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A Presentation of: Sedimentation and sustainability of western American reservoirs

A Presentation of: Sedimentation and sustainability of western American reservoirs. Presented By: Scott D. McDermott 01/31/2012 GGS 656 HYDROSPHERE. Introduction. Sedimentation is a major threat to Reservoir sustainability as it reduces storage capacity. Threats of Sedimentation:

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A Presentation of: Sedimentation and sustainability of western American reservoirs

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  1. A Presentation of: Sedimentation and sustainability of western American reservoirs Presented By: Scott D. McDermott 01/31/2012 GGS 656 HYDROSPHERE

  2. Introduction • Sedimentation is a major threat to Reservoir sustainability as it reduces storage capacity. • Threats of Sedimentation: • Reduces Storage Capacity. • Negatively Impacts Recreation. • Change in Wildlife Habitat. • Blocks intake works for hydropower generation. • WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, VOL. 46, W12535, 13 PP., 2010 doi:10.1029/2009WR008836

  3. Objective • Verify popular writer’s concerns that the major reservoirs are at a threat of sedimentation within a few hundred years. • Authors in questions: • T. Palmer (1986) • L. Powell (2009) • M. Reisner (1986)

  4. (Official) Objectives • Determine how rapidly American reservoirs are filling with sediments • Determine spatial and temporal variations in loss of storage capacity • Calculate the reasonable life expectancies specifically for reservoirs in the interior west.

  5. Test Sites • Western American Dams and Reservoirs • 100th Meridian • Arid Land • “Cadillac Desert”

  6. Methods – Calculate Sediments Filling • U.S. Geological Survey Reservoir Sedimentation Survey Information System (RESIS II) http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/ds434/ • Data used to access the sedimentation in individual reservoirs. • Provide general “trend”. Not great for finer assessments.

  7. Distribution of reservoirs with Sedimentation Surveys in RESIS II • Circles represent original reservoir capacity. • Provide an insight of the capacity the dams provide in the test site.

  8. Methods – Spatial Variation • Sediment Delivery Ratio All things equal: The larger the basin (downstream) the greater the internal storage of sediments • Annual Rate of Reservoir Storage Loss • Expected Life of a Reservoir

  9. Methods – Temporal Variations • Higher erosion and sediment yields greater during periods between drought and copious convective rainfall. • Test case: Colorado River Basin • Long record of sediment transport with sediment yield from all major sub basins. • Compilations from Sediment Discharge Database.

  10. Result– Calculate Sediments Filling • Five of Six regions with the highest annual loss of storage capacity in the interior west. • Life Expectancy: Short

  11. Results– Spatial Variation • Sediment Delivery Ratio • Missouri River displays a long life span scenario. (larger downstream areas • Colorado River is an exception. • Life Expectancy: Longer for downstream areas.

  12. Results – Temporal Variations

  13. Results – Temporal Variations (con’t)

  14. Results – Temporal Variations (con’t)

  15. Analysis Conclusion • The message that science should be sending to popular writers and managers is that [sedimentation]…for reservoirs in the interior western U.S. in general is the end is not near.

  16. Conclusion (part 2) • Most large reservoirs have life expectancies of 200-1,000 years or more. • Appear to be sustainable parts of a regional water management system. • Sedimentation loss varied spatially and temporal.

  17. Conclusion (part 3) • Without further dam and reservoir construction, however, it is also clear that managers will be faced with a gradual long-term decline in total storage capacity.

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