Extending the Useful Life of Small-to-Medium Reservoirs in the United States

摘要

Small-to-medium sized reservoirs are critical to providing water storage capacity for water supply agencies. These reservoirs provide many services, including irrigation, drinking water and other municipal uses, hydropower, environmental enhancements, recreation, and flood control. A reservoir is constructed knowing that, sooner or later, it will fill with sediment and no longer fulfill its intended uses. Since the 1990's, the state of Utah has experienced an overall net loss of total reservoir storage capacity due to sedimentation and the lack of new reservoir projects. In an effort to preserve the storage capacity of these reservoirs, the Utah Division of Water Resources (UDWRe) is preparing a study to quantify the problem, increase awareness of dam owners, and provide them with solutions to extend the useful life of their reservoirs. The report will be available for free download after March 15, 2010 at www.water.utah.gov. Part of the study includes a 5-step system for evaluating and mitigating sedimentation. This will allow individual reservoir owners to assess their situations and provide feasible alternatives for extending the life of their reservoirs. UDWRe hopes that this study will apply to owners of small-to-medium sized reservoirs throughout the United States, and perhaps even other countries.