Estimating the Future Function of the Nipsa Reservoir due to Climate Change and Debris Sediment Factors

Abstract

The constantly growing human needs for water aiming to supply urban areas or for energy production or irrigation purposes enforces the application of practices leading to its saving. The construction of dams has been continuously increasing in recent years, aiming at the collection and storage of water in the formed reservoirs. The greatest challenge that reservoirs face during their lifetime is the sedimentation caused by debris and by the effects of climate change on water harvesting. The paper presents an investigation on the amount, the position and the height of the debris ending up at the Nipsa reservoir. The assessment of the debris volume produced in the drainage basin was conducted by a geographical information system (GIS) based model, named TopRunDF, also used to predict the sedimentation area and the sediment deposition height in the sedimentation cone. The impact of climate change to the reservoir storage capacity is evaluated with the use of a water balance model triggered by the HadCM2, ECHAM4, CSIRO-MK2, CGCM1, CCSR-98 climate change models. The results predict a significant future decrease in the stored water volume of the reservoir, and therefore several recommendations are proposed for the proper future functioning and operation of the reservoir.

Prediction research on sedimentation balance of Three Gorges Reservoir under new conditions of water and sediment

“…Many studies have been locally and globally conducted on reservoir sedimentation prediction. Maris et al 29 predicted the sedimentation area and the sediment deposition height in the Nipsa reservoir using a Geographical Information System (GIS) based TopRunDF model. As a result, the model predicted a significant future decrease in the reservoir stored water volume.…”

The Connection between a Suspended Sediments and Reservoir Siltation: Empirical Analysis in the Maziarnia Reservoir, Poland

“…Of the many functions of dam reservoirs, the most important is water supply, which largely depends on the reservoir capacity [2,3]. Therefore, the issues related to the loss of reservoir capacity will continue to pose a serious challenge in terms of effectively reducing this phenomenon [4,5]; according to statistics from 1901 to 2010, the capacity of large reservoirs in the world decreased by 5% [4]. In turn, this process has led to a reduction of the total storage capacity of dam reservoirs by around 0.5-1% worldwide.…”

“…It is estimated that over the next 25-50 years, approximately 1/4 of the world's retention reservoirs may lose their water storage capacity [1]. In order to eliminate negative effects, environmental and socio-economic associated with the risk of water shortage, it is recommended to develop integrated methods for forecasting degradation and silting processes of retention reservoirs [5,6].…”