Modern Reservoir Sedimentation Management Techniques with Examples

Abstract:

Implementation of reservoir sedimentation management approaches results in a win-win scenario, it assists in enhancing the environment by preserving river function downstream of dams while concurrently providing opportunities to sustainably manage water resource infrastructure. This paper summarizes the most often used reservoir sedimentation management techniques with examples of where they have been implemented. Three categories can be used to classify these technologies, i.e. catchment management, sediment routing and sediment removal. The objective of catchment management techniques is to minimize the amount of sediment that may discharge into a reservoir, thereby reducing the loss of storage space due to sedimentation. Reservoir routing is a set of techniques that aim at minimizing the amount of sediment that may deposit in a reservoir, thereby maximizing the amount of sediment that may be passed downstream. The third group consists of techniques that may be used to remove previously deposited sediment from reservoirs. The selection of reservoir sedimentation management approaches is site specific and depends on various factors, including dam height, reservoir volume, reservoir length, valley shape, valley slope, sediment type and hydrology. Description of the different reservoir sedimentation management techniques that are used in practice will be accompanied by case studies, including video, illustrating criteria that may be used to determine the potential success of implementing the techniques.