Optimised Conjunctive Control Rules for a System of Water Supply Sources: Roadford Reservoir System (U.K.)

Due to the large and often competing demands for water andincreasing importance of sustainability criteria, waterresource managers have begun to examine closely ways inwhich the operation of existing and planned reservoirscould be optimised. Guidelines have been devised on theoperation of multi-purpose, multiple reservoir watersystems, but there remains no methodology generally acceptedby water resource managers for deriving multiple-reservoir operating policies.This article proposes a new approach to the optimisation ofthe operation of multiple reservoir systems. The revisedmethodology develops the concept of an extended droughtperiod to evaluate additional emergency storage reserveextending the reliability of the system. The operation ofthe Roadford Reservoir System, South West England,consisting of nine reservoirs was studied. Throughsimulation analysis, the control rules for each reservoirwere revised based on the concept of minimising demanddeficit. This article highlights the superior resultscompared with the current operating control rules. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2003