Flood control by reservoirs

Abstract

The study focuses on the role of reservoirs in coping with floods. Basic functions and problems in design and operation of reservoirs are reviewed in relation to effective flood mitiga-tion. Specific features of single purpose and multipurpose reservoirs are discussed separately, considering their locations, sizes, and operational rules. For a basin-wide evaluation L different cases, i.e. natural flow conditions, single and multipurpose reservoirs, reservoirs used for purposes other than flood control, and effects of negative storage upstream, are identified to analyze the effects of reservoirs upon the frequency of flood occurrence. This procedure is further demonstrated on specific examples from three river basins in Turkey, to investigate the use of statistical measures in evaluating the role of different types of reservoirs for a basin-wide flood control planning.