Geological conditions and key rock mechanics issues in the Western Route of South-to-North Water Transfer Project

In terms of special geological conditions of the Western Route of South-to-North Water Transfer Project, the classification method for surrounding rocks is discussed by combining with the construction method of tunnel boring machine （TBM）. The classification standard of surrounding rocks is put forward on the basis of physical simulations and engineering practices. Damage, deformation and evolution of surrounding rocks induced by TBM excavation are discussed. Meanwhile, the long-term deformation mechanisms and stability of surrounding rocks are also studied. On this basis, a three-dimensional constitutive model for interbedded sandstone slate and a fiat shell-joint element-foundation system for calculating internal forces of segment lining are established. The deformation features of surrounding rocks of deep and steep interbedded sandstone slate and their influences on internal forces of segment lining are presented. Finally, the design methods of segment lining constructed in deep and steep flysch are proposed.

Forecasting Loss of Ecosystem Service Value Using a BP Network: A Case Study of the Impact of the South-to-north Water Transfer Project on the Ecological Environmental in Xiangfan, Hubei Province, China

Objective To recognize and assess the impact of the South-to-north Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) on the ecological environment of Xiangfan, Hubei Province, situated in the water-out area, and develop sound scientific countermeasures. Methods A three-layer BP network was built to simulate topology and process of the eco-economy system of Xiangfan. Historical data of ecological environmental factors and socio-economic factors as inputs, and corresponding historical data of ecosystem service value (ESV) and GDP as target outputs, were presented to train and test the network. When predicted input data after 2001 were presented to trained network as generalization sets, ESVs and GDPs of 2002, 2003, 2004... till 2050 were simulated as output in succession. Results Up to 2050, the area would have suffered an accumulative total ESV loss of RMB 104.9 billion, which accounted for 37.36% of the present ESV. The coinstantaneous GDP would change asynchronously with ESV, it would go through an up-to-down process and finally lose RMB89.3 billion, which accounted for 18.71% of 2001. Conclusions The simulation indicates that ESV loss means damage to the capability of socio-economic sustainable development, and suggests that artificial neural networks (ANNs) provide a feasible and effective method and have an important potential in ESV modeling.

Price Analysis of Water Supply for South-to-North Water Transfer Project

The factors influencing the water supply price of a hydraulic project include natural conditions and economic policies. This paper thoroughly demonstrates the water price of South-to-North Water Transfer Project from the viewpoint of economic policies. It is considered that if the project is assigned as a profitable one and built depending on commercial loan from bank completely or mostly, the water price will be too high to be undertaken by users,and if the project places the public good at first while considering the economic benefit, its investment mainly relies on the state (national or local governments) appropriation and self-raised funds and a little from the bank loan on favorable terms, the price determined according to the principle of satisfying the cost and reasonable profit will be relatively lower and can be undertaken by the users in the North China where water shortage is serious. The problem of higher water price of agricultural irrigation to the north of the Yellow River can be tackled by taking measures such as "compensating agriculture by industry" according to foreign practical experiences and relevant suggestions.

Simulation of Transport Channel in China's Middle Route South-to-North Water Transfer Project

The unsteady flow in the Middle Route South-to-North Water Transfer Channel was simulated numerically using an implicit solution procedure for the Saint Venant equations. An equivalent roughness was used to simulate the effect of many transfer structures on the water levels in the main channel. Various gate operating and control methods were analyzed to study the response to disturbances produced by varying the flow rates through the Tianjin outlet. The results show that when the inflow at the head changes in the same way as the sum of the flow rates through all the outlets, the transition time and the fluctuation of the water levels using the timed gate operation method are less than when using the simultaneous gate operation method, but the variations of the gate openings and flow rates through each control gate are much larger. The flow disturbances produced by the Tianjin outlet can be rectified within several channel sections and the transition time can be greatly shortened by allowing the water levels immediately upstream of the control gates to vary within proscribed ranges, rather than being held constant.

Ecological assessment of lakeshore wetland rehabilitation on eastern route of South-to-North Water Transfer Project

To evaluate the ecological effects of lakeshore wetland rehabilitation on the eastern route of the Southto-NorthWater Transfer Project,species composition,coverage,height,and biomass of wetland communities at 22 sites of the study area on the shore of Nansi Lake in April and May 2007 were investigated.The wetlands under investigation were divided into platform fields,transition zones,and shallow water zones according to differences in elevations,water levels,and human activities.The species richness index,Shannon-Wiener index,Simpson index,and Pielou Evenness index were adopted to delineate and discuss the ecological effects of lakeshore wetland rehabilitation in 22 quadrates.Results showed that the species richness of the wetland areas after 2 years’rehabilitation amounted to 47 of 24 families,higher than 25 of 20 families in areas without rehabilitation.The biodiversity index and abundance index of rehabilitated areas were also higher than those of platform fields and fish ponds where there was no rehabilitation.In addition,the Shannon-Wiener index,Simpson index,and community evenness index of platform fields in rehabilitated wetland areas were 1.619,0.745,and 0.860,respectively,higher than those of the platform fields before rehabilitating.The results suggested that the constructed lakeshore wetland played an important role in protecting the diversity of species.

Coupling interaction between biodiversity and aquatic habitat area in Western Route Project vicinity

The Western Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project will divert water from the upper Yangtze River and its tributaries, the Dadu River and Yalong River, to the upper Yellow River. The project may ease the water shortage in the Yellow River Basin. However, it may also have some effects on the ecosystem in the upper Yangtze River Basin. Benthic invertebrates play an important role in the river ecosystem, particularly in the circulation of materials and nutrition. Benthic invertebrates are widely used to quickly assess river ecosystems because of their rapid response to changes in the water environment. The diversity of benthic invertebrates is closely associated with the aquatic habitat area. This study examined this interaction by sampling the benthic invertebrates in an expanding area. The conclusions are that the diversity of benthic invertebrates begins to decrease when the aquatic habitat area is reduced to 45% of the original area, and decreases dramatically when the aquatic habitat area is reduced to 10% of the original area. The aquatic habitat area should be kept at more than 45% of the original area in order to maintain the significant diversity of benthic invertebrates.

2-D NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF FLOODING EFFECTS CAUSED BY SOUTH-TO-NORTH WATER TRANSFER PROJECT

Since the General Channel designed for the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China has to cross many rivers and streams flowing from west to east, there are potentially serious effects additional flooding on the western side of the project alignment. Therefore, a 2-D numerical model for forecasting basin flood disasters was established and verified using historical flood data. The model was applied to researching the interaction between the proposed Project and flooding events for 5 streams in the Anyang River reach as a representative case study. Simulated results indicate that the model could correctly forecast the flood, submerged area and depths, and water surface elevations along the left side of the channel. The discharge capacity and location of hydraulic structures in the transfer canal alignment were analyzed. Then adjustments to the dimensions and positioning of proposed hydraulic structures were recommended at intersections, especially the addition of a channel to transfer flood water from one stream to another, which can effectively limit the sluice and protect the Anyang City from flooding.

Estimating the minimum in-stream flow requirements via wetted perimeter method based on curvature and slope techniques

Under the assumptions of triangular cross section channel and uniform stable flow, an analytical solution of the minimum ecological in-stream flow requirement （MEIFR） is deduced. Based on the analytical solution, the uncertainty of the wetted perimeter method is analyzed by comparing the two techniques for the determination of the critical point on the relationship curve between wetted perimeter, P and discharge, Q. It is clearly shown that the results of MEIFR based on curvature technique （corresponding to the maximum curvature） and slope technique （slope being 1） are significantly different. On the P-Q curve, the slope of the critical point with the maximum curvature is 0.39 and the MEIFR varied prominently with the change of the slope threshold. This indicates that if a certain value of the slope threshold is not available for slope technique, curvature technique may be a better choice. By applying the analytical solution of MEIFR in the losing rivers of the Western Route South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China, the MEIFR value via curvature technique is 2.5%-23.7% of the multi-year average annual discharge, while that for slope technique is 11%-105.7%. General conclusions would rely on the more detailed research for all kinds of cross-sections.

Inferring decelerated land subsidence and groundwater storage dynamics in Tianjin–Langfang using Sentinel-1 InSAR

To meet the growing demand for socioeconomic development,a large amount of groundwater is extracted from confined aquifers worldwide.The North China Plain has experienced considerable groundwater depletion and subsidence during the past six decades.In this study,we use Sentinel-1A/B SAR images from 2015 to 2020 to map the ground subsidence of the Tianjin–Langfang area.Three subsiding zones centered at Guangyang,Wuqing–Bazhou,and Jinghai are identified with maximum subsidence rates of 98.1,121.8,and 104.7 mm/yr.Seasonal and long-term signals are separated from time series subsidence and hydraulic measurements using continuous wavelet transform to retrieve aquifer parameters.The long-term subsidence,which fits well with an exponential decaying model,remarkably slows down in our study area.The elastic skeletal storage coefficients range between 0.52×10−3 and 9.66×10−3.We then retrieve the spatial–temporal variations of total groundwater storage,recoverable groundwater storage,and irreversible groundwater storage.Groundwater storage depletion rates are apparently reducing,which benefits from the operation of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project and local groundwater management practices.

Drought analysis using multi-scale standardized precipitation index in the Han River Basin,China

Regional drought analysis provides useful information for sustainable water resources management.In this paper,a standardized precipitation index(SPI) at multiple time scales was used to investigate the spatial patterns and trends of drought in the Han River Basin,one of the largest tributaries of Yangtze River,China.It was found that,in terms of drought severity,the upper basin of the Han River is the least,while the growing trend is the most conspicuous;a less conspicuous growing trend can be observed in the middle basin;and there is an insignificant decreasing trend in the lower basin.Meanwhile,the impact of drought on the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project was investigated,and it is suggested that water intake must be reduced in times of drought,particularly when successive or simultaneous droughts in the upper and middle basins of the Han River Basin occur.The results can provide substantial information for future water allocation schemes of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project.