Land cover/use influence on the hydrodynamics of the Barra Grande Hydroelectric Power Plant reservoir, Santa Catarina

ABSTRACT

The influence of the soil cover of the watershed that contributes to a watershed on the Barra Grande Hydroelectric Power Plant reservoir (subtropical, elongated, and “canyon”) was carried out through mathematical modeling (MGB-IPH for flows, HEC-RAS for water quality, and IPH -ECO for reservoir simulation). Simulation modeling of land cover change showed that replacing forests with other uses caused an increase in flows and loads of total nitrogen and total phosphorus and replacing other uses with forests resulted in a reduction in flows and loads of total nitrogen and total phosphorus. The magnitude of the nutrient load anomaly is associated with the degree of alteration caused in the process of transforming precipitation into surface runoff, terrain slope, soil types, and land use practices. The watershed has shallow soils in 86% of its area, with steep slopes at the headwaters, which facilitates the flow into the reservoir. Positive anomalies were estimated when agriculture replaces other uses and negative anomalies when agricultural areas are replaced. The nutrient load that reaches the reservoir is related to the degree of change in the process of transforming precipitation into surface runoff, the slope of the terrain, the types of soil, and land use practices adopted. There is thermal stratification in the deepest portion, with mixing in winter, where the operation of the plant can influence the mixing in the water column, with opposite effect between the region close to the dam and the other regions further away from the dam, depending on the conditions of temperature, flow, and residence time. Knowledge of structure and function is important to improve reservoir management.

Keywords:
hydrological modeling; water quality modeling; reservoir simulation