Integrated Water Resource Management for Kaoping River Basin

Abstract

The Kaoping River Basin, located in southern Taiwan, flows through approximately 171 km and drains toward the South Taiwan Strait. It is the largest and the most intensively used river basin in Taiwan. However, due to the concentrated rainfall in the wet season, short rivers and rapid flows, poor flow conditions, uneven time distribution of flows, and rapid rise of flow peak cause the unevenly distributed water resource in this region. Based on the results from the water resource analysis and water demand evaluation, a shortage of water supply in the basin would occur in 5 years. Sustainable water resource management strategies have been proposed to effectively utilize the limited water resource in the basin. The proposed strategies include construction of water collection gallery system, installation of riverbank infiltration system, installation of groundwater recharge and extraction systems, recycling the effluent from the secondary wastewater-treatment plant, and replacement of old water supply pipes. These measures are more sustainable and more environmentally acceptable compared with other traditional construction measures (e.g., reservoir and long-distance water transportation conduit). Results and experience obtained from this study will be helpful in developing water resource management strategies for other similar river basins.