Effects of the Check Dam System on Water Redistribution in the Chinese Loess Plateau
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 8
Abstract
The objectives of this study are to evaluate the effects of the check dam system on water redistribution in a small basin in Chinese Loess Plateau by using a practical numerical method for the water budget process. Hydrological and meteorological observations were carried out in the small dam basin (). To quantitatively evaluate the effects of the check dam system on the water redistribution, hydrogeological modeling was applied to the check dam system in the basin. The numerical modeling was developed by kinematic wave theory for water flow. The model was verified by the numerical simulation of surface runoff discharge and groundwater level. Numerical calculation was carried out on the water budget of two cases: Case 1, no check dam (the control), and Case 2, with the check dam system in the year 2006. The model showed that the water budget of the surface runoff and groundwater flow in Case 1 was 97.3 and 2.7%, respectively. Conversely, the water budget of the runoff, evapotranspiration, infiltration, and change of water storage in Case 2 was 39.1, 49.3, 11.6, and 0%, respectively. The surface runoff in Case 2 decreased to 37.0% of that in Case 1. Compared with Case 1, two new components—evapotranspiration and infiltration—appeared in Case 2. Moreover, groundwater outflow slightly increased, and the surface runoff decreased. The study indicates that these effects of the check dam system are mainly caused by the formation of the sedimentary field. Evapotranspiration and infiltration are generated from the sedimentary field.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance from Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences (JSPS) Core University Program and the Global COE Program of the Ministry of Education, Cultural, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (No. 41271046); Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China for overseas scholars (No. 87328); and Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Education Scientific Research Foundation for overseas scholars, China (No. 1251H017). Thanks are also extended to cooperators in Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS, China.
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Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 8 • August 2013
Pages: 929 - 940
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 11, 2011
Accepted: Jul 6, 2012
Published online: Aug 6, 2012
Discussion open until: Jan 6, 2013
Published in print: Aug 1, 2013
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