = 0,001), but it was similar among relatively less and more preserved areas (R = -0,039, p = 0,737). These findings can be explained by the low impact level in these streams and also by the taxonomic resolution used in this study. Latitude and instream diversity were the most important factors to explain the variation in genera richness and abundance (p = 0.004 and p = 0.026, respectively). Hence, the regional differences can be attributed to spatial influences, quantity or quality of habitats and the original distribution of taxa within each basin.

Download Full-text