Optimizing Solution in Decision Supporting System for River Basin Management Consisting of a Reservoir System

Abstract

Decision support systems tackle problems and require systematic planning. They consider physical data, hydrological data, and sediment levels to achieve efficiency and adaptability in various situations. Therefore, this research aims to identify alternative engineering choices for the management of a river basin with a single reservoir system. Optimization techniques, including marine predator algorithm (MPA), genetic algorithm (GA), genetic programming (GP), tabu search (TS), and flower pollination algorithm (FPA), were applied to find the optimal reservoir rule curves using a reservoir simulation model. The study focused on the Ubolratana Reservoir in Thailand’s Khon Kaen Province, considering historic inflow data, water demand, hydrologic and physical data, and sedimentation volume. Four scenarios were considered: normal water scarcity, high water scarcity, normal excess water, and high excess water. The optimal rule curves derived from the reservoir simulation model, incorporating sedimentation and hedging rule (HR) criteria, were found to be the best engineering choices. In the normal and high water scarcity scenarios, they minimized the average water shortage to 95.558 MCM/year, with the lowest maximum water shortage 693.000 MCM/year. Similarly, in the normal and high excess water scenarios, the optimal rule curves minimized the average excess water, resulting in a minimum overflow of 1087.810 MCM/year and the lowest maximum overflow 4105.660 MCM/year. These findings highlight the effectiveness of integrating optimization techniques and a reservoir simulation model to obtain the optimal rule curves. By considering sedimentation and incorporating HR criteria, the selected engineering alternatives demonstrated their ability to minimize water shortage and excess water. This contributes to improved water resource management and decision-making in situations of scarcity and excess.

Development of an Optimal Water Allocation Model for Reservoir System Operation

“…The water level within a reservoir fluctuates from a low water level to either a normal high or a restricted level during flood seasons. The release of water is based not just on downstream demand, but also on reservoir storage conditions [39][40][41]. Reservoir system operation considers conditions of the individual reservoir such as inflows, storages, and demands, enabling more effective water resources management.…”

Dam System and Reservoir Operational Safety: A Meta-Research

“…However, SOP fully releases water demands if the available water is sufficient, saving only the surplus water for future delivery. Consequently, SOP may not be efficient in reserving water discharge for dry seasons and subsequently causes severe water shortages during drought events [303][304][305][306][307]. Accordingly, HR is developed based on optimizing SOP operation rules to reduce the severity of drought events.…”