The Aging of America's Reservoirs: In‐Reservoir and Downstream Physical Changes and Habitat Implications

Reservoirs are important for various purposes including flood control, water supply, power generation, and recreation. The aging of America's reservoirs and progressive loss of water storage capacity resulting from ongoing sedimentation, coupled with increasing societal needs, will cause the social, economic, environmental, and political importance of reservoirs to continually increase. The short‐ and medium‐term (<50 years) environmental consequences of reservoir construction and operation are well known and include an altered flow regime, lost connectivity (longitudinal, floodplain), an altered sediment regime, substrate compositional change, and downstream channel degradation. In general, reservoir‐related changes have had adverse consequences for the natural ecosystem. Longer term (>50 years) environmental changes as reservoirs enter “old” age are less understood. Additional research is needed to help guide the future management of aging reservoir systems and support the difficult decisions that will have to be made. Important research directions include assessment of climate change effects on aging and determination of ecosystem response to ongoing aging and various management actions that may be taken with the intent of minimizing or reversing the physical effects of aging.     

IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON MISSOURI RWER BASIN WATER YIELD1

ABSTRACT: Water from the Missouri River Basin is used for multiple purposes. The climatic change of doubling the atmospheric carbon dioxide may produce dramatic water yield changes across the basin. Estimated changes in basin water yield from doubled CO₂ climate were simulated using a Regional Climate Model (RegCM) and a physically based rainfall‐runoff model. RegCM output from a five‐year, equilibrium climate simulation at twice present CO₂ levels was compared to a similar present‐day climate run to extract monthly changes in meteorologic variables needed by the hydrologic model. These changes, simulated on a 50‐km grid, were matched at a commensurate scale to the 310 subbasin in the rainfall‐runoff model climate change impact analysis. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) rainfall‐runoff model was used in this study. The climate changes were applied to the 1965 to 1989 historic period. Overall water yield at the mouth of the Basin decreased by 10 to 20 percent during spring and summer months, but increased during fall and winter. Yields generally decreased in the southern portions of the basin but increased in the northern reaches. Northern subbasin yields increased up to 80 percent: equivalent to 1.3 cm of runoff on an annual basis.     

南水北调对密云水库水位变幅带土壤磷释放量的影响

南水北调来水引起的水位上涨可能会导致密云水库水位变幅带土壤中磷的释放.过量的磷可能会引起水体富营养,因此,研究水库变幅带磷释放风险对密云水库水质安全保障具有科学指导意义.本研究采用连续浸提法测定密云水库变幅带土壤及沉积物中弱吸附态磷(NH_4ClP)、铁磷(BD-P)、铝磷(NaOH-P)及钙磷(HCl-P)等4种不同形态磷含量,探讨其分布特征;并在室内进行了磷释放模拟实验,估算了南水北调来水引起水库水位上升所致的易释放磷的释放量.结果表明,NH_4Cl-P、BD-P、NaOH-P、HCl-P广泛地分布于密云水库变幅带土壤及沉积物中.在白河、内湖及潮河3个库区,磷形态分布具有一致规律,即HCl-PNaOH-PBD-PNH_4Cl-P.因密云水库变幅带为中国典型的北方碱性土壤,变幅带无机磷主要为钙磷.NH_4Cl-P在3个库区变幅带土壤中含量相差不大,在受水动扰动力影响较小的内湖库区BD-P含量略高于其它2个库区.在3个不同库区中,潜在活性磷NH_4Cl-P和较稳定的NaOH-P在岸上和水陆交界面土壤及水下沉积物中含量相差不大,受氧化还原条件影响较大的BD-P在沉积物中的含量略高于岸上和水陆交界面土壤.磷释放模拟实验及释放量估算结果表明,水库水位上涨3 m的情况下,白河、潮河和内湖库区淹没变幅带土壤分别释放1.02、0.80、0.37 mg·m~(-2)易释放磷.白河和内湖库区变幅带被水淹没土壤中磷释放的风险可能更高,需加强防护.     

Coal facies characteristics and its control on methane content in South Yanchuan Block,Southeast Ordos Basin,China

The variability in depositional environments in ancient peat bog and coal facies characteristics was investigated with 29 coal samples from four coalbed methane wells in South Yanchuan Block, Southeast Ordos Basin, China. The control of methane content is described as coal facies parameters and the corresponding measurements of methane content. The results indicated that the depositional environment of ancient peat bog in South Yanchuan Block is primarily a lower delta plain, and a low tissue preservation index (TPI) and high gelification index (GI) are typical features of reservoir’s coal facies, reflecting a deep water depositional environment in ancient peat bog. Compared with the coal facies characteristics of the western area, the coal reservoir in the eastern area displays low GI and high ash content as a result of ancient peat bog’s proximity to sea and source area. Various lateral methane contents are influenced by burial depth, whereas the characteristics of coal facies have a strong control on methane content within the single well in vertical direction. The methane content increases with increase in GI and vitrinite to inertinite ratio (V:I), while there are indistinct relationships between TPI and transportation index with methane content. With high GI and longer distance to sea and source area, the methane content in the western area is higher than that of the eastern area. High desmocollinite content also has a negative influence on methane content.     

SNOW: NATURE'S RESERVOIR1

ABSTRACT: Snow, one of Nature's greatest reservoirs, supplies most of the usable water in the Western United States. Reliable predictions of the quantity and timing of the release of this water are used in making management decisions involving irrigation, stock water and municipal water supplies, hydro-power generation, recreation, navigation, and pollution control Practically oriented research is vital for the proper development and management of this resource. In southwestern Idaho, the Northwest Watershed Research Center, ARS, USDA, is conducting intensive investigations for assessing snow Volumes, snow water content, and snow-melt over a watershed. Application of these research findings will result in better development and management of the water stored as snow in Nature's reservoir.     

COMPARISON OF STOCHASTIC AND DETERMINISTIC DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING FOR RESERVOIR OPERATING RULE GENERATION1

ABSTRACT: Two dynamic programming models — one deterministic and one stochastic — that may be used to generate reservoir operating rules are compared. The deterministic model (DPR) consists of an algorithm that cycles through three components: a dynamic program, a regression analysis, and a simulation. In this model, the correlation between the general operating rules, defined by the regression analysis and evaluated in the simulation, and the optimal deterministic operation defined by the dynamic program is increased through an iterative process. The stochastic dynamic program (SDP) describes streamflows with a discrete lag-one Markov process. To test the usefulness of both models in generating reservoir operating rules, real-time reservoir operation simulation models are constructed for three hydrologically different sites. The rules generated by DPR and SDP are then applied in the operation simulation model and their performance is evaluated. For the test cases, the DPR generated rules are more effective in the operation of medium to very large reservoirs and the SDP generated rules are more effective for the operation of small reservoirs.     

REAL-TIME SNOW SIMULATION MODEL FOR THE MONONGAHELA RIVER BASIN1

ABSTRACT: The Pittsburgh District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is responsible for operating two multipurpose reservoirs in the 7384 square mile (19198 square kilometer) Monongahela Basin. A third reservoir, presently under construction, will soon be operating. The real-time forecasting of runoff for operational purposes requires simulation of snow accumulation and snowmelt throughout the Basin during the winter season. This article describes capabilities of SNOSIM, a model being developed for performing such simulation. The application of this model as part of a comprehensive system of water control software, and some initial simulation results are presented.     

利用生物操纵与人工湿地技术改善新建大房郢水库水质的实践

2005～2006年,在蓄水初期的大房郢水库采用投放滤食性鱼类鱼种、移殖螺、蚌、浅水区移植沉水植物、上游湿地扩大香蒲生长面积、消落区以上范围栽培杨树林和防护带等生物操纵与人工湿地技术相结合的方法改善水质的研究,结果表明：自2005年以来,该水库未再出现过蓝藻水华,水体富营养化得到了有效控制,水质已基本稳定在中-富营养型水平。由此认为,利用生物操纵与人工湿地技术结合为改善大房郢水库水质发挥了重要作用。     

用若干固体废弃物改良土壤的可行性研究

合理利用粉煤灰、水库淤积物和污泥三种废弃物对保护环境有重要意义。选择干旱半干旱地区 ,联合施用上述三种废物进行土壤改良 ,兼有建设生态环境的作用。盆栽试验结果表明 :粉煤灰、水库淤积物、污泥按适当比例配合施用 ,对改良贫瘠土壤、促进植物生长有明显效果。     

长寿湖富营养化调查

通过对2002年7月长寿湖发生严重富营养化时的监测，利用富营养化评价标准对产生富营养化的几项主要指标进行综合评价，评价结果表明；长寿湖水体已经处于富营养化状况，在所有监测点，总磷，总氮浓度高，其中总氮超标严重按GB3838-2002地表水环境质量标准评价，已经为劣V类水，长寿湖水体中主要的植物为稀脉浮萍和少量紫背浮萍，造成长寿湖水质污染的主要原因有3个方面；工业和生活废水污染，地表径流污染和养殖业污染。