Boryeong Dam Emergency Water Diversion Facility: Ensuring Operational Flexibility and Resilient Response to Climate Change

Abstract

The Boryeong district, Chungnam western region, is well known as a chronic water-deficiency area; it is thus necessary to ensure that the operational system for the Boryeong Dam emergency facilities is sufficiently resilient to withstand the potential impacts of climate change, in particular irregular droughts with resultant low water inflows and low storage. This study was undertaken to determine the operational flexibility of the Boryeong Dam emergency diversion facilities and their ability to respond to water resources demand, even if the facilities have been operating on a simple open-close release rule, depending on dam storage levels. The precipitation and inflow in Boryeong district were forecasted according to the modelling of RCP (Representative Concentration Pathways) in combination with SSP (Shared Socio-economic Pathways) scenarios. This has led to recommendations for the flexible operation of the Dam’s diversion facilities in order to ensure a stable water supply based especially on SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5; i.e., steady growth and dramatic growth scenarios were simulated. The result from these two scenarios was an average diversion rate of 39,600 m³/day and 39,900 m³/day, respectively. This was evaluated as reasonable water resource use because water deficit days were fewer, and the average diversion rate was less than the RCP scenarios.