Possibilities of Controlling the River Outlets by Weirs on the Example of Noteć Bystra River

Abstract

The possibility of effective control of selected dams in the Noteć Bystra river is analyzed. Such a control is expected to permit inundation of selected arable areas, e.g., peat grasslands, to avoid flooding of the city of Czarnków and the terrains located downstream. The chosen case study is the reach of the Noteć River between the dams Pianowka-Mikolajewo-Rosko. The analysis was made on the basis of simulations of the flow and regulation of dams in flood conditions. The flow peaks of hypothetical flood waves were designed according to the directions of the ISOK project (Informatyczny System Osłony Kraju przed nadzwyczajnymi zagrożeniami-IT System of the Country's Protection Against Extreme Hazards) as the maximum flows over 10-years (p = 10%), 100-years (p = 1%), and 500-years (p = 0.2%). The obtained results are presented as longitudinal profiles of the water surface, maps of inundated areas and maps of inundated soils. The main conclusion is that the robust control of dams reduces the peak of flow during flood wave propagation and forces inundation of the a priori selected areas. It helps to decrease the spatial range of the flood hazard and significantly reduces risk related to floods.Sustainability 2020, 12, 2369 2 of 20 reduce flood consequences [21,22]. Efficient decision support systems should permit analysis of weather forecasts as well as analysis of watershed outflow generation. Such a system should support determination of reservoir decision rules on the basis of all available information including reservoir capacity and current amount of water stored [23,24].The impacts of climate change on hydrological alteration such as floods and drought pose a significant threat to floodplain environments [25][26][27]. Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is a practical approach which promotes responsible development and management of water and land resources considering the main parts of sustainability, i.e., economy, equity, and environment [28,29]. Adaptation of existing water infrastructure to climate change is becoming an important strategy for water management in floodplain areas. Karpack et al. [30] have suggested that humans have impacted on floodplain functionality by changing the physical landscape of floodplains and by altering river flows. A generally accepted solution used for flood protection is construction of reservoirs [31,32]. This study shows that the water infrastructure (weirs and dams) located in rivers could also be effectively used for water management including flood protection as well as for regulation and control of seasonal inundation at floodplain areas. Similar results have been obtained by Contreras et al. [33], who have shown that river flood manipulations by weirs and sluice gates provide water for agricultural activity without costly infrastructural and technical investigations.Analysis of flood risk has become very important and is the basis for the EU Flood Directive that started to take effect from November 26th, 2007 [34]. The Directive obliges Poland as well as othe...

Analysis of Spatial Variability of River Bottom Sediment Pollution with Heavy Metals and Assessment of Potential Ecological Hazard for the Warta River, Poland

“…According to MPI analysis, in 2017 (MPI > 15) the highest contamination was noted at stations 1, 4, 18, 19, and 20. In 2016, the MPI values were higher than 15 at 11 of the 24 stations: 1, 4, 10,12,14,15,17,19,20,21,22, and 23 (Figure 8).…”

“…The possibility of using water resources is closely related to a number of factors modified by the type of natural or anthropogenic sources and climate changes. These factors include the quality of water [1][2][3][4][5], the quality of bottom sediments [6][7][8], processes of eutrophication and overgrowth [9,10], hydrological processes, and extreme natural phenomena [11,12].…”