The Stability of the Water Management System in the Angara River Basin in Different Water Level Conditions
Abstract: This paper examines the operation of the water management system in the Angara River basin in periods when the water level conditions deviate from the norm. Analysis of the actual water management regimes in reservoirs constituting the Angara cascade over the last 30 years shows that in high- and especially low-water years, the needs of water users are not satisfied with reliability, and the statutory requirements are not fulfilled to the full extent. Analysis of the water management system operation in the Angara River basin in the best-known low-water years confirms this. Aside from climatic changes in the basins of Lake Baikal and the Angara River, the main causes of this situation are the current legal framework and the water management system based on it. This article also discusses other causes of the overall decrease in reliability and stability of the water management system. A universal stability indicator is proposed: a statutory water provision range for each water user is determined taking the existing conditions and restrictions into account. The possible and permissible operation regimes for reservoirs of the Angara cascade have been modeled for various variants based on the statistical streamflow data collected over a 115-year monitoring period. For each of the modeled variants, water provision estimates were obtained taking the statutory requirements and restrictions into account. Since the climate and hydrological parameters in the basins of Lake Baikal and the Angara River have significantly changed over the last 2 decades, an additional scenario was produced for a prolonged low-water period. The results made it possible to identify the most efficient (sustainable) reservoir operation variant that satisfies the needs of water users and consumers in water resources in a better way and complies with the main current requirements and restrictions. To enhance the stability of the water management system in the Angara River basin, it is recommended to amend and supplement the existing legal framework. © 2021, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.
Библиографическая ссылка
Osipchuk E.N., Nikitin V.M., Abasov N.V., Bolgov M.V. The Stability of the Water Management System in the Angara River Basin in Different Water Level Conditions // Geography and Natural Resources. Vol.42. No.2. 2021. P.139-147. DOI: 10.1134/S1875372821020104
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