The Economics of Competing Water Uses under a FERC Licensing Agreement: Estimation of Property Value, Recreation, and Hydroelectric Impacts

Reservoirs provide a variety of services with economic values across multiple sectors. As demands for reservoir services continue to grow and precipitation patterns evolve, it becomes ever more important to consider the integrated suite of values and tradeoffs that attend changes in water uses and availability. Section 316 (b) of the Clean Water Act requires that owners of certain water cooled power plants evaluate technologies and operational measures that can reduce their impacts to aquatic organisms. The studies must discuss the social costs and benefits of alternative technologies including cooling towers (79 Fed. Reg. 158, 48300 - 48439). Cooling towers achieve their effect through evaporation. This manuscript estimates the property value, recreation, and hydroelectric generation impacts that could result from the evaporative water loss associated with installing cooling towers at the McGuire Nuclear Generating Station (McGuire) located on Lake Norman, North Carolina. Although this study specifically evaluates the effects of evaporative water loss from cooling towers, its methods are applicable to estimating the economic benefits and costs of a new water user or reduced water input in any complex reservoir system that supports steam electric generation, hydroelectric generation, residential properties, recreation, irrigation, and municipal water use.

Shallow sub-lakes are essential for sustaining the successful wintering of waterbirds in Poyang Lake,China

For migratory waterbirds,the quality of wintering habitat is related to spring migration and successful breeding in the next year.The availability of food resources in the habitat is critical and varies within water levels.Although the water-level fluctuations in Poyang Lake have been extremely variable interannually in recent years,the wintering waterbird populations have remained relatively stable.Hence,the mechanism of maintaining the stability is worth exploring.This study aimed to compare the distribution of vegetation and herbivorous wa-terbirds in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017,focusing on three shallow sub-lakes and one main lake are.The results showed that the emergence of tubers and the growth of Carex spp.provided a continuous food supply and habitat for wintering waterbirds with a gradual decline in the water level.Shallow sub-lakes supported almost all of the tuber-eating waterbirds(1.42-1.62×10^(5))and most geese(1.34-1.53×10^(6)).However,the main lake area,covered with Persicaria hydropiper,did not provide adequate and accessible food.This resulted in almost no distribution of tuber-eating waterbirds,with only a few geese congregating in early winter.Our results demonstrated that the shallow sub-lakes under human control provided a different environment from the main lake and are key to sustaining the successful wintering of hundreds of thousands of migratory waterbirds in Poyang Lake.Therefore,we recommend refining the anthropogenic management of the shallow sub-lakes to regulate the water level to ensure the carrying capacity of Poyang Lake.

Impacts of artificial dams on terrestrial water storage changes and the Earth's elastic load response during 1950-2016: A case study of medium and large reservoirs in Chinese mainland

The construction of dams for intercepting and storing water has altered surface water distributions, landsea water exchanges, and the load response of the solid Earth. The lack of accurate estimation of reservoir properties through the land surface and hydrological models can lead to water storage simulation and extraction errors. This impact is particularly evident in many artificial reservoirs in China. The study aims to comprehensively assess the spatiotemporal distribution and trends of water storage in medium and large reservoirs(MLRs) in Chinese mainland during 1950-2016, and to investigate the gravity,displacement, and strain effects induced by the reservoir mass concentration using the load elasticity theory. In addition, the impoundment contributions of MLRs to the relative sea level changes were assessed using a sea-level equation. The results show impoundment increases in the MLRs during1950-2016, particularly in the Yangtze River(Changjiang) and southern basins, causing significant elastic load effects in the surrounding areas of the reservoirs and increasing the relative sea level in China's offshore. However, long-term groundwater estimation trends are overestimated and underestimated in the Yangtze River and southwestern basins, respectively, due to the neglect of the MLRs impacts or the uncertainty of the hydrological model's output(e.g., soil moisture, etc.). The construction of MLRs may reduce the water mass input from land to the ocean, thus slowing global sea level rise. The results of the impact of human activities on the regional water cycle provide important references and data support for improving the integration of hydrological models, evaluating Earth's viscoelastic responses under longterm reservoir storage, enhancing in-situ and satellite geodetic measurements, and identifying the main factors driving sea level changes.

Changes of Terrestrial Water Storage in the Yellow River Basin Under Global Warming

The increasing temperature in the Yellow River Basin has led to a rapid rise in the melting level height,at a rate of 5.98 m yr^(-1)during the cold season,which further contributes to the transition from snowfall to rainfall patterns.Between 1979 and 2020,there has been a decrease in snowfall in the Yellow River Basin at a rate of-3.03 mm dec^(-1),while rainfall has been increasing at a rate of 1.00 mm dec^(-1).Consequently,the snowfall-to-rainfall ratio(SRR)has decreased.Snowfall directly replenishes terrestrial water storage(TWS)in solid form until it melts,while rainfall is rapidly lost through runoff and evaporation,in addition to infiltrating underground or remaining on the surface.Therefore,the decreasing SRR accelerates the depletion of water resources.According to the surface water balance equation,the reduction in precipitation and runoff,along with an increase in evaporation,results in a decrease in TWS during the cold season within the Yellow River Basin.In addition to climate change,human activities,considering the region's dense population and extensive agricultural land,also accelerate the decline of TWS.Notably,irrigation accounts for the largest proportion of water withdrawals in the Yellow River Basin(71.8%)and primarily occurs during the warm season(especially from June to August).The impact of human activities and climate change on the water cycle requires further in-depth research.

Using the concept of ecological groundwater level to evaluate shallow groundwater resources in hyperarid desert regions

This paper, based on the analysis and calculation of the groundwater resources in an arid region from 1980 to 2001, put forward the concept of ecological groundwater level threshold for either salinity control or the determination of ecological warning. The surveys suggest that soil moisture and soil salinity are the most important environmental factors in determining the distribution and changes in vegetation. The groundwater level threshold of ecological warning can be determined by using a network of groundwater depth observation sites that monitor the environmental moisture gradient as reflected by plant physiological characteristics. According to long-term field observations within the Ejin oases, the groundwater level threshold for salinity control varied between 0.5 m and 1.5 m, and the ecological warning threshold varied between 3.5 m and 4.0 m. The quantity of groundwater re- sources （renewable water resources, ecological water resources, and exploitable water resources） in arid areas can be calculated from regional groundwater level information, without localized hydrogeological data. The concept of groundwater level threshold of ecological warning was established according to water development and water re- sources supply, and available groundwater resources were calculated. The concept not only enriches and broadens the content of groundwater studies, but also helps in predicting the prospects for water resources development.

Mean water level setup/setdown in the inlet-lagoon system induced by tidal action—a case study of Xincun Inlet,Hainan Island in China

With the tides propagating from the open sea to the lagoon, the mean water level （MWL） in the inlet and lagoon becomes different from that at the open sea, and a setup/setdown is generated. The change of MWL （setup/setdown） in the system imposes a great impact on regulating the development of tidal marshes, on determining the long-term water level for harbor maintenance, on the planning for the water front development with the flood control for the possible inundation, and on the interpretation of the historical sea level change when using tidal marsh peat deposits in the lagoon as the indicator for open sea＇ s sea level. In this case study on the mechanisms which control the setup/setdown in Xincun Inlet, Hainan in China, the 2-D barotropic mode of Eulerian - Lagrangian CIRCulation （ELCIRC） model was utilized. After model calibration and verification, a series of numerical experiments were conducted to examine the effects of bottom friction and advection terms, wetting and drying of intertidal areas, bathymetry and boundary conditions on the setup/setdown in the system. The modeling results show that setup occurs over the inlet and lagoon areas with an order of one tenth of the tide range at the entrance. The larger the bottom friction is, a larger setup is generated. Without the advection term, the setup is reduced clue to a decrease of water level gradient to compensate for the disappearance of the advection term. Even without overtides, a setup can still be developed in the system. Sea level rise and dredging in the inlet and tidal channel can cause a decrease of setup in the system, whereas shoaling of the system can increase the setup. The uniqueness of the Xincun Inlet with respect to MWL change is that there is no evident setdown in the inlet, which can be attributed to the complex geometry and bathymetry associated with the inlet system.

Model test of the influence of cyclic water level fluctuations on a landslide

Many landslides in reservoir areas continuously deform under cyclic water level fluctuations due to reservoir operations. In this paper,a landslide model, developed for a typical colluvial landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, is used to study the effect of cyclic water level fluctuations on the landslide. Five cyclic water level fluctuations were implemented in the test, and the fluctuation rate in the last two fluctuations doubled over the first three fluctuations. The pore water pressure and lateral landslide profiles were obtained during the test. A measurement of the landslide soil loss was proposed to quantitatively evaluate the influence of water level fluctuations. The test results show that the first water level rising is most negative to the landslide among the five cycles. The fourth drawdown with a higher drawdown rate caused further large landslide deformation. An increase of the water level drawdown rate is much more unfavorable to the landslide than an increase of the water level rising rate. In addition, the landslide was found to have an adaptive ability to resist subsequent water level fluctuations after undergoing large deformation during a water level fluctuation. The landslide deformation and observations in the field were found to support the test results well.

Change of Annual Extreme Water Levels and Correlation with River Discharges in the Middle-lower Yangtze River: Characteristics and Possible Affecting Factors

As one of the fastest developing regions in China, the middle-lower Yangtze River （MLYR） is vulnerable to floods and droughts. With obtained time series of annual highest water level （HWL）, annual lowest water level （LWL） and the corresponding fiver discharges from three gauging stations in MLYR that covering the period 1987-2011, the current study evaluated the change character- istics of annual extreme water levels and the correlation with fiver discharges by using the methods of Vend test, Mann-Whitney-Pettitt （MWP） test and double mass analysis. Major result indicated a decreasing/increasing trend for annual HWL/LWL of all stations in MLYR during the study period. A change point in 1999 was identified for annual HWL at the Hankou and Datong stations. The year 2006 was found to be the critical year that the relationship between annual extreme water levels and fiver discharges changed in the MLYR. With contrast to annual LWL in MLYR, further investigation revealed that the change characteristics of annual HWL were highly consistent with regional precipitation in the Yangtze River Basin, while the linkage with Three Gorges Dam （TGD） operation is not strong. Our observation also pointed out that the effect of serious down cutting of the riverbed and the enlargement of the cross-section area during the initial period of TGD operation caused the downward trend of the relationship between annual LWL and river discharge. Whereas, the relatively raised river water level before the flood season due to TGD regulation since 2006 explained for the changing upward trend of the relationship between annual HWL and river discharge.

Effect of water level fluctuations on temporal-spatial patterns of foraging activities by the wintering Hooded Crane(Grus monacha)

Background:The Yangtze River floodplain provides important wintering habitats for Hooded Cranes(Grus monacha) in China.Fluctuations in the water level change foraging habitat and food availability,affecting their temporal-spatial patterns of foraging activities.It is of considerable importance to investigate the effect of these fluctuations on food availability for wintering Hooded Cranes and their foraging response to these changes.Understanding their behavior patterns is beneficial in protecting the wintering crane population and restoring their wintering habitats.Methods:A field survey of the winter behavior of cranes was carried out at Shengjin Lake from November in 2013 to April in 2014.Habitat variables,as well as the spatial distribution and behavior patterns of wintering cranes at their foraging sites during five stages of water level fluctuation were collected.Based on this data we analyzed the relationship of foraging behavior relative to water level fluctuations and habitat types.Results:The foraging habitats used by Hooded Cranes varied at the different water level stages.As the water level decreased,the use of meadows and mudflats increased.When the water dropped to its lowest level,the use by the Hooded Crane in the mudflats reached a peak.There were statistically significant differences in time budget in the three types of habitats over the five stages of the water level.In the mudflats,the foraging behavior and maintenance behavior varied significantly with the water level,while the alert behavior showed little variation.Analysis of a generalized linear model showed that the five water level stages and three habitat types had a significant effect on foraging behavior,while the combined effect of these two variables was significant on the foraging time budget and the length of foraging activity of the Hooded Crane.Conclusions:With the decrease in the water level,the use of mudflats by Hooded Cranes increased correspondingly.Food availability in different habitats was affected by changes in the water level.The Hooded Crane adjusted its foraging patterns and made full use of the three available types of habitat in order to acquire enough food in response to fluctuations in the water level.

Spatial variations of tidal water level and their impact on the exposure patterns of tidal land on the central Jiangsu coast

The exposed area of intertidal zone varies with tidal water level changes, If intercomparisons of satellite images are adopted as a method to determine geomorphological changes of the intertidal zone in response to accretion or erosion processes, then the effect of water level variations must be evaluated. In this study, two Landsat TM images overpassing the central Jiangsu coastal waters on 2 January and 7 March 2002, respectively, were treated by the changing detection analysis using Image Differencing and Post-classification Comparison. The simultaneous tide level data from four tide gauge stations along the coast were used for displaying the spatial variations of water levels and determining the elevations of waterlines. The results show that the spatial variations of water levels are highly significant in the central Jiangsu coastal waters. The huge differences of tidal land exposure patterns between the two imaging times are related mainly to the spatial variations of tidal water levels, which are controlled by the differences in tidal phases for different imaging times and the spatial variations of water level over the study area at each imaging time. Under complex tidal conditions, e.g., those of the central Jiangsu coastal waters, the tide-surge model should be used to eliminate effectively the effects of water level variations on remote sensing interpretation of geomorphological changes in the intertidal zone.

The Impact of Water Level Decline on Water Quality in the Epilimnion of Lake Kinneret (Israel): Perennial Perspectives

Long term record (1933-2014) of Water Level (WL), nutrient concentrations, plankton densities, and temperatures in the epilimnion of Lake Kinneret was analyzed. The aim is to identify if water quality is deteriorated when the WL is low. It was found that water temperature increased and the composition and biomass of plankton communities were modified. Nitrogen and TDP decreased but TP slightly increased in the epilimnion during low WL conditions. The quality of epilimnetic water was not deteriorated and followed by a slight oligotrophism trend.

Study of Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Controller for the Twin-tank Water Level System

For dealing with large static error due to poor immunity of the traditional fuzzy control, a novel interval type-2 fuzzy control system is proposed. By extending the typical membership functions to interval type-2 membership functions, the proposed control system can efficiently reduce the uncertain disturbance from real environment without increasing the design complexity. The simulation results on the water tank level control system showed that the proposed method succeeded in better static and dynamic control with stronger robust performance than the traditional fuzzy control method.

Deformation and failure mechanism of Yanjiao rock slope influenced by rainfall and water level fluctuation of the Xiluodu hydropower station reservoir

With the construction of the Xiluodu hydropower station on the Jinsha River,the reservoir impoundment began in 2013 and the water level fluctuates annually between 540 m and 600 m above sea level.The Yanjiao rock slope which is located on the left bank of the Jinsha River 75 km upstream of the Xiluodu dam site,began to deform in 2014.The potential failure of the slope not only threatens Yanjiao town but also affects the safe operation of the Xiluodu reservoir.This paper is to find the factors influencing the Yanjiao slope deformation through field investigation,geotechnical reconnaissance,and monitoring.Results show that the Yanjiao slope can be divided into a bank collapse area(BCA)and a strong deformation area(SDA)based on the crack distribution characteristics of the slope.The rear area of the slope has been experiencing persistent deformation with a maximum cumulative displacement(GPS monitoring point G4)of 505 mm and 399 mm in the horizontal and vertical directions,respectively.The potential failure surface of the slope is formed 36 m below the surface based on the borehole inclinometer.The bank collapses of the Yanjiao slope are directly caused by the reservoir impoundment while the deformation area of the slope is affected by the combination of the rainfall and reservoir water level fluctuation.Based on mechanism of the Yanjiao slope,prestressed anchor combined with the surface drainage and slope unloading are recommended to prevent potential deformation.

Effects of level soil bunds and stone bunds on soil properties and its implications for crop production: the case of Bokole watershed, Dawuro zone, Southern Ethiopia

Level soil bunds (LSB) and stone bunds (SB) have been widely implemented in the Bokole watershed since 2000 through support of the World Food Program (WFP). However, the performance of them against the target of the structure has not been studied. This study analyzed the effect of LSB and SB on selected soil properties, when compared with nonterraced cropland. The Bokole watershed was divided into two units. From upper watershed, three croplands with LSB (aged 4, 6, and 9 years) and three nonterraced croplands each adjacent to one of the LSB were selected. Similarly, in lower watershed, SB aged 4, 6, and 8 years and three nonterraced croplands each adjacent to one of the SB were selected. From each cropland with LSB and SB, three composite soil samples (rep licates) were collected systematically in X designed rectangular plot. From each nonterraced cropland, three composite soil samples (replicates) were collected in X designed square plot. A total of 36 soil samples were analyzed for Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), Total Nitrogen (TN), Available Phosphorus (AP), Available Potassium (AK), pH, and Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) following standard laboratory procedures. Most soil parameters were not significantly different in cropland with LSB and SB compared to nonterraced. However, in LSB aged 4 years and SB aged 6 years AP and pH were significantly less than their adjacent-nonterraced cropland. In SB aged 8 years, SOC, AP, AK, and pH were also significantly less than adjacent-nonterraced cropland. Past erosion, and past land uses are likely factors contributed to the observed result. It was inferred that the mean con tribution of LSB and SB alone for crop production with regard to analyzed soil parameters was not significant in the considered sites. Additional soil fertility management practices should be incorporated for better effect.

The Application of a Grey Markov Model to Forecasting Annual Maximum Water Levels at Hydrological Stations

Compared with traditional real-time forecasting,this paper proposes a Grey Markov Model(GMM) to forecast the maximum water levels at hydrological stations in the estuary area.The GMM combines the Grey System and Markov theory into a higher precision model.The GMM takes advantage of the Grey System to predict the trend values and uses the Markov theory to forecast fluctuation values,and thus gives forecast results involving two aspects of information.The procedure for forecasting annul maximum water levels with the GMM contains five main steps:1) establish the GM(1,1) model based on the data series;2) estimate the trend values;3) establish a Markov Model based on relative error series;4) modify the relative errors caused in step 2,and then obtain the relative errors of the second order estimation;5) compare the results with measured data and estimate the accuracy.The historical water level records(from 1960 to 1992) at Yuqiao Hydrological Station in the estuary area of the Haihe River near Tianjin,China are utilized to calibrate and verify the proposed model according to the above steps.Every 25 years' data are regarded as a hydro-sequence.Eight groups of simulated results show reasonable agreement between the predicted values and the measured data.The GMM is also applied to the 10 other hydrological stations in the same estuary.The forecast results for all of the hydrological stations are good or acceptable.The feasibility and effectiveness of this new forecasting model have been proved in this paper.

Analysis of the relationship between water level fluctuation and seismicity in the Three Gorges Reservoir(China)

The Three Gorges Reservoir is a good site for the further researches on reservoir induced seismicity due to decades＇ seismic monitoring. After the first water impounding in 2003, seismic activity becomes more frequent than that before water impoundment. In order to quantitatively study, the relationship between the water level fluctuation and earthquakes in TGR, we introduced statistical methods to attain the goal. First of all, we relocated the earthquakes in TGR region with double difference method and divided the earthquakes into 5 clusters with clustering analysis method. Secondly, to examine the impacts of water level fluctuation in different water filling stages on the seismic activity in the 5 clusters, a series of statistical analyses are applied. Pearson correlation results show that only the 175 m water level fluc- tuation has significantly positive impacts on the seismic activity in clusters I, II, III and V with correlation coefficients of 0.44, 0.38, 0.66 and 0.63. Cross-correlation analysis demonstrates that 0, ], 0 and 0 month time delay separately for the clusters I, II, III and V exists. It illustrated the influences of the water loading and pore pressure diffusion on induced earthquakes. Cointegration tests and impulse response analysis denoted that the 175 m water level only had long term and significant effects just on the seismic events in the intersection region of the Fairy Mount Fault and Nine-brook Fault. One standard deviation shock to 175 m water level increased the seismic activity in cluster V for the first 3 months, and then the negative influence was shown. After 7 months, the negative impulse response becomes stable. The long-term effect of the 175 m water impoundment also proved the important role of pore pressure diffusion in RIS with time.

Study of the Effects of Water Level Depression in Euphrates River on the Water Quality

Abstract： The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are the main sources of water in Iraq. Iraq used to receive 33×109 m^3 of river water per year at Hit, 200 km downstream from the Syrian border before the 1970s. In 1980s, the discharge decreased to as little as 8 × 10^9 m^3 per year at Hit. The decreasing of discharge and water level in the Euphrates River causes problems of both quantity and quality, such as the increasing salinity in the internal delta downstream, the TDS （total dissolves salinity） at Hit has increased from less than 500 ppm to about 700 ppm. By 1989, the Euphrates＇ salinity at A1 Qaim reached 1,000 ppm. Currently, the TDS of the river, at AI Qaim, is greater than 1,000 ppm. The problem of control salinity has received considerable attention particularly when the surface water is extremely limited with poorly available ground water supply. The field measurement has achieved for TDS, pH （hydrogen ion）, EC （electric conductivity）, coliform content and heavy metal for three sectors in the Euphrates River basin in Iraq as well as the lakes of Tharthar, Habbaniya, and AI-Razzaza. The statistical analysis was made to relate these parameter with discharge and water level, which are refered to the important effect of the flow in river on the water quality of Euphrates River. The storage of water in the lakes Al-tharthar, Al-habbanya, and A1-Razzaza has a negative effects on the water quality, and shows that the best method for storage water is the reservoirs along river stream.

Influence of the 2011 Mw9. 0 Japan earthquake on groundwater levels in Chinese mainland

This paper gives a description of the co-seismic and post-seismic groundwater level changes induced in Chinese mainland by the 2011 Mw9.0 Japan earthquake, and the corresponding stress changes calculated on the assumption of linear elasticity. The result shows that the main types of changes were oscillations and step increases. The North-South Seismic Belt and the Shanxi Seismic Belt were the main areas affected by the earthquake.

Spatial and Temporal Evolution of the Static Water Level of the Cuauhtemoc Aquifer during the Years 1973, 1991 and 2000: A Geographical Approach

In hydrogeology it is of great interest to examine the temporal and spatial evolution of aquifers. There are different ways of modeling an aquifer: physical models, models based on analog and mathematical techniques. Usually, mathematical techniques involve complex operations difficult to understand for some people, such as differential or partial equations. In contrast, our method requires only a basic knowledge of geometry and trigonometry. Moreover, it is only necessary to know the static level of the aquifer at three different dates. Of course, the results may be limited compared to those that use advanced mathematical methods;however, our method provides a first approximation to determine the behavior of the aquifer through time. Overall, our results allowed us to follow the evolution of the aquifer in detail of various areas of increased extraction and in which removal has been increasing, but also of areas with a considerable recharge during the study period.

IMPACTS OF FUTURE SEA LEVEL RISE ON SALT WATER INTRUSION IN THE CHANGJIANG RIVER ESTUARY

Sea level rise could increase the salinity of an estuary by altering the balance between fresh water and salt water.The implications of sea level rise for increasing salinity have been examined in the Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary.By correlative analysis of chlorinity,discharge and tidal level and calculation of two-dimensional chlorinity,distribution of the Changjiang River estuary,the changes of the intensity and lasting hours of salt water intrusion at Wusong Station and the changes of chlorinity distribution in the South Branch of the Changjiang River estuary have been estimated when future sea level rises 50-100 cm.The intensity of salt water intrusion in the future will be far more serious than current trend.