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Classifying Dams for Environmental Flow Implementation in China

Author

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  • Ang Chen

    (Department of Production & Technology, Yangtze Ecology and Environment Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430062, China
    State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Miao Wu

    (College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China)

  • Michael E. McClain

    (IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, DA 2611 Delft, The Netherlands)

Abstract

The implementation of environmental flows is of the utmost importance for ecosystem protection and restoration in dammed rivers. A key challenge in optimizing dam regulation is the uncertainty of the ecohydrology relationship between flow release and ecological response. In the present paper, we develop a framework of dam classification to organize the categories of the ecohydrology relationship for implementing environmental flows. Dams are classified from three major categories that differ in dam properties, hydrological alteration, and downstream hydrobiological diversities based on the relationship of hydrology and ecology. Finally, 773 dams in China are screened and ranked into four classes involving a great diversity of environmental flow components. A classification of dams that utilizes the implementation of environmental flows is presented. (1) Class 1 includes dams with rare and endangered fish species in the downstream. It is the category with the highest priority for environmental flow releases and regulation, requiring continuous flow and flood pulse components for fish spawning and migration. (2) Class 2 includes dams with significant hydrological alteration in the downstream. It is the category with second priority for environmental flow releases and regulation, requiring natural hydrological regimes simulation or complete flow component recovery for optimizing the flow duration curve and mitigating adverse impacts of dam operation. (3) Class 3 includes dams with a high degree of regulation where there is urgency for environmental flow releases and regulation, requiring that minimum flow is guaranteed by cascade reservoir regulation. (4) Class 4 includes dams with a low degree of regulation where there is less urgency for environmental flow releases and regulation. This classification method is important for future research, including environmental flow release regulation and the effectiveness evaluation of environmental flow adaptive management. It will be useful for guiding the implementation of environmental flows.

Suggested Citation

  • Ang Chen & Miao Wu & Michael E. McClain, 2019. "Classifying Dams for Environmental Flow Implementation in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-20, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2019:i:1:p:107-:d:300721
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    1. C. J. Vörösmarty & P. B. McIntyre & M. O. Gessner & D. Dudgeon & A. Prusevich & P. Green & S. Glidden & S. E. Bunn & C. A. Sullivan & C. Reidy Liermann & P. M. Davies, 2010. "Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity," Nature, Nature, vol. 467(7315), pages 555-561, September.
    2. Kennen, Jonathan G. & Kauffman, Leon J. & Ayers, Mark A. & Wolock, David M. & Colarullo, Susan J., 2008. "Use of an integrated flow model to estimate ecologically relevant hydrologic characteristics at stream biomonitoring sites," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 211(1), pages 57-76.
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    1. Zaher Mundher Yaseen & Ameen Mohammed Salih Ameen & Mohammed Suleman Aldlemy & Mumtaz Ali & Haitham Abdulmohsin Afan & Senlin Zhu & Ahmed Mohammed Sami Al-Janabi & Nadhir Al-Ansari & Tiyasha Tiyasha &, 2020. "State-of-the Art-Powerhouse, Dam Structure, and Turbine Operation and Vibrations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-40, February.
    2. Suwal, Naresh & Huang, Xianfeng & Kuriqi, Alban & Chen, Yingqin & Pandey, Kamal Prasad & Bhattarai, Khem Prasad, 2020. "Optimisation of cascade reservoir operation considering environmental flows for different environmental management classes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 453-464.

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