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Low Flow Conditions: Difference between revisions

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“Continuous low-flow releases are required at some dams to satisfy [[environmental]] objectives, water supply, downstream water rights, etc.”.<ref name="EM 1110-2-1602">[[Hydraulic Design of Reservoir Outlet Works (EM 1110-2-1602) | Hydraulic Design of Reservoir Outlet Works (EM 1110-2-1602), USACE, 1980]]</ref>
“Continuous low-flow releases are required at some dams to satisfy [[environmental]] objectives, water supply, downstream water rights, etc.”.<ref name="EM 1110-2-1602">[[Hydraulic Design of Reservoir Outlet Works (EM 1110-2-1602) | Hydraulic Design of Reservoir Outlet Works (EM 1110-2-1602), USACE, 1980]]</ref> The following are low flow condition hydrologic analyses relating to dams:


==Flow Regulation==
*[[Flow Regulation]]
“[[Reservoirs]] may improve water quality by merely <noautolinks>permitting</noautolinks> the management of flow. This management may include maintenance of minimum flows, blending selective releases from one or more reservoirs to maintain a given stream quality, and the exclusion of a flow from a system by diversion.<ref name="EM 1110-2-1420">[[Hydrologic Engineering Requirements for Reservoirs (EM 1110-2-1420) | EM 1110-2-1420 Hydrologic Engineering Requirements for Reservoirs, USACE, 1997]]</ref>
*[[Water Availability]]
 
“Minimum flow is often maintained in a stream for [[navigation]], [[recreation]], fish and wildlife, and water rights purposes. Such flows may also aid in maintaining acceptable water quality.<ref name="EM 1110-2-1420" />
 
“There is general agreement that water may be stored and selectively released to help reduce natural water quality problems where source control is not possible, and also that water should not be stored and released solely to improve water quality where similar improvement may be achieved by treatment at the source. The use of a water resource to dilute treatable waste materials is regarded as the misuse of a valuable resource in most cases”.<ref name="EM 1110-2-1420" />
 
“In designing a reservoir to supply water for navigation and low-flow augmentation, the objective is significantly different from objectives for the other purposes that have been discussed previously in this chapter. The objective is to supplement flows at one or more points downstream from the reservoir. For navigation, these flows aid in maintaining the necessary depth of water and alleviate silting problems in the navigable channel. Low-flow augmentation serves a number of purposes including recreation, fish and wildlife, ice control, pollution abatement, and run-of-river power projects. Under certain conditions, low-flow augmentation provides water for the other purposes discussed in this chapter. For instance, if the intake for a municipal and industrial water supply is at some point downstream of the reservoir, the objective may be to supplement low flows at that point”.<ref name="EM 1110-2-1420" />
 
==Water Availability==
“The determination of storage-yield relationships for a reservoir project is one of the basic hydrologic analyses for reservoirs. The basic objective can be to determine the reservoir yield given a storage allocation, or find the storage required to obtain a desired yield. The determination follows a traditional [[engineering]] approach:<ref name="EM 1110-2-1420" />
#"Determine the study objectives. This includes the project purposes, [[operation]] goals, and the evaluation criteria.<ref name="EM 1110-2-1420" />
#"Determine the physical and hydrologic constraints for the site. This includes the reservoir storage and outflow capability, as well as the downstream channel system.<ref name="EM 1110-2-1420" />
#"Compile the basic data. The basic data include demands, flow, and losses. Also, the appropriate time interval for analysis, which depends on the data and its variations in time.<ref name="EM 1110-2-1420" />
#"Select the appropriate method, one that meets the study objectives and provides reliable information to evaluate results based on accepted criteria.<ref name="EM 1110-2-1420" />
#"Perform the analysis, evaluate the results, and present the information.”<ref name="EM 1110-2-1420" />


==Best Practices Resources==
==Best Practices Resources==
{{Document Icon}} [[National Engineering Handbook: Chapter 5 - Streamflow Data | National Engineering Handbook: Chapter 5 - Streamflow Data (Natural Resources Conservation Service)]]
{{Document Icon}} [[National Engineering Handbook: Chapter 5 - Streamflow Data | National Engineering Handbook: Chapter 5 - Streamflow Data, NRCS]]


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Latest revision as of 04:54, 21 July 2023


“Continuous low-flow releases are required at some dams to satisfy environmental objectives, water supply, downstream water rights, etc.”.[1] The following are low flow condition hydrologic analyses relating to dams:

Best Practices Resources

National Engineering Handbook: Chapter 5 - Streamflow Data, NRCS


Citations:


Revision ID: 7364
Revision Date: 07/21/2023