Management of water disputes using multireservoir operations

Abstract

The objective of this article is to provide suggestions for settling water allocation disputes between the Taipei city government and the Taiwan provincial government. To reach a compromise, possible water supply alternatives for a two-parallel-reservoir system, the Feitsui and Shihmen reservoirs in northern Taiwan were examined. The genetic algorithm-based simulation was applied to search for an optimal water allocation strategy. Simulation results show that Feitsui's surplus water can be utilized efficiently to make up for any deficits in Shihmen's supply. However, after 2030, the Shihmen reservoir has a duty to release more water to avoid impairing Feitsui's ability to fulfill Taipei's water demand. If needed, other adaptation options, either supply-side or demand-side measures, could be considered to ensure public water supplies in northern Taiwan.