Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 369-379 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Aqua Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 22 Feb 2024 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2024 |
Abstract
Water scarcity leads to conflicts over water allocation. Laja Lake in Chile is a natural lake, which was formed by a volcanic barrier. Outflow from the lake is created by seepage through the barrier and via a controllable artificial outlet, which adds reservoir characteristics to the lake. Hydroelectric power stations have been built at both outlets. Downstream, water is diverted into irrigation canals, and the Laja River forms the Laja Falls, a popular tourist attraction. The previous operating policy preferred the most upstream water user and was found to be inadequate because the lake level decreased over long term. The current reservoir operation policy was established through stakeholder negotiations. This study investigated whether optimization (using Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II) can further improve the operation of Laja Lake while maintaining a fair balance between stakeholder groups. The results were compared with the stakeholder agreement and the previous policy. The main difference is in the spring, when Laja Lake fills up before the irrigation season starts. The optimization strategy prioritizes hydropower generation during this period, resulting in reduced storage. Ultimately, optimization proves to be a valuable tool for identifying trade-offs and exploring different scenarios in water management.
Keywords
- hydropower, irrigation, NSGA-II, reservoir operation, stakeholder negotiation, water-energy-food nexus
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Engineering
- Engineering(all)
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Environmental Science(all)
- Ecology
- Environmental Science(all)
- Water Science and Technology
- Environmental Science(all)
- Pollution
- Environmental Science(all)
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Aqua Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society, Vol. 73, No. 3, 01.03.2024, p. 369-379.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The Chilean Laja Lake
T2 - multi-objective analysis of conflicting water demands and the added value of optimization strategies
AU - Bovermann, Zoë Erna
AU - Fallah-Mehdipour, Elahe
AU - Arumí, José Luis
AU - Dietrich, Jörg
N1 - Funding Information: We would like to thank the CRHIAM Water Research Centre (ANID/FONDAP/15130015 and ANID/FONDAP/ 1523A0001) of the Universidad de Concepción, Chile, for their continued support of the collaboration and for supporting the first author’s research stay in Chile. We acknowledge further financial support from the Deutscher Akademischer Aus-tauschdienst DAAD for the first author’s research visit to Chile.
PY - 2024/3/1
Y1 - 2024/3/1
N2 - Water scarcity leads to conflicts over water allocation. Laja Lake in Chile is a natural lake, which was formed by a volcanic barrier. Outflow from the lake is created by seepage through the barrier and via a controllable artificial outlet, which adds reservoir characteristics to the lake. Hydroelectric power stations have been built at both outlets. Downstream, water is diverted into irrigation canals, and the Laja River forms the Laja Falls, a popular tourist attraction. The previous operating policy preferred the most upstream water user and was found to be inadequate because the lake level decreased over long term. The current reservoir operation policy was established through stakeholder negotiations. This study investigated whether optimization (using Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II) can further improve the operation of Laja Lake while maintaining a fair balance between stakeholder groups. The results were compared with the stakeholder agreement and the previous policy. The main difference is in the spring, when Laja Lake fills up before the irrigation season starts. The optimization strategy prioritizes hydropower generation during this period, resulting in reduced storage. Ultimately, optimization proves to be a valuable tool for identifying trade-offs and exploring different scenarios in water management.
AB - Water scarcity leads to conflicts over water allocation. Laja Lake in Chile is a natural lake, which was formed by a volcanic barrier. Outflow from the lake is created by seepage through the barrier and via a controllable artificial outlet, which adds reservoir characteristics to the lake. Hydroelectric power stations have been built at both outlets. Downstream, water is diverted into irrigation canals, and the Laja River forms the Laja Falls, a popular tourist attraction. The previous operating policy preferred the most upstream water user and was found to be inadequate because the lake level decreased over long term. The current reservoir operation policy was established through stakeholder negotiations. This study investigated whether optimization (using Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II) can further improve the operation of Laja Lake while maintaining a fair balance between stakeholder groups. The results were compared with the stakeholder agreement and the previous policy. The main difference is in the spring, when Laja Lake fills up before the irrigation season starts. The optimization strategy prioritizes hydropower generation during this period, resulting in reduced storage. Ultimately, optimization proves to be a valuable tool for identifying trade-offs and exploring different scenarios in water management.
KW - hydropower
KW - irrigation
KW - NSGA-II
KW - reservoir operation
KW - stakeholder negotiation
KW - water-energy-food nexus
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85188860600&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2166/aqua.2024.165
DO - 10.2166/aqua.2024.165
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85188860600
VL - 73
SP - 369
EP - 379
JO - Aqua Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
JF - Aqua Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society
SN - 2709-8028
IS - 3
ER -