Innovative strategies for managing reservoir sedimentation in Japan

Abstract

The major threat to extend the life expectancy of dams in Japan is reservoir sedimentation. Upgrading and retrofitting aging dams is mandatory to maintain their purposes and safety over the productive life cycle. A perfectly sustainable solution for every situation does not exist, but it is essential to select a sediment management strategy appropriate for the particulars of each reservoir, considering both the sedimentation issues in the reservoir and environmental conditions in the channels downstream of the dam. The key criteria are timing of implementation and an appropriate combination of viable sediment management strategies.