Navigating Reservoir Deposition Challenges: Evaluation of Reservoir Desilting Strategy Through a 4-Stage Life Cycle Assessment Approach

The water scarcity issue becomes severe due to the decreasing reservoir storage and increasing population. Reservoir deposition is a global issue and a significant concern in water resource management. Despite numerous researchers having previously proposed various desilting strategies specific to sediment transport in reservoirs, there has been limited discussion and presentation of a comprehensive reservoir desilting approach applicable to diverse regions worldwide. This study introduces a 4-stage reservoir life cycle desilting assessment approach, progressively analyzing reservoir management strategies during different life cycles through integrating the 3-R (Reduction-Removal-Release) approach, decision matrix, life cycle evaluation Index, and TGP (Timing-Guiding-Predicting) optimization approach. Considering the representative, the application field chosen for this study is Taiwan reservoirs in Asia. The results demonstrate that the 4-stage assessment method assists in the priority of desilting order for the reservoir management unit and enhances sediment-releasing efficiency during critical periods. Note that the goal of reservoir sustainable development should focus on prolonging their service life, and future efforts should align with various water resource development plans to address water resource crises.