Colorado River Basin Water Management

Colorado River Basin Water Management
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2007-06-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309105242

Recent studies of past climate and streamflow conditions have broadened understanding of long-term water availability in the Colorado River, revealing many periods when streamflow was lower than at any time in the past 100 years of recorded flows. That information, along with two important trends-a rapid increase in urban populations in the West and significant climate warming in the region-will require that water managers prepare for possible reductions in water supplies that cannot be fully averted through traditional means. Colorado River Basin Water Management assesses existing scientific information, including temperature and streamflow records, tree-ring based reconstructions, and climate model projections, and how it relates to Colorado River water supplies and demands, water management, and drought preparedness. The book concludes that successful adjustments to new conditions will entail strong and sustained cooperation among the seven Colorado River basin states and recommends conducting a comprehensive basinwide study of urban water practices that can be used to help improve planning for future droughts and water shortages.

Riverine Ecosystem Management

Riverine Ecosystem Management
Author: Stefan Schmutz
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 562
Release: 2018-05-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319732501

This open access book surveys the frontier of scientific river research and provides examples to guide management towards a sustainable future of riverine ecosystems. Principal structures and functions of the biogeosphere of rivers are explained; key threats are identified, and effective solutions for restoration and mitigation are provided. Rivers are among the most threatened ecosystems of the world. They increasingly suffer from pollution, water abstraction, river channelisation and damming. Fundamental knowledge of ecosystem structure and function is necessary to understand how human acitivities interfere with natural processes and which interventions are feasible to rectify this. Modern water legislation strives for sustainable water resource management and protection of important habitats and species. However, decision makers would benefit from more profound understanding of ecosystem degradation processes and of innovative methodologies and tools for efficient mitigation and restoration. The book provides best-practice examples of sustainable river management from on-site studies, European-wide analyses and case studies from other parts of the world. This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of aquatic ecology, river system functioning, conservation and restoration, to postgraduate students, to institutions involved in water management, and to water related industries.

Extending the Life of Reservoirs

Extending the Life of Reservoirs
Author: George W. Annandale
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2016-09-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781464808371

Written by two of the world’s leading experts on sediment management, 'Extending the Life of Reservoirs' provides guidance on adopting sediment management practices for hydropower and water supply dam projects. It explains how ensuring long-term resilience of critical infrastructure requires early and constant attention to reservoir sedimentation processes, which can reduce the storage capacity of reservoirs and damage hydro mechanical equipment. The report provides concrete guidance on safeguarding against these effects and preserving the many important services of hydropower and dam projects, including water supply, irrigation, and renewable electricity. In particular, it stresses the importance of integrating sediment management into the early planning phases of projects. 'Extending the Life of Reservoirs' is designed to assist those evaluating dam and hydropower proposals. While for the primary audience includes policy makers, lending agencies, and general practitioners, the level of detail provided in the report should appeal to a wide array of stakeholder groups. The content is neither overly technical nor overly simplistic, and aims to provide practical and useful information. Importantly, this report provides a new perspective on the importance of sediment management that is not found in prior work. It stresses the value of sediment management measures as a robust adaptation measure to support sustainable hydropower. The techniques described in the report make sense regardless of future climate changes, but in many cases have even more value when uncertainty over future hydrological patterns is taken into account.

River System Analysis and Management

River System Analysis and Management
Author: Nayan Sharma
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 413
Release: 2016-11-13
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9811014728

The main thrust of this book is focused on addressing the various interrelated processes, analysis and activities bearing upon sound river management. River basins are complex systems. They are open systems with sometimes ill-defined boundaries. It refers to various aspects essential to achieve a sustainable development of river basins, including water demand and river management. Intensified erosion, land water degradation and stream flow pollution which call for appropriate river restoration and training measures. A viable theory for river management must reconcile the various processes that occur at different scales in order to develop a knowledge base by synthesizing research and field studies results. The book is intended to augment the knowledge base of behaviour of rivers and analyse the issues related to rivers so as to develop river system management techniques emerging from in-depth scientific analysis as a priority. This book pools together the expertise, the in-depth knowledge and the experience of the people representing different disciplines bearing on the related aspects of analysis and management of river systems. Audience The book is expected to be useful to academics, practitioners, scientists, water managers, environmentalists, administrators, researchers and students who are involved and have stakes in water management and river system analysis.

Same River Twice

Same River Twice
Author: Peter Brewitt
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780870719578

Dam removal wasn't a realistic option in the twentieth century, and people who suggested it were dismissed as fringe environmentalists. Over the past twenty years, dam removal has become increasingly common, with dozens of removals now taking place each year in the US. Same River Twice tells the stories of three major Northwestern dam removals - the politics, people, hopes, and fears that shaped three rivers and their communities. Brewitt begins each story with the dam's construction, shows how its critics gained power, details the conflicts and controversies of removal, and explores the aftermath as the river re-established itself.

Reservoir Sedimentation

Reservoir Sedimentation
Author: G.W. Annandale
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 233
Release: 1987-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0080870201

Research on reservoir sedimentation in recent years has been aimed mainly at water resources projects in developing countries. These countries, especially in Africa, often have to cope with long droughts, flash floods and severe erosion problems. Large reservoir capacities are required to capture water provided by flash floods so as to ensure the supply of water in periods of drought. The problem arising however is that these floods, due to their tremendous stream power, carry enormous volumes of sediment which, due to the size of reservoirs, are virtually deposited in toto in the reservoir basin, leading to fast deterioration of a costly investment. Accurate forecasting of reservoir behaviour is therefore of the utmost importance.This book fills a gap in current literature by providing in one volume comprehensive coverage of techniques required to practically investigate the effects sediment deposition in reservoirs has on the viability of water resources projects. Current techniques for practically estimating sediment yield from catchments, estimating the volume of sediment expected to deposit in reservoirs, predicting sediment distribution and calculating scour downstream of reservoirs are evaluated and presented. The liberal use of diagrams and graphs to explain the various techniques enhances understanding and makes practical application simple. A major feature of the book is the application of stream power theory to explain the process of reservoir sedimentation and to develop four new methods for predicting sediment distribution in reservoirs.The book is primarily directed at practising engineers involved in the planning and design of water resources projects and at post-graduate students interested in this field of study.

Colorado River Ecology and Dam Management

Colorado River Ecology and Dam Management
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 287
Release: 1991-02-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309045355

This book contains 11 papers that review the extant information about the Colorado River from an ecosystem perspective and serve as the basis for discussion of the use of ecosystem/earth science information for river management and dam operations. It also contains a synopsis of the committee's findings and recommendations to the Bureau of Reclamation as the agency seeks to change its direction to the management of natural resources.

Floodplain Management

Floodplain Management
Author: Bob Freitag
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2012-06-22
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1610911326

A flooding river is very hard to stop. Many residents of the United States have discovered this the hard way. Right now, over five million Americans hold flood insurance policies from the National Flood Insurance Program, which estimates that flooding causes at least six billion dollars in damages every year. Like rivers after a rainstorm, the financial costs are rising along with the toll on residents. And the worst is probably yet to come. Most scientists believe that global climate change will result in increases in flooding. The authors of this book present a straightforward argument: the time to stop a flooding rivers is before is before it floods. Floodplain Management outlines a new paradigm for flood management, one that emphasizes cost-effective, long-term success by integrating physical, chemical, and biological systems with our societal capabilities. It describes our present flood management practices, which are often based on dam or levee projects that do not incorporate the latest understandings about river processes. And it suggests that a better solution is to work with the natural tendencies of the river: retreat from the floodplain by preventing future development (and sometimes even removing existing structures); accommodate the effects of floodwaters with building practices; and protect assets with nonstructural measures if possible, and with large structural projects only if absolutely necessary.

River Dynamics

River Dynamics
Author: Bruce L. Rhoads
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 544
Release: 2020-04-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1108173780

Rivers are important agents of change that shape the Earth's surface and evolve through time in response to fluctuations in climate and other environmental conditions. They are fundamental in landscape development, and essential for water supply, irrigation, and transportation. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the geomorphological processes that shape rivers and that produce change in the form of rivers. It explores how the dynamics of rivers are being affected by anthropogenic change, including climate change, dam construction, and modification of rivers for flood control and land drainage. It discusses how concern about environmental degradation of rivers has led to the emergence of management strategies to restore and naturalize these systems, and how river management techniques work best when coordinated with the natural dynamics of rivers. This textbook provides an excellent resource for students, researchers, and professionals in fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, river science, and environmental policy.

The Missouri River Ecosystem

The Missouri River Ecosystem
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2002-07-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309170036

The Missouri River Ecosystem: Exploring the Prospects for Recovery resulted from a study conducted at the request of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The nation's longest river, the Missouri River and its floodplain ecosystem experienced substantial environmental and hydrologic changes during the twentieth century. The context of Missouri River dam and reservoir system management is marked by sharp differences between stakeholders regarding the river's proper management regime. The management agencies have been challenged to determine the appropriate balance between these competing interests. This Water Science and Technology Board report reviews the ecological state of the river and floodplain ecosystem, scientific research of the ecosystem, and the prospects for implementing an adaptive management approach, all with a view toward helping move beyond ongoing scientific and other differences. The report notes that continued ecological degradation of the ecosystem is certain unless some portion of pre-settlement river flows and processes were restored. The report also includes recommendations to enhance scientific knowledge through carefully planned and monitored river management actions and the enactment of a Missouri River Protection and Recovery Act.