Sediment delivery from right bank valleys to Mosul reservoir, Iraq

Mosul dam reservoir is the biggest reservoir on the River Tigris with 11.11 billion m3 storage capacity located at the northern part of Iraq. The dam is used for irrigation, hydropower generationand flood control. Siltation of the reservoir and sediment delivery from the valleys to the reservoir was not measured since the operation of the dam in 1988. Sediment accumulation in its reservoir can effect the dam operation (pumping station, hydropower plantsand bottom outlets) and it will definitely shorten the life span of the dam. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) under Geographical Information System (GIS) was applied to simulate the yearly surface runoff and sediment load for the main three valleys on the right bank of Mosul am Reservoir for the period 1988-2008. The resultant values of the average annual sediment load are 42.7*103, ton. This implies that significant sediment load enters the reservoir from these valleys. Sediment accumulation can effect the dam operation (pumping station, hydropower plants and bottom outlets) and it will definitely shorten the life span of the dam. To minimize sediment effect, check dams are to be constructed specially on the first valley.Godkänd; 2012; 20120319 (nadhir)