Extending the Life of Reservoirs

Economic development relies critically on infrastructure development. Yet, without careful planning, the services provided by hydropower facilities and dams are at risk. Ensuring the long-term resilience of these critical infrastructure facilities requires early and consistent attention to the processes of reservoir sedimentation, which reduce the storage capacity of reservoirs and damages hydromechanical equipment, posing a threat to the sustainability of hydropower, water supply, and irrigation services. Written by two of the world’s leading experts on sediment management, Extending the Life of Reservoirs: Sustainable Sediment Management for Dams and Run-of-River Hydropower provides guidance on adopting sediment management practices for hydropower and dam projects. It stresses the importance of incorporating sediment management into projects in order to safeguard the many important services of these projects, including water supply, irrigation, and renewable electricity. In particular, the book stresses the importance of integrating sediment management into the early planning phases of projects. Importantly, this book provides a new perspective on the importance of sediment management that is not found in earlier work. The authors stress the value of sediment management as a robust adaptation strategy to support sustainable hydropower and supply of water for domestic use, agriculture, and industry. The techniques focus on addressing uncertainties related to future climate changes, and how uncertainty over future hydrological patterns may be addressed. While the primary audience for the book includes policy makers, lending agencies, and general practitioners evaluating dam and hydropower proposals, the level of detail provided in the book 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.