Effects of the dispatch modes of the Three Gorges Reservoir on the water regimes in the Dongting Lake area in typical years

Abstract

Based on the field-survey prototype hydrology data in typical years, the effect during the running periods of different dispatch modes of the Three Gorges Reservoir on the water regimes in Dongting Lake area is comparatively analyzed. The results are shown as follows. (1) The influence periods are from 25 May to 10 June, from 1 July to 31 August, from 15 September to 31 October and from December to the next April, among which the influence of the water-supplement dispatch in the dry season is not very sensitive. (2) During the period under the pre-discharge dispatch, the runoff volume slightly increases as well as both the average water level and the highest water level rise in the usual year. While in the wet and dry years, the average increase in the runoff volume is 40.25×108 m3 and the average rises of the average water level and the highest water level are both 1.06 m. (3) As for the flood-storage dispatch, the flood volume increases slightly, in the dry and wet years, the flood volume, the average water level and the highest water level averagely reduce by 444.02×108 m3, 2.64 m and 1.42 m respectively. (4) Under the water-storage dispatch, the runoff volume slightly increases and the water level heightens in a sort in the usual year. And in the dry and wet years, the average decreases in the runoff volume, the average water level and the highest water levels are respectively 185.27×108 m3, 3.13 m and 2.14 m. (5) During the period under the water-supplement dispatch, the runoff volume, the average water level and the highest water levels averagely decline by 337.7×108 m3, 1.89 m and 2.39 m respectively in the usual and wet years. However, in the dry year, the runoff volume increases as well as the average and highest water levels slightly go up.