Abstract
Dams can effectively regulate the spatial and temporal distribution of water resources, where the rationality of dam siting determines whether the role of dams can be effectively performed. This paper reviews the research literature on dam siting in the past 20 years, discusses the methods used for dam siting, focuses on the factors influencing dam siting, and assesses the impact of different dam functions on siting factors. The results show the following: (1) Existing siting methods can be categorized into three types—namely, GIS/RS-based siting, MCDM- and MCDM-GIS-based siting, and machine learning-based siting. GIS/RS emphasizes the ability to capture and analyze data, MCDM has the advantage of weighing the importance of the relationship between multiple factors, and machine learning methods have a strong ability to learn and process complex data. (2) Site selection factors vary greatly, depending on the function of the dam. For dams with irrigation and water supply as the main purpose, the site selection is more focused on the evaluation of water quality. For dams with power generation as the main purpose, the hydrological factors characterizing the power generation potential are the most important. For dams with flood control as the main purpose, the topography and geological conditions are more important. (3) The integration of different siting methods and the siting of new functional dams in the existing research is not sufficient. Future research should focus on the integration of different methods and disciplines, in order to explore the siting of new types of dams.
Highlights
Water is a basic human need [1], playing important roles in facilitating geophysical cycles [2], regulating microclimates and runoff cycles [3,4,5], and sustaining the life activities of the Earth’s organisms [6,7]
A study of the literature related to dam siting from 2000 to 2020 was carried out, considering the determination of dam siting suitability and design techniques under different scenarios in practice, in terms of siting methods, siting variability of different dam types, and factors affecting the siting process
In terms of siting methods, Geographic information systems (GIS) is the foundation of dam siting, being an important data analysis platform that is difficult to completely disconnect from the entire siting process
Summary
Water is a basic human need [1], playing important roles in facilitating geophysical cycles [2], regulating microclimates and runoff cycles [3,4,5], and sustaining the life activities of the Earth’s organisms [6,7]. Dams are man-made structures or naturally occurring barriers that span rivers and raise water levels by controlling or impeding the flow of water. They provide effective regulation of the spatial distribution pattern of water resources [9], for purposes of soil and water conservation, water supply, irrigation, aquaculture, flood control, and power generation [10,11,12,13,14,15]. The economic value of dams far outweighs their disadvantages and costs, and they play significant roles in regulating the distribution of water resources and balancing water systems and ecosystems [17]
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