Reservoir Management: The Tradeoff between Low Flow Regulation and Flood Control

Existing flood control reservoirs should be considered for use to increase flow in dry periods to accommodate water quality. This issue is discussed, and a simplified case study is presented. The objective is to find operation schemes that minimize expected losses, which are specified such that low flow penalties are considered along with flood losses. Solutions for the example are given that indicate the degree to which flood and water quality control are complementary.