Identifying the key water levels in reservoir operation on ecological objectives

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1160-1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haixia Wang ◽  
Jinggang Chu ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
Huicheng Zhou

This paper investigates the influences of reservoir water level variations of the operation rule curves on different objectives, especially on ecological objectives. Five representative ecological objectives are selected besides industrial and domestic (I&D) and agricultural water supply objectives. They can reflect the impacts of reservoir operation on different attributes of ecological flow regime in the Biliuhe Reservoir case study, Northeastern China. Sensitivities of water supply and ecological objectives caused by water level variations of I&D and agricultural operation rule curves are analyzed by using a variance-based sensitivity analysis method – Sobol's method. Results show that impacts of individual water levels and their interactions on ecological objectives are very different. Also the ecological objectives do not always conflict with water supply objectives. This study provides new insights for reservoir managers to improve downstream aquatic ecosystem by adjusting water levels not only at individual time periods but also at some interacting time periods. Furthermore, it helps us better understand the influence mechanism of water level changes on different objectives, and provides guidance for the development of reservoir operation rules.

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 2543
Author(s):  
Jinuk Kim ◽  
Jiwan Lee ◽  
Jongyoon Park ◽  
Sehoon Kim ◽  
Seongjoon Kim

This study aims to develop a reservoir operation rule adding downstream environmental flow release (EFR) to the exclusive use of irrigation water supply (IWS) from agricultural reservoirs through canals to rice paddy areas. A reservoir operation option was added in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to handle both EFR and IWS. For a 366.5 km2 watershed including three agricultural reservoirs and a rice paddy irrigation area of 4744.7 ha, the SWAT was calibrated and validated using 21 years (1998–2018) of daily reservoir water levels and downstream flow data at Gongdo (GD) station. For reservoir water level and streamflow, the average root means square error (RMSE) ranged from 19.70 mm to 19.54 mm, and the coefficient of determination (R2) and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) had no effect on the improved SWAT. By applying the new reservoir option, the EFR amount for a day was controlled by keeping the reservoir water level up in order to ensure that the IWS was definitely satisfied in any case. The downstream mean wet streamflow (Q95) decreased to 5.70 m3/sec from 5.71 m3/sec and the mean minimum flow (Q355) increased to 1.05 m3/sec from 0.94 m3/sec. Through the development of a SWAT reservoir operation module that satisfies multiple water supply needs such as IWR and EFR, it is possible to manage agricultural water in the irrigation period and control the environmental flow in non-irrigation periods. This study provides useful information to evaluate and understand the future impacts of various changes in climate and environmental flows at other sites.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenhua Wan ◽  
Jianshi Zhao ◽  
Jiabiao Wang

Conventional reservoir operation rule curves are based on the assumption of hydrological stationarity. The aggravating non-stationarity under the changing environment rocked this foundation. The hedging theory is one of the options for adaptive operation based on hydrological forecasts, which can provide a practical tool for optimal reservoir operation under a changing environment. However, the connections between hedging theory and rule curves are not clear. This paper establishes the linkage of rule curves and hedging theory by analyzing three fundamental problems surrounding the design of conventional rule curves, namely the law and design of water supply rule curves, the determination of flood control storage, and the division of refill and drawdown circle. The general interpretation of the conventional water supply rule curves with hedging theory is conducted. Both the theoretical analyses and the Danjiangkou Reservoir case study reveal that, based on the historical records, the rule curves can be interpreted as a specific expression of hedging theory. This intrinsic linkage allows us to propose a more general and scientific method of updating rule curves in the context of non-stationarity. On this basis, the rule-curve-based climate adaptation strategies are figured out using hedging theory. This research is helpful for practical adaptive operation of reservoirs in the changing environment.


Water Policy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fawen Li ◽  
Dong Yu ◽  
Yong Zhao ◽  
Runxiang Cao

Abstract Drought is one of the major natural disasters affecting the development of economies and society. Drought early warning is the primary step and most important non-engineering measure for drought relief. This paper took Yuqiao Reservoir in Tianjin as a case study and analysed inter-annual changes of the drought limit water level. First, the causality between variables in the water supply–demand system was analysed, and a structural diagram of water sources allocation was drawn. Coupled with the parameters and a structural diagram, a system dynamics (SD) model of the water supply volume was established. Secondly, simulation results were tested to ensure that the model was valid. The water supply volume from 2003 to 2020 was simulated by using the model. Finally, based on the inflow process and the water supply volume, the drought limit water level was calculated. The results showed the water supply volume of Yuqiao Reservoir has changed remarkably. The drought limit water levels in 2003–2012 and in 2016–2020 were 16.70 m and 16.30 m, respectively: a difference of 0.40 m. The regulation curve of guarantee for water supply during 2016–2020 is significantly lower than that of 2003–2012. This research is of great significance for drought resistance, disaster mitigation and reservoir management.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwan Garel ◽  
Ping Zhang ◽  
Huayang Cai

Abstract. Observations indicate that the fortnightly fluctuations in mean water level increase in amplitude along the lower half of a tide-dominated estuary (The Guadiana estuary) with negligible river discharge but remain constant upstream. Analytical solutions reproducing the semi-diurnal wave propagation shows that this pattern results from reflection effects at the estuary head. The phase difference between velocity and elevation increases from the mouth to the head (where the wave has a standing nature) as the high and low water levels get progressively closer to slack water. Thus, the tidal (flood-ebb) asymmetry in discharge is reduced in the upstream direction. It becomes negligible along the upper estuary half, as the mean sea level remains constant despite increased friction due to wave shoaling. Observations of a flat mean water level along a significant portion of an upper estuary, easier to obtain than the phase difference, can therefore indicate significant reflection of the propagating semi-diurnal wave at the head. Details of the analytical model shows that changes in the mean depth or length of semi-arid estuaries, in particular for macrotidal locations, affect the fortnightly tide amplitude, and thus the upstream mass transport and inundation regime. This has significant potential impacts on the estuarine environment.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1915
Author(s):  
Matthijs R.A. Gensen ◽  
Jord J. Warmink ◽  
Fredrik Huthoff ◽  
Suzanne J.M.H. Hulscher

Accurate and reliable estimates of water levels are essential to assess flood risk in river systems. In current practice, uncertainties involved and the sensitivity of water levels to these uncertainties are studied in single-branch rivers, while many rivers in deltas consist of multiple distributaries. In a bifurcating river, a feedback mechanism exists between the downstream water levels and the discharge distribution at the bifurcation. This paper aims to quantify the sensitivity of water levels to main channel roughness in a bifurcating river system. Water levels are modelled for various roughness scenarios under a wide range of discharge conditions using a one-dimensional hydraulic model. The results show that the feedback mechanism reduces the sensitivity of water levels to local changes of roughness in comparison to the single-branch river. However, in the smaller branches of the system, water-level variations induced by the changes in discharge distribution can exceed the water-level variations of the single-branch river. Therefore, water levels throughout the entire system are dominated by the conditions in the largest branch. As the feedback mechanism is important, the river system should be considered as one interconnected system in river maintenance of rivers, flood-risk analyses, and future planning of river engineering works.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 3576
Author(s):  
Jun Zhang ◽  
Yaowu Min ◽  
Baofei Feng ◽  
Weixin Duan

In today’s reservoir operation study, it is urgent to solve the issues on improving flood resource utilization, maximizing reservoir impoundment, and guaranteeing water supply through real-time regulation optimization under the premise of ensuring flood control safety and taking risks properly. Based on previous studies, the key real-time operation technologies for dynamic control of reservoir water levels in flood season are summarized. The Danjiangkou Reservoir was taken as an example, the division of flood stages, reservoir water level requirements for improving water supply guarantee, dynamic control indexes of reservoir water level for beneficial use in stages during the flood season, and flood control dispatching indexes are proposed. Moreover, a practicable real-time flood forecast operation scheme for Danjiangkou Reservoir was compiled. Its application in 2017 indicated that the established scheme can provide strong technical support to ensure the overall benefits of Danjiangkou Reservoir, including flood control, water supply, and power generation.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Sakurai ◽  
Chiyuki Narama ◽  
Mirlan Daiyrov ◽  
Muhammed Esenamanov ◽  
Zarylbek Usekov ◽  
...  

Abstract. To better understand the storage in and drainage through supraglacial lakes and englacial conduits, we investigated the daily water-level variations of supraglacial lakes on the southern Inylchek Glacier in Kyrgyzstan. To examine these variations, we used daily aerial digital images over three years (22 July–15 August 2017, 8–29 July 2018, and 12–19 July 2019) from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that were converted to digital surface models (DSMs) and ortho-images. Our main results are as follows. 1) When one lake drained, the water levels of other lakes might simultaneously increase, indicating that drainage water is shared with several lakes through a main englacial conduit. In one drainage event, a branch englacial conduit clearly connected to a main englacial conduit. 2) Sometimes, several lakes discharged simultaneously, indicating that several lakes had connected to a main englacial conduit that had opened. Such a case can cause larger-scale drainage than that from the opening of a branch englacial conduit. 3) Several lakes discharged twice in the same year, each time through a different conduit, indicating that the main englacial conduit can be abandoned and reused. 4) In some lakes, the water level gradually increased with nearly the same increase rate just before drainage. Such an increase may be an indicator of imminent lake drainage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-405
Author(s):  
Ji-Woo Jeong ◽  
Young-Oh Kim ◽  
Seung Beom Seo

Abstract This study aims to provide a practically efficient approach for determining the most efficient joint operation rule for two reservoirs connected by a waterway tunnel. For this purpose, the connecting tunnel's effect was assessed and three heuristic joint operation rules accounting for the connecting tunnel were evaluated. A standard operation policy with the connecting tunnel led to positive effects on the water resource system of the target basin with regard to a reliable water supply. The connecting tunnel provides an additional water supply of 12.4 million m3/year to the basin, and the reliability of the two reservoirs increased. Among the three rules, the equivalent reservoir (ER) rule led to the most positive effect on water supply. We found that the ER rule could maximize the positive effects of the connecting tunnel by maintaining the effective water storage rates of the two reservoirs. Moreover, the effects of hydrologic uncertainty on the joint operation rules were discussed using the synthetically generated multiple streamflow traces.


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