Characteristics and Adaptability Assessment of Commonly Used Ecological Flow Methods in Water Storage and Hydropower Projects, the Case of Chinese River Basins

The construction and operation of water storage and hydropower projects affects the structure of water ecosystems of downstream rivers, and the establishment of ecological flow in rivers below the water storage and hydropower projects has significant impacts on maintaining the stability of river eco...

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Main Authors: Lejun Ma, Huan Wang, Changjun Qi, Xinnan Zhang, Hanwen Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-09-01
Series:Water
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/10/2035
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spelling doaj-5dc36e061d774fa78d70502bcbf4de512020-11-25T01:35:57ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412019-09-011110203510.3390/w11102035w11102035Characteristics and Adaptability Assessment of Commonly Used Ecological Flow Methods in Water Storage and Hydropower Projects, the Case of Chinese River BasinsLejun Ma0Huan Wang1Changjun Qi2Xinnan Zhang3Hanwen Zhang4Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, ChinaDepartment of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaDepartment of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaDepartment of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaThe construction and operation of water storage and hydropower projects affects the structure of water ecosystems of downstream rivers, and the establishment of ecological flow in rivers below the water storage and hydropower projects has significant impacts on maintaining the stability of river ecosystems. A database was established based on 2000−2017 environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports on water storage and hydropower projects in China and ecological flow (e-flow) methods, and the three widely used e-flow methods for water storage and hydropower projects in China were identified on the database. Furthermore, an ecological flow satisfaction degree model was used to evaluate the methods using long series of historical hydrological data from the hydrological stations in the Yellow River basin, the Yangtze River basin, and the Liao River basin. The results showed that hydrological methods are the type most often used for water storage and hydropower projects in China, including the Tennant method, the minimum monthly average flow with 90% guarantee rate method (Mm9M method), and the measured historical minimum daily average flow rate method (MDM method). However, the ecological flow methods selected are not significantly different among different basins, indicating that the selection of ecological flow methods is rather arbitrary, and adaptability analysis is not available. The results of the ecological flow satisfaction model showed that the Tennant method is not suitable for large river basins. The results of this study can provide technical support for establishment and management decisions surrounding ecological flow.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/10/2035ecological flow methodwater storage and hydropower projectadaptability assessment
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Lejun Ma
Huan Wang
Changjun Qi
Xinnan Zhang
Hanwen Zhang
spellingShingle Lejun Ma
Huan Wang
Changjun Qi
Xinnan Zhang
Hanwen Zhang
Characteristics and Adaptability Assessment of Commonly Used Ecological Flow Methods in Water Storage and Hydropower Projects, the Case of Chinese River Basins
Water
ecological flow method
water storage and hydropower project
adaptability assessment
author_facet Lejun Ma
Huan Wang
Changjun Qi
Xinnan Zhang
Hanwen Zhang
author_sort Lejun Ma
title Characteristics and Adaptability Assessment of Commonly Used Ecological Flow Methods in Water Storage and Hydropower Projects, the Case of Chinese River Basins
title_short Characteristics and Adaptability Assessment of Commonly Used Ecological Flow Methods in Water Storage and Hydropower Projects, the Case of Chinese River Basins
title_full Characteristics and Adaptability Assessment of Commonly Used Ecological Flow Methods in Water Storage and Hydropower Projects, the Case of Chinese River Basins
title_fullStr Characteristics and Adaptability Assessment of Commonly Used Ecological Flow Methods in Water Storage and Hydropower Projects, the Case of Chinese River Basins
title_full_unstemmed Characteristics and Adaptability Assessment of Commonly Used Ecological Flow Methods in Water Storage and Hydropower Projects, the Case of Chinese River Basins
title_sort characteristics and adaptability assessment of commonly used ecological flow methods in water storage and hydropower projects, the case of chinese river basins
publisher MDPI AG
series Water
issn 2073-4441
publishDate 2019-09-01
description The construction and operation of water storage and hydropower projects affects the structure of water ecosystems of downstream rivers, and the establishment of ecological flow in rivers below the water storage and hydropower projects has significant impacts on maintaining the stability of river ecosystems. A database was established based on 2000−2017 environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports on water storage and hydropower projects in China and ecological flow (e-flow) methods, and the three widely used e-flow methods for water storage and hydropower projects in China were identified on the database. Furthermore, an ecological flow satisfaction degree model was used to evaluate the methods using long series of historical hydrological data from the hydrological stations in the Yellow River basin, the Yangtze River basin, and the Liao River basin. The results showed that hydrological methods are the type most often used for water storage and hydropower projects in China, including the Tennant method, the minimum monthly average flow with 90% guarantee rate method (Mm9M method), and the measured historical minimum daily average flow rate method (MDM method). However, the ecological flow methods selected are not significantly different among different basins, indicating that the selection of ecological flow methods is rather arbitrary, and adaptability analysis is not available. The results of the ecological flow satisfaction model showed that the Tennant method is not suitable for large river basins. The results of this study can provide technical support for establishment and management decisions surrounding ecological flow.
topic ecological flow method
water storage and hydropower project
adaptability assessment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/10/2035
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