Reservoir Management Optimization for Basin-Wide Ecological Restoration in the Connecticut River

AbstractEvidence from ecological studies suggests that the alteration of river flows downstream of reservoirs can threaten native aquatic ecosystems and the services they offer. Innovative revisions to water management practices are required to improve the health of aquatic species while maintaining the benefits from current infrastructure projects. The impacts of individual reservoir operations on ecosystem vitality are often masked by the uncoordinated and compounding influences of several impoundments upstream, undermining the examination of environmental impacts from particular reservoirs in a large watershed system. This paper presents a large-scale optimization model that investigates the value of coordinated reservoir management practices for ecological benefits in a large watershed with several major reservoir systems operating for a range of management objectives. An application of the model is presented for the Connecticut River watershed, the largest river basin in New England and one of the mo...

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