Water Quantity and Quality Joint-Operation Modeling of Dams and Floodgates in Huai River Basin, China

Abstract

Water quantity and quality joint operation of dams and floodgates is a cost-effective way to improve a river basin’s water environment at present. It has become a hot topic in integrated basin management. The Huai River basin is a unique region in China with a high density of dams and floodgates and is facing serious water pollution problems because accidental water pollution events have occurred many times. Taking Shaying River and Guo River, which are the two seriously polluted tributaries in the Huai River basin, as the study area, this paper considers objectives of flood control, pollution prevention, and water supply, and a water quantity and quality joint-operation model of dams and floodgates was established. By analyzing the operation rules of various composed scenarios, a three-stage operation method (TSOM) of water quantity and quality was proposed based on the model. The study area was decomposed into two subsystems: Subsystem I is the Shaying River and Subsystem II is the Guo River. Two typical operation scenarios were selected to be simulated. The simulation result of the May 1, 2004, scenario demonstrated that the water quality of the main monitoring sections with the joint operation was better than that with the empirical operation under the same water quality standard. The simulation result of the April 10, 2012, scenario explained that Subsystem I had an obvious compensation effect on Subsystem II in the process of joint operation. Furthermore, the TSOM summarized from 216 scenarios under the condition of different water quantity and quality in time and space can make the operation model more practical and exercisable. The joint operation of dams and floodgates will play a positive role in improving the current water quality of the main stream in the Huai River. This paper will provide scientific decision making for antipollution operation and technical support to achieve the integrated management in the Huai River basin.