Mu et al. (2026) Understanding the tradeoff between the flood risk and the hydropower benefit from the integrated flood control operation of a reservoir group and a flood detention basin

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-02-19
• Authors: Zhenyu Mu, Dedi Liu, Zhenyu Wang, Yuling Zhang, Pan Liu, Lihua Xiong, Jie Chen, Hua Chen, Jiabo Yin
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135162

Research Groups

• State Key Laboratory of Water Resources Engineering and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
• Hubei Provincial Key Lab of Water System Science for Sponge City Construction, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
• Department of Earth Science, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Republic of South Africa

Short Summary

This study proposes a framework to analyze the tradeoff between flood risk and hydropower benefit from the integrated operation of a reservoir group and a flood detention basin (FDB). It finds that integrated operation enhances this tradeoff for extreme floods but weakens it for non-extreme floods due to FDB operational inflexibility.

Objective

• To propose a framework to determine and understand the tradeoff between flood risk and hydropower benefit from the integrated flood control operation of a reservoir group and a flood detention basin (FDB) to enhance decision-making.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Changjiang River Basin, China, focusing on the Jingjiang FDB and a mixed reservoir group (Three Gorges, Shuibuya, and Geheyan).
• Temporal Scale: Event-based, analyzing different flood conditions (extreme and non-extreme floods).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: A conceptual framework is proposed for analyzing the tradeoff; specific computational models are not detailed in the provided text.
• Data sources: Not explicitly detailed in the provided text.

Main Results

• The integrated operation of the Jingjiang FDB enhances the exchange between extreme flood risk and hydropower benefit.
• This exchange is weakened for non-extreme flood conditions due to the operational inflexibility of the Jingjiang FDB.
• The safety flow at the downstream protection target significantly impacts the tradeoff under non-extreme flood conditions but has only a slight impact under extreme flood scenarios.
• The damage coefficient exerts a significant and consistent influence on the tradeoff across both extreme and non-extreme flood conditions.
• Accurate determination of the damage coefficient and safety flow is critical for improving flood control operation performance.

Contributions

• Proposes a novel framework to quantify and understand the tradeoff between flood risk and hydropower benefit under integrated reservoir group and FDB operation.
• Addresses the critical need for integrated operation of reservoir groups and FDBs, moving beyond independent operational strategies.
• Provides insights into the differential impacts of operational parameters (safety flow, damage coefficient) under varying flood conditions.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Mu2026Understanding,
  author = {Mu, Zhenyu and Liu, Dedi and Wang, Zhenyu and Zhang, Yuling and Liu, Pan and Xiong, Lihua and Chen, Jie and Chen, Hua and Yin, Jiabo},
  title = {Understanding the tradeoff between the flood risk and the hydropower benefit from the integrated flood control operation of a reservoir group and a flood detention basin},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135162},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135162}
}