Multipurpose Dam Research Articles

Unemployment and Benefit-Cost Analysis: A Case Study Test of a Haveman-Krutilla Hypothesis

Since the early 1950s there has been a marked increase in the use of benefitcost analysis in designing public projects and in choosing between alternative public expenditures. One of the important problems emerging from this use of benefit-cost analysis concerns the determination of the true social cost of labor and other resources. Theory indicates that during periods of full employment market prices are the appropriate indications of social opportunity costs. When there is substantial unemployment of factors, however, the market price may overstate the true opportunity cost of using a factor in a public works project. Haveman and Krutilla attempted to overcome this problem in a 1967 article later expanded to book length (Haveman, Krutilla and Steinberg 1968). The present paper is an empirical analysis of the hypothesis introduced by Haveman and Krutilla: Does the nominal labor wage in an area of high unemployment and low income overstate the real cost to society of employing that labor? Specifically, the study is directed toward an analysis of the on-site labor force associated with constructing a large multipurpose dam in southcentral Pennsylvania. Several authors have addressed the problem of adjusting benefit-cost ratios to reflect less than full employment conditions. In general, the solutions suggested have been either to reduce the cost of the factors to reflect a lower i ce th early 1950s t ere has been a social opportunity cost, or alternatively, to increase the benefits of projects which employ otherwise unemployed resources. Sewell (1965), Harberger, et al. (1972), Khatkhatke (1961), and Marglin (1962) have argued that the adjustments should be made to costs, while McKean (1958) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (1966) feel that the adjustment should be made to benefits. The Haveman and Krutilla study upon which this report is based follows the thinking of the former group. They have developed a method for evaluating a public expenditure project that adjusts the nominal factor prices to reflect any unemployment of resources and idle capacity in industry. Haveman and Krutilla studied the period between 1957 and 1964, a time of substantial nonfrictional unemployment that persisted nationally despite rising income and employment. They assessed the national and regional impact of public expenditures using models based on Leontief input-output systems. The models were designed to enable the analyst to decompose a dollar expended for a final good into its detailed sectoral

Exemples d'application de la gestion optimale des reservoirs à buts multiples

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image sizeThe "Decision-Risk" dynamic programming method is a mathematical tool designed to complement the simulation method in order to compare the relative priorities involved in the various uses made of a reservoir. The use of "money" as a common unit for measuring all the advantages and disadvantages related to reservoir exploitation requires that economic functions be established in relation to each of the various uses made of the reservoir (fig. 1 and 2). These functions make allowance not only for the advantages gained by programmed exploitation but also for the cost of failing to meet requirements. Since it is difficult to estimate these costs directly, it is often preferable to take a "permissible probability of failure" into consideration and to adjust the failure penalty introduced into the calculation in such a manner that the exploitation results respect this probability. In the case of the Jatiluhur Dam, in Indonesia, it was necessary to determine the power output guaranteed nine years out of ten and the reservoir operating procedure, so that the monthly deficit of irrigation water, did not exceed 10 % of the requirements except during one year in ten. The failure penalties were determined by successive approximation, complementing the operating procedure optimisation model with an operation simulation model based on this procedure. The same method was used to specify the program for equipping the hydroelectric plant of the Selingue dam in Mali, so that the power house can meet the country's electricity requirements up to 1990 whilst at the same time keeping within the limitations imposed by controlled discharge release related to irrigation and shipping needs. The model which combines the determination of optimum exploitation procedure according to the "Decision-Risk" process and the simulation of the procedures obtained, is just one necessary part of an overall planning study. The model is designed mainly to specify the performance of a multi-purpose dam for a given set of characteristics and targets. Due to the fact that the calculation response is very rapid and that the results are presented in a very comprehensive form (statistical distribution of reservoir levels throughout the year, failure probabilities with respect to each target, expectation of the overall benefit) a model of this type plays a very important synthesising role in multi-disciplinary studies.

ON THE MAKING OF PADDY-FIELDS AND IRRIGATION CANALS IN THE ELEVATED FANS ALONG RIVERS IN THE TOYAMA PLAIN

The Toyama Plain is noted for its high degree of paddy-field making, that is, the percentage of paddy-field within the cultivated land, is the highest among all the plains in Japan. The Toyama Plain is mostly alluvial plain, but spacious elevated fans are found near the foot of the mountains. Paddy-fields have been developed over the whole district, even in these elevated fans, accounting for the high degree of paddy-field making in the Toyama Plain as a whole. Spacious elevated fans are developed in Shizuoka, Kanagawa, Saitama, Nagano and other prefectures, but many paddy-fields can hardly be found in the elevated fans of these prefectures. In general, the construction of irrigation canals (or reservoirs) is the basic element for the development of paddy-fields. The main purpose of this study is to make an inquiry into the factors that made the construction of irrigation canals possible in the elevated fans in the Toyama Plain, and also to throw some light on the kind of irrigation canals that have been built. The Toyama Plain is drained by rivers, those as the rivers of Oyabe, Sho, Ida, Jinzu, Joganji, Kamiichi, Hayatsuki, Katakai, and Kurobe, and two-terraced or three-terraced elevated fans are found at the mouths of the valleys of all these rivers, with an exception of the Sho River. The present writer has carried out a detailed investigation on the configuration of the ground in the drainage area, seasonal variations in the amount of river water, the development of irrigation works, the conditions of irrigation, etc., concerning each of these rivers. Moreover, he has drawn up nine maps showing the elevated fans and irrigation canals of each river. The results of this study are summarized as follows: It was in the Edo Period that, except for the highest part of the Tatenogahara elevated fan of the Oyabe River and a few others, and for the Osawano elevated fan, paddy-fields were developed in the elevated fans and irrigation canals were laid from the rivers. This is a surprising fact when we consider the history of irrigation in various districts of other prefectures in Japan. This is to be accounted for in part by the encouragements and assis-Lance given to the development of paddy-fields as a part of the agricultural policy of the Kaga Clan; but it is also partly attributable to the fact that there were rivers which made it possible, with the construction technique of the Edo Period, to bring irrigation canals in the highly elevated fans over comparatively short distances by utilizing the gradient of the valley bottom. Furthermore, the catchment area of the rivers between the mountains is not always wide enough to irrigate the paddy-fields located in the lower reaches of the rivers. However, since the district has heavy snowfall, during the period that requires the largest amount of water, that is, during the period of rice transplanting and its preparation, the rivers are supplied with abundant water from the melting snow, and there is always sufficient water available for the purpose of irrigation. However, as we have seen in the conditions of the elevated fans along the rivers of Oyabe, Joganji, Karniichi, Hayatsuki, Katakaki, as well as the elevated fans of Junikanno and Tanayamano along the Kurobe River, there is always shortage of water in the irrigation districts during the period from the end of July through August, and the disputes among irrigation unions were of frequent occurrence. It is for this reason that the strict rules of traditional use of water were observed. In recent years, as a result of the integration of irrigation canals and the construction of multipurpose dams, water use has been improved and progress has been noted for the methods of irrigation.

Etude hydraulique d'un type particulier d'ouvrage d'évacuation de crues

The details of an experimental hydraulic study on a scale model of a particular type of spillway for the Savage Mills dam project on the Yamaska River near Granby in the Province of Quebec are presented. This multipurpose dam is a joint project between the Office of Planification and Development of Quebec and the Natural Resources Department of the Province of Quebec. Preliminary studies have shown that the use of a standard type of spillway such as a shaft spillway or a side channel spillway would be less economical than a structure that would make use of the diversion channel which is usually only a temporary work. A particular type of spillway, being a combination of the side channel and shaft spillways which discharges into the diversion channel, has then been proposed by engineers of the Department of Natural Resources. In order to evaluate the capacity, the operation and the efficiency of that structure, a scale model study has been carried out. That study has established the hydraulic properties of the proposed structure and has enabled one to properly design its different components.

Social Concerns—Nuclear Offshore River Basin Construction

The civil engineer must be prepared to demonstrate leadership in the areas of environmental and social concerns. The Committee on Social and Environmental Concerns has outlined its purpose to define and to establish acceptable standards of construction as they affect the environment, esthetics and society. The social and environmental impact of both the offshore nuclear power plant and the multipurpose high dam installation should be analyzed from the viewpoint of the construction process. Major power plant projects can have a serious impact on the ecology of an area. Both the offshore nuclear power plant and the Auburn Dam are faced with the problem of political credibility with the public and environmental groups. It is important that the engineer be concerned with the complex social, political, environmental, and economic forces in any major construction installation he undertakes.

Meteorological satellites-a major hydrological tool

Hydrological forecasting includes the aspects of assessment of flows under the different regimes of the river which are very well related-with the seasonal precipitation and has a great impact on all the aspects of national activity where water is needed for their development. Hydrology is intimately connected with the atmospheric processes, the movement of cyclones and depressions and the onset and withdrawal of monsoon; If advance informations on these weather aspects are available to the Hydrologists, it would save the country from many a catastrophy. As an example, the case of Damodar flood of September-October, 1959 may be cited. Similarly many multipurpose dams could be utilised more economically for controlling floods.
 Another hydrological aspect, i. e., low flow is important for the agriculturist. If, through 80 proper interpretations of satellite pictures, he is assured of some extra water associated with the passage of disturbances he can draw little more liberally from the rationed supply of water at the crucial period of the crop development.
 Through proper interpretation of the satellite pictures of snow cover over inaccessible areas of Himalayas we will be filling a big gap in the understanding of our water balance. In addition the co-operation which we can render through analysis and rapid transmission of satellite information to neighbouring countries will be a great contribution.

Training programmes in internal medicine: Germany.

In response to flooding and soil erosion impacting the South Tobacco Creek watershed in southcentral Manitoba, local landowners constructed a network of small dams and reservoirs in the headwaters. Between 1999 and 2007, two of the small dams/reservoirs (Steppler multipurpose dam and Madill dry dam) were intensively monitored for their effectiveness in reducing peak flows and downstream sediment and nutrient loading during spring snowmelt (typically mid-March to mid-April) and summer rainfall (typically May to November) periods. These small-scale headwater storage dams were effective in reducing peak flows from agricultural land. The two dams/reservoirs monitored also reduced annual concentrations of sediment and total nitrogen (TN) to downstream receiving waters. However, annual concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) were only significantly reduced at the Madill dry dam, and the average concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) within outflow water samples still exceeded guidelines for freshwater in the Canadian Prairies. Both dams/reservoirs significantly reduced annual loads of sediment, TN, and TP (Steppler dam, average of 77%, 15%, and 12%, respectively; Madill dam, average of 66%, 20%, and 9%, respectively). This corresponded to an average annual retention of 25 Mg y⁻¹ (28 tn yr⁻¹) of sediment, 166 kg N y⁻¹ (366 lb N yr⁻¹) and 17 kg P y⁻¹ (37 lb P yr⁻¹) by the Steppler dam, while 6 Mg y⁻¹ (7 tn yr⁻¹) of sediment, 181 kg N y⁻¹ (399 lb N yr⁻¹) and 10 kg P y⁻¹ (22 lb P yr⁻¹) were retained by the Madill dam. Both reservoirs reduced annual loads of dissolved N and P to downstream water bodies (Steppler, average of 14% and 10%, respectively; Madill, average of 23% and 15%, respectively), and were generally effective in removing dissolved N and P during both snowmelt and rainfall-generated runoff. The percent retention of dissolved nutrients was consistently higher during the summer than the spring. While the reservoirs removed particulates during snowmelt-generated runoff, they were often sources of suspended nutrients during rainfall-generated events. However, since dissolved nutrients were the dominant form of both N and P (>70% for both snowmelt and rainfall events), the two dams/reservoirs successfully reduced overall nutrient loads to downstream water bodies, annually and seasonally. In combination with improving flood and erosion control for the region, small headwater storage dams and reservoirs deserve consideration when developing watershed nutrient management plans, especially for undulating and hummocky regions on the Great Plains.

The Effects of Resource Policies on Income Distribution

T HE general focus of this paper will be on how income distribution affected by the policies, mostly federal, that allocate water and grazing in the West. The emphasis will be primarily on the agricultural uses of the resources in question. The approach used to appraise is rather than to prescribe ought to be. The distributive impact of policies per se will not be evaluated; instead, the evaluation will center on practices common to resource policies of many kinds (as, for example, underpricing of resource services). The basis for evaluating will be the differences between the way income and wealth are distributed by existing resource policies and the way they would be distributed by a perfectly competitive market. Four questions about policy effects on income distribution will be considered. First, what the effect of a certain policy-associated practice upon the income and wealth distribution among firms within agriculture? Second, what its effect upon agricultural income and wealth distribution among geographical areas? Third, how does the practice affect income and wealth in agriculture relative to the whole economy? Fourth, what its relative impact upon the distributive income shares accruing to various productive factors used in agricultural production? Among the various practices that will be appraised, one recurs again and again. This administered pricing, in which the resource (or product of the resource) priced below the value of the marginal product. Such pricing inevitably leads to a set of rationing procedures in which leases, permits, rights, etc. are used to determine which competitive users get the resources. Over and above policies which price and allocate resources, the government engages in direct expenditures to develop and conserve resources. These run the gamut from appropriations to build large multipurpose dams to various small and inexpensive conservation practices on individual farms and on the public lands to protect soil resources and watersheds and to increase range productivity. Some of these expenditures are considered to be reimbursable and are thus recoverable by the government. Some are not. Both types of expenditures usually increase resource productivity, however, and the way they are dispensed geographically has a vital influence on the distribution of income and wealth.

John Day Lock and Dam: Foundation Investigations

Foundation studies of multi-purpose navigation, flood control, and power dam on lower Columbia River; explorations and geologic work for selection of site for construction; investigations of selected site to determine grades, strengths, hydraulic properties, and other pertinent engineering or geologic features.