Water-loss studies in the Sardar Samand Reservoir

Abstract

Water loss from the Sardar Samand Reservoir, in the form of monthly and annual mean evaporation, seepage, and the pan coefficient (reservoir to pan ratio), was studied over a period of 10 years. The average annual loss was 3267 mm; annual seepage was 504 mm and constituted only 15·4%, whereas annual evaporation was 2189 mm and constituted 84·6% of the total water loss. The pan coefficient of 0·67, obtained on an annual basis, is well within the range of 0·60–0·81 reported for other lakes and reservoirs, and can be used for estimating evaporative loss from other reservoirs, tanks and lakes in this part of the world.