Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Enhanced potential ecological risk induced by a large scale water diversion project

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

River regulation by the construction of reservoirs represents one of the greatest challenges to the natural flow regime and ecological health of riverine systems globally. The Danjiangkou (DJK) Reservoir is the largest reservoir on the Hangjiang River and commenced operations in 1967. The reservoir was upgraded in 2012 to provide water resource for the South–North water transfer project through central China. However, the effect of the reservoir operations on the downstream hydrological regime and ecological health of the Hanjiang River following the upgrade (increase in dam height and reservoir capacity) has not been examined thus far. The daily discharge series from four stations along the main stem of the Hanjiang River, including a site upstream, were examined from 1950 to 2017. The study series was divided into three periods based on the difference stages of the reservoir operation: (1) 1950–1966, (2) 1967–2012 and (3) 2013–2017. The nature of hydrological alteration, ecological flow requirement and potential ecological risk during the different periods were investigated. The results clearly indicate that the DJK reservoir has significantly modified the hydrological regime in the middle and downstream section of the Hanjiang River, with most significant modifications recorded immediately downstream of the reservoir. None of the observed ‘Range of Variability Approach’ hydrological indicators fell within the expected range at Huangjiagang following the increase in reservoir capacity. As a result, the ecological flow requirements could not be guaranteed, and the frequency and intensity of ecodeficit increased. The river ecosystem immediately downstream of the dam was observed to be at high risk of ecosystem degradation during the post-dam periods considered.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of data and material

All data used during the study were provided by a third party. Direct requests for these materials may be made to the provider as indicated in the Acknowledgments.

References

  • Ansar A, Flyvbjerg B, Budzier A, Lunn D (2014) Should we build larger dams? The actual costs of hydropower megaproject development. Energy Policy 69:43–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Archer DR, Forsythe N, Fowler HJ, Shah SM (2010) Sustainability of water resources management in the Indus Basin under changing climatic and socio economic conditions. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 14(8):1669–1680

    Google Scholar 

  • Bao HF (2013) Influence analysis on biological diversity of Danjiangkou Reservoir at the middle route South–North Water Transfer Project. PhD thesis, Northeast Forestry University, Haerbin

  • Baumgartner G, Nakatani K, Gomes LC, Bialetzki A, Sanches PV, Makrakis MC (2008) Fish larvae from the upper Paraná River: Do abiotic factors affect larval density? Neotrop Ichthyol 6(4):551–558

    Google Scholar 

  • Black AR, Rowan JS, Duck RW, Bragg OM, Clelland BE (2005) DHRAM: a method for classifying river flow regime alterations for the EC Water Framework Directive. Aquatic Conserv Mar Freshw Ecosyst 15(5):427–446

    Google Scholar 

  • Casadei S, Pierleoni A, Bellezza M (2018) Sustainability of water withdrawals in the tiber river basin (Central Italy). Sustainability 10(2):485

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Singh VP, Guo S, Mishra AK, Guo J (2012) Drought analysis using copulas. J Hydrol Eng 18(7):797–808

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen L, Yang Z, Liu H (2016a) Assessing the eutrophication risk of the Danjiangkou Reservoir based on the EFDC model. Ecol Eng 96:117–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen P, Li L, Zhang H (2016b) Spatio-temporal variability in the thermal regimes of the Danjiangkou reservoir and its downstream river due to the large water diversion project system in central China. Hydrol Res 47(1):104–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Cury P, Roy C (1989) Optimal environmental window and pelagic fish recruitment success in upwelling areas. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 46(4):670–680

    Google Scholar 

  • Deng P, Bing J, Jia J, Wang D (2018) Pattern of spatio-temporal variability of flood season precipitation in Hanjiang river basin between 1956 and 2016. Resour Environ Yangtze Basin 27(9):2132–2141

    Google Scholar 

  • ESCAP (2010) Economic and social commission for Asia and the Pacific (2010). United Nations, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao Y, Vogel RM, Kroll CN, Poff NL, Olden JD (2009) Development of representative indicators of hydrologic alteration. J Hydrol 374(1–2):136–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Grill G, Lehner B, Thieme M, Geenen B, Tickner D, Antonelli F, Macedo HE (2019) Mapping the world’s free-flowing rivers. Nature 569(7755):215

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gu W, Shao D, Jiang Y (2012) Risk evaluation of water shortage in source area of middle route project for South-to-North Water Transfer in China. Water Resour Manage 26(12):3479–3493

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang C, Xiong L, Xu CY, Guo S (2015) Bivariate frequency analysis of nonstationary low-flow series based on the time-varying copula. Hydrol Process 29(6):1521–1534

    Google Scholar 

  • Li L, Shi ZH, Yin W, Zhu D, Ng SL, Cai CF, Lei AL (2009) A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) approach to eco-environmental vulnerability assessment for the Danjiangkou reservoir area, China. Ecol Model 220(23):3439–3447

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Q, Yu M, Lu G, Cai T, Bai X, Xia Z (2011) Impacts of the Gezhouba and Three Gorges reservoirs on the sediment regime in the Yangtze River, China. J Hydrol 403(3–4):224–233

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Q, Yu M, Zhao J, Cai T, Lu G, Xie W, Bai X (2012) Impact of the Three Gorges reservoir operation on downstream ecological water requirements. Hydrol Res 43(1–2):48–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Li B, Li H, Zhou P (2016) Study on eco-environmental effect assessment for cascade hydropower development in Hanjiang River basin. Yangtze River 47(23):16–22

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Cui Q, Li C, Wang X, Cai Y, Cui G, Yang Z (2017) An improved multi-objective optimization model for supporting reservoir operation of China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Sci Total Environ 575:970–981

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lian J, Sun X, Ma C (2016) Multi-year optimal operation strategy of Danjiangkou Reservoir after dam heightening for the middle route of south–north water transfer project. Water Sci Technol Water Supply 16:961–970

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang K (2018) Comparative investigation on the decreased runoff between the water source and destination regions in the middle route of China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 32:369–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu G, Liu Y, Zou X, Zou Z, Cai T (2009) Impact of the Danjiangkou Reservoir on the flow regime in the middle and lower reaches of Hanjiang River. Resour Environ Yangtze Basin 18(10):959–963

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu G, Wang J, Li Q, Zhao J, Yu M, Cai T, Xie W (2012) mpacts of Danjiangkou reservoir on sediment regime of the Hanjiang River. Hydrol Res 43(1–2):4–72

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Water Resoureces, China (2018) http://nsbd.mwr.gov.cn/nsbdgcjszl/201809/t20180903_1046761.html

  • Nilsson C, Reidy CA, Dynesius M, Revenga C (2005) Fragmentation and flow regulation of the world’s large river systems. Science 308(5720):405–408

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peng T, Yang H, Guo J, Wang G, Li K (2016) Impact of the Danjiangkou reservoir operation on the downstream hydrological regime. Yangtze River 47(6):22–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Rheinheimer DE, Liu P, Guo S (2016) Re-operating the three gorges reservoir for environmental flows: a preliminary assessment of trade-offs. River Res Appl 32(3):257–266

    Google Scholar 

  • Richter B, Baumgartner J, Wigington R, Braun D (1997) How much water does a river need? Freshw Biol 37(1):231–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy C, Cury P, Kifani S (1992) Pelagic fish recruitment success and reproductive strategy in upwelling areas: environmental compromises. S Afr J Mar Sci 12(1):135–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Shiau JT, Wu FC (2007) Pareto‐optimal solutions for environmental flow schemes incorporating the intra‐annual and interannual variability of the natural flow regime. Water Resour Res 43(6):W06433

    Google Scholar 

  • Song X, Zhuang Y, Wang X, Li E (2018) Combined effect of Danjiangkou reservoir and cascade reservoirs on hydrologic regime downstream. J Hydrol Eng 23(6):05018008

    Google Scholar 

  • Suen JP, Eheart JW, Herricks EE, Chang FJ (2009) Evaluating the potential impact of reservoir operation on fish communities”. J Water Resour Plan Manag 135(6):475–483

    Google Scholar 

  • UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) (2007) Global environmental outlook 4: environment for development. UNEP, Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Vogel RM, Sieber J, Archfield SA, Smith MP, Apse CD, Huber Lee A (2007) Relations among storage, yield, and instream flow. Water Resour Res 43(5):W05403

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Guo SL, Yang G, Hong XJ, Hu T (2014) Optimal early refill rules for Danjiangkou Reservoir. Water Sci Eng 7(4):403–419

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Wang D, Wu J (2015) Assessing the impact of Danjiangkou reservoir on ecohydrological conditions in Hanjiang river, China. Ecol Eng 81:41–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Wang D, Lewis QW, Wu J, Huang F (2017) A framework to assess the cumulative impacts of dams on hydrological regime: a case study of the Yangtze River. Hydrol Process 31(17):3045–3055

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Zhang N, Wang D, Wu J, Zhang X (2018) Investigating the impacts of cascade hydropower development on the natural flow regime in the Yangtze River, China. Sci Total Environ 624:1187–1194

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • World Commission on Dams (2000) Dams and development: a new framework for decision-making. The Report of the World Commission on Dams. London/Sterling, Va., Earthscan

  • Xia J, Ma X, Zou L, Wang Y, Jing Z (2017) Quantitative analysis of the effects of climate change and human activities on runoff in the upper Hanjiang River basin. South-to-North Water Transf Water Sci Technol 15(1):1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu ZX, Takeuchi K, Ishidaira H, Zhang XW (2002) Sustainability analysis for Yellow River water resources using the system dynamics approach. Water Resour Manage 16(3):239–261

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu M, Li Q, Lu G, Cai T, Xie W, Bai X (2013) Investigation into the Impacts of the Gezhouba and the Three Gorges Reservoirs on the Flow Regime of the Yangtze River. J Hydrol Eng 18(9):1098–1106

    Google Scholar 

  • Zalewski M (2012) Ecohydrology-process oriented thinking for sustainability of river basins. Ecohydrol Hydrobiol 12(2):89–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Chen YD, Jiang T, Chen X, Liu Z (2011) Human-induced regulations of river channels and implications for hydrological alterations in the Pearl River Delta, China. Stoch Env Res Risk Assess 25(7):1001–1011

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Zhang Z, Shi P, Singh VP, Gu X (2018) Evaluation of ecological instream flow considering hydrological alterations in the Yellow River basin, China. Glob Planet Change 160:61–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Q, Liu S, Deng L, Dong S, Yang J, Wang C (2012) The effects of dam construction and precipitation variability on hydrologic alteration in the Lancang River Basin of southwest China. Stoch Env Res Risk Assess 26(7):993–1011

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Changjiang Water Resources Commission, China are thanked for providing the primary data for the research.

Funding

Financial support is gratefully acknowledged from the project (51909058, 51709074) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Project (B200202033) supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, National Key Research and Development Programs of China (2016YFA0601501).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Meixiu Yu & Qiongfang Li

  2. Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CN, Delft, The Netherlands

    Meixiu Yu, Nick van de Giesen & Xiaolong Liu

  3. Geography and Environment, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, LE11 3TU, UK

    Paul Wood

  4. Department of Water Science and Engineering, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, 2611 AX, Delft, The Netherlands

    Xiaolong Liu

  5. Research Center for Climate Change of Ministry of Water Resources, Nanjing, 210029, China

    Meixiu Yu, Guoqing Wang & Jianyun Zhang

Authors
  1. Meixiu Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul Wood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nick van de Giesen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Xiaolong Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Qiongfang Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Guoqing Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jianyun Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

MY, PW and XL were the main contributors to this work and was responsible for developing and implementing the methods, data generation, and analysis; NG, QL, GW and JZ supervised the research.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Meixiu Yu or Qiongfang Li.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yu, M., Wood, P., van de Giesen, N. et al. Enhanced potential ecological risk induced by a large scale water diversion project. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 34, 2125–2138 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-020-01861-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-020-01861-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation