Effect of water diversion from the Yangtze River to Chang Lake on hydrodynamic characteristics and water quality of Chang Lake

Abstract

A 2-D hydrodynamic and water quality model was developed and employed to analyze the effect of water diversion from the Yangtze River to Chang Lake. Three levels of water diversion volume were assumed. Hydrodynamic characteristics and water quality of the lake before and after the water diversion projects were modelled using the developed model. The results shown that water diversion has effect on part of the lake area, and the pollution in the west area of the lake was taken to the west and finally the main area of the lake because of the slow current caused by water diversion, which indicated that the water diversion project expanded the polluted area. However, the balance concentration of water quality index decreased as the quantity of water diversion increased from 50 m3/s to 150m3/s.