Reducing the impacts of flood-induced reservoir turbidity on a regional water supply system

This paper proposed an integrated simulation model to incorporate the impact of flood-induced reservoir turbidity into water supply. The integrated model includes a regional water allocation model and a one-dimensional settling model of cohesive particles based on Kynch’s theory. It simulates the settling of sediment flocculation in a turbid reservoir. The restrictions of water supply during floods is mimicked by simulating turbidity profiles for control points and then quantifying the associated treatment capability of raw water in the regional water allocation model for each time step. This framework can simulate shortages caused by flood-induced high turbidity as well as extended droughts, thus provide a basis for comprehensive evaluations of emergent and regular water supply facilities. A case study of evaluating different measures to mitigate the impact of turbid reservoir on water supply in northern Taiwan is presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.