Sediment Removal from Sand Hills Aqua Farms Using a Sediment Evacuation Pipeline System

by Rollin H. Hotchkiss, Univ of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, United States,
Teresa L. Buchholz, Univ of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Waterpower '91: A New View of Hydro Resources

Abstract:

Reservoir sedimentation continues to deplete the world's reservoirs of valuable storage capacity. Several reservoir sediment removal techniques have been successful in regaining a fraction of the lost storage capacity. One mitigation measure which has proven effective in Europe and China is a Sediment Evacuation Pipeline System (SEPS). SEPS removes the sediment from the reservoir, transports the sediment through the reservoir and discharges it downstream, utilizing the available head at the reservoir. SEPS involves the installation of a pipe extending from upstream of the dam into the reservoir through outlet works to the downstream channel. Advantages of SEPS include instant operation, maximum control without the need for an additional power source, and the system requires only a small percentage of the reservoir inflows to operate. Sediment evacuation pipeline systems had not been tested in the United States prior to implementation at Sand Hills Aqua Farms, located on Whitetail Creek near Ogallala, Nebraska. The implementation of the SEPS at Sand Hills Aqua Farms has proven to be effective in removing sediments from the impoundment. Data collection and analysis prove to be invaluable for the future implementation of SEPS in reservoirs in the United States.

Subject Headings: Reservoirs | Sediment | Water storage | Agriculture | Pipelines | Evacuation | Spillways | United States | Europe | China | Asia | Nebraska

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