The innovative operation of Imha Reservoir

Abstract

Imha Reservoir has both a water transfer tunnel connecting Andong Reservoir and a selective withdrawal facility (SWF), which enable the innovative operation of the reservoir. Although these facilities had not been equipped when constructed in 1993, these structural measures were applied afterward as needed for the effective reservoir operation. The tunnel was constructed in 2015 to minimize the spillway discharge of a reservoir during floods by moving water to the other reservoir with free space. The SWF was installed in 2006 to address problems due to the persistent turbidity of Imha Reservoir. The effectiveness of these facilities was demonstrated through the operational cases in October 2019, while some improvements to non-structural measures were derived simultaneously. To prevent damage to the fish ecosystem of Imha reservoir, the tunnel currently was operated in a one-way water movement. However, a two-way water movement should be allowed as designed in the mid to long term. The SWF was operated effectively based on the prediction of the fate and transport of turbid water inside the reservoir using CE-QUAL-W2. Nevertheless, more action procedures on turbid water are required, such as setting clear criteria for the release timing of turbid water, predicting the downstream turbidity variations, etc.