Abstract

Reservoir sedimentation occurs as dams impound streams and rivers, preventing the delivery of sediments downstream. Globally, reservoirs lose approximately 40 million acre-ft of storage to sediments each year. Several methods for managing reservoir sedimentation have been developed to help extend project life. In 2017, the World Bank sponsored REServoir CONservation (RESCON) 2, a pre-feasibility program aimed to help users select sediment management practices to consider for more detailed studies.There are two main objectives to this research: 1) perform a sensitivity analysis to understand which parameters require greater precision and which can be roughly approximated, and 2) evaluate RESCON 2 suggested practices to assess the model's accuracy and consistency for providing the optimal solution. Comparisons of the actual sediment management practice will be made with RESCON's results and applicable zones from the Sediment Management Options Diagram (SMOD). Brief descriptions of the SMOD and RESCON 2 will be provided. RESCON-required inputs will be summarized, and some key entries will be presented. Additionally, innovations taken in Japan to modify and retrofit exiting reservoirs with sediment management capabilities will be explored.The sensitivity analysis proves the unit benefit of reservoir yield parameter to be highly sensitive, and users should invest time into determining this value. The sensitivity analysis also illustrates certain processes in RESCON, such as automatically determining the implementation schedule of flushing or a sustainable solution for dredging operations, have great influence over the respective method's analysis. Approximations can be used if these options were selected.Twenty reservoirs from around the world were modeled in RESCON 2, with storage capacities ranging between 152 acre-ft and 31.9 million acre-ft. All sediment management alternatives whose NPV lied within 30% of the highest alternative were deemed practicable for the reservoir. Of the twenty models analyzed in RESCON 2, ten did not practice sediment management. Analyzing only those reservoirs where sediment management is being employed, RESCON predicted the correct or used practice eight out of ten times.Recommendations to improve RESCON include 1) an HSRS operations and maintenance parameter, 2) expanding the unit benefit of reservoir yield parameter into several terms to more explicitly state applicable revenue sources, and 3) creating a list of RESCON model builds, updates, and bug treatments and an option for users to report bugs or other problems.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Civil and Environmental Engineering

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2019-06-01

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd12224

Keywords

reservoir sedimentation, sediment management, RESCON, reservoir conservation

Language

english

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