Water replenishment for ecological flow with an improved water resources allocation model

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Water Resource Management
• Ecological Engineering

Background:

• Rapid urbanization intensifies conflicts between human systems and river ecosystems.
• Ecological operations require effective water resource management for river basins.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish an ecological flow-oriented water resource allocation and simulation framework (E-WAS).
• To address ecological water replenishment challenges in river basins using advanced modeling tools.

Main Methods:

• Developed the E-WAS framework based on a water resource allocation and simulation model (WAS).
• Integrated virtual reservoirs and ecological units with new water balance equations.
• Applied the E-WAS framework to the Pingshan River Basin, considering 14 ecological units and 38 water supply nodes.

Main Results:

• Simulated ecological replenishment processes and provided an optimized water replenishment scheme.
• Selected a scheme utilizing water from 6 reservoirs and reclaimed water from 5 sewage plants.
• Significantly improved the satisfaction of ecological water demand and supported water environment control.

Conclusions:

• The E-WAS framework effectively simulates ecological water replenishment and optimizes water allocation.
• It offers a flexible, plug-in-like solution for expanding core model functions without extensive redevelopment.
• The framework supports better water resource management for river basin ecological health.