Ecological aspects of the design and operation of conduits of hydroelectric schemes

Abstract

Under conditions of the increasing demand for water, reservoirs are becoming a common component of the environment.They differ from natural water bodies by a regulated hydrologic regime, which often conflicts with the environmental protection requirements.We will examine the possibility of a purseposeful effect on the natural processes ocurrlng in the pools of hydroelectric schemes with deep reservoirs by means of a rational layout and assignment of optimal operating regimes of the conduits. Thermal, chemical, and biological stratification are observed in deep reservoirs.In the st,~,er and winter a substantial difference is observed in sluggishly flowing deep water bodies in the temperatures of the lower and upper layers of water -the~a~ stratification (Fig. i), the main causes of which are the physical characteristics of water (Fig. 2), its low thermal conductivity, and the limited penetration of solar radiation. Water warmer and colder than +4~C as lighter water is directed toward the surface, creating direct (summer) and inverse (winter) stratification.