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<p>In many developing countries, such as Iran, the allocation of environmental flows for rivers remains underdeveloped due to the absence of comprehensive legal frameworks and rigorous scientific research. As a result, water management decisions often rely on the Tennant method. This method assigns a fixed percentage of the long-term average annual flow to environmental needs, which is appreciated for its simplicity and data availability. However, it often overlooks ecological needs, focusing more on operational ease than environmental sustainability. Alternative methods used in developed countries are less practical in Iran because of ongoing water shortages and frequent droughts, where environmental water rights are assigned low priority, which hampers sustainable development. This study employs the Tennant method as a practical starting point, but introduces key modifications to enhance its ecological validity. By adding flow duration curves, the revised approach evaluates monthly hydrological conditions—normal, dry, or wet—and applies one of five Tennant scenarios to allocate flow accordingly. Although the modified method respects legal limits on annual environmental water volumes (e.g., 47% versus 50% in the original scenario), it more accurately reflects seasonal variability. It is better aligned with the river’s natural flow regime, ensuring it meets habitat needs and supports ecological health. Overall, the proposed approach offers a balanced, sustainable framework for managing river systems in the face of water scarcity.</p>

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Modification and development of the Tennant method to maintain ecological regime in environmental flow management of rivers

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年9月30日

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  • Behnaz Khatar,
  • Alireza Shokoohi

摘要

In many developing countries, such as Iran, the allocation of environmental flows for rivers remains underdeveloped due to the absence of comprehensive legal frameworks and rigorous scientific research. As a result, water management decisions often rely on the Tennant method. This method assigns a fixed percentage of the long-term average annual flow to environmental needs, which is appreciated for its simplicity and data availability. However, it often overlooks ecological needs, focusing more on operational ease than environmental sustainability. Alternative methods used in developed countries are less practical in Iran because of ongoing water shortages and frequent droughts, where environmental water rights are assigned low priority, which hampers sustainable development. This study employs the Tennant method as a practical starting point, but introduces key modifications to enhance its ecological validity. By adding flow duration curves, the revised approach evaluates monthly hydrological conditions—normal, dry, or wet—and applies one of five Tennant scenarios to allocate flow accordingly. Although the modified method respects legal limits on annual environmental water volumes (e.g., 47% versus 50% in the original scenario), it more accurately reflects seasonal variability. It is better aligned with the river’s natural flow regime, ensuring it meets habitat needs and supports ecological health. Overall, the proposed approach offers a balanced, sustainable framework for managing river systems in the face of water scarcity.