Identification of preferential target sites for the environmental flow estimation using a simple flowchart in Korea

Springer Science and Business Media LLC - Tập 194 - Trang 1-12 - 2022
Seung Ki Kim1, Hyunjun Ahn1, Hyeongsik Kang1, Dong Jin Jeon1
1Division for Integrated Water Management, Korea Environment Institute, Sejong 30147, Korea

Tóm tắt

Since the 1960s, rapid urbanization has caused serious deterioration in the quantity and quality of instream flows in South Korea. As demands for healthy instream ecology, landscape, and water-friendly environments have increased, the government has revised the relevant legal codes. In 2017, the environmental flow, defined as the minimum flow to conserve the health of aquatic ecosystems, has been endorsed in the Water Environment Conservation Act. However, owing to the lack of established criteria for the selection of target sites, the implementation of environmental flow is still in its early stage. This study suggests a simple flowchart to identify the preferential target sites for environmental flow estimation. First, deterioration in the health of aquatic ecosystems is identified by comparing the monitored Fish Assessment Index (FAI) with the standard suggested by the Ministry of Environment. Thereafter, the conditions of discharge and water quality of the instream flows are assessed. In the discharge analysis, linear regression is used for three flow metrics to analyze the interannual variability of discharge. Discharge deficiency is evaluated by comparing the drought flow (Q355) and the 10% mean annual flow. The load duration curve (LDC) is used in the water quality analysis. A case study is conducted for the Bokha-cheon Stream to test the flowchart, followed by a nationwide application. From the results, more than 70 sites have been identified as target sites for the estimation of the environmental flow in the five major river basins of Korea.

Tài liệu tham khảo

Aftab, A., Hanley, N., & Kampas, A. (2007). Co-ordinated environmental regulation: Controlling non-point nitrate pollution while maintaining river flows. Environmental and Resource Economics, 38(4), 573–593. Bae, Y. J., & Lee, B. H. (2001). Human impacts on stream ecosystems and freshwater arthropods in Korea. Korean Journal of Entomology, 31(2), 63–76. (in Korean). Barbour, M. T., Gerritsen, J., Snyder, B. D., & Stribling, J. B. (1999). Rapid bioassessment protocols for use in streams and wadeable rivers: Periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. US Environmental Protection Agency, 339, Washington, DC: Brisbane Declaration. (2007). The Brisbane Declaration: Environmental flows are essential for freshwater ecosystem health and human wellbeing. 10th International River Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, 3–6 September 2007. Gomez, J., De La Maza, C., & Melo, Ó. (2014). Restoring environmental flow: Buy-back costs and pollution-dilution as a compliance with water quality standards. Water Policy, 16(5), 864–879. Jang, J. Y., Kim, D. W., Choi, Y. J., & Jang, D. W. (2021). Analysis of the water quality characteristics of urban streams using the flow–pollutant loading relationship and a load duration curve (LDC). Applied Sciences, 11(20), 9694. Karr, J. R. (1981). Assessment of biotic integrity using fish communities. Fisheries, 6(6), 21–27. Kim, N. W., Lee, J., & Lee, J. E. (2013). Estimation of natural streamflow for the Bokhacheon middle-upper watershed. Journal of Korea Water Resources Association, 46(12), 1169–1180. (in Korean). Kim, S. K., & Choi, S. U. (2019). Comparison of environmental flows from a habitat suitability perspective: A case study in the Naeseong‐cheon Stream in Korea. Ecohydrology, 12(6), e2119. Kuriqi, A., Pinheiro, A. N., Sordo-Ward, A., & Garrote, L. (2019). Flow regime aspects in determining environmental flows and maximising energy production at run-of-river hydropower plants. Applied Energy, 256, 113980. Lee, E. J., Kim, T. G., & Choi, K. S. (2018). A study of the load allocation using watershed model and load duration curve in TMDL. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 22(9), 3222–3232. Loukas, A., & Vasiliades, L. (2014). Streamflow simulation methods for ungauged and poorly gauged watersheds. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 14(7), 1641–1661. Makungo, R., Odiyo, J. O., Ndiritu, J. G., & Mwaka, B. (2010). Rainfall–runoff modelling approach for ungauged catchments: A case study of Nzhelele River sub-quaternary catchment. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts a/b/c, 35(13–14), 596–607. Malan, H., Bath, A., Day, J., & Joubert, A. (2003). A simple flow-concentration modelling method for integrating water quality and water quantity in rivers. Water SA, 29(3), 305–312. Mann, J. L. (2006). Instream flow methodologies: An evaluation of the Tennant method for higher gradient streams in the national forest system lands in the western US. Colorado State University Fort Collins. Memon, S., Paule, M. C., Park, S. J., Lee, B. Y., Kang, S., Umer, R., & Lee, C. H. (2013). Monitoring of land use change impact on stormwater runoff and pollutant loading estimation in Yongin watershed Korea. Desalination and Water Treatment, 51(19–21), 4088–4096. Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs. (2011) Report of the Bokha-Cheon Stream Basic River Plan, p. 561 (in Korean). Nam, W. K., Choi, I. W., Kim, Y. Y., Lim, H. S., Kim, M. J., Lim, C. K., & Kim, T. H. (2017). A plan to improve bokha stream quality using water quality and pollution source analyses. Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Analysis, 20(3), 174–182. Pusey, B. J., Douglas, M., Olden, J. D., Jackson, S., Allsop, Q., & Kennard, M. J. (2020). Connectivity, habitat, and flow regime influence fish assemblage structure: Implications for environmental water management in a perennial river of the wet–dry tropics of northern Australia. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 30(7), 1397–1411. Tennant, D. L. (1976). Instream flow regimens for fish, wildlife, recreation and related environmental resources. Fisheries, 1(4), 6–10. Tharme, R. E. (2003). A global perspective on environmental flow assessment: emerging trends in the development and application of environmental flow methodologies for rivers. River Research and Applications, 19(5–6), 397–441. US EPA. (2007). An approach for using load duration curves in the development of TMDLs, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watershes, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 841-B-07–006, Wasington, DC. Walling, B., Chaudhary, S., Dhanya, C. T., & Kumar, A. (2017). Estimation of environmental flow incorporating water quality and hypothetical climate change scenarios. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 189(5), 225. Yang, Y., Chen, H., & Yang, Z. F. (2012). Integration of water quantity and quality in environmental flow assessment in wetlands. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 13, 1535–1552.