CHANCES IN THE SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT OF AN ALPINE RESERVOIR

摘要

The runoff from Austria's largest glacier, Pasterze, is collected in the Margaritze reservoir. From there, the 11.6-km long M611 gallery diverts the flows to the Wasserfallboden and Mooserboden high-level reservoirs of the Glockner-Kaprun group of power schemes. Having a capacity of no more than 3.2 million cubic metres, the Margaritze reservoir offers little space for holding the substantial amounts of sediments contained in the glacial runoff. In the past, reservoir sedimentation already caused problems in the operation of the bottom outlet and necessitated its structural conversion. For more than 13 years, owner Verbund Austrian Hydro Power AG (AHP) has conducted studies to develop an efficient sediment management scheme for this reservoir. The studies have yielded various ideas regarding possible remedial action in this particular situation. Some of the solutions considered have already been applied, others are still at the planning stage. This paper focuses on one specific measure, that is, the conveyance of deposited sediments, by a submersible pump fixed to a pontoon, to the 11.6-km diversion gallery to transfer part of the sediment load to the two reservoirs in the Kaprun valley.