Storage reservoirs represent one of the most effective tools for
eliminating, or at least for minimizing, discrepancies in the time and
space variations of water resources distribution and requirements. In
fact, the different - often contradictory - and increasing demands on
water resources utilization and control usually can be fulfilled only by
building multi-purpose reservoir systems. In this way, the available
water resources can be exploited and/or managed in a more rational way.
Typically, the construction of a dam across a river valley causes water
to accumulate in a reservoir behind the dam; the volume of water
accumulated in the reservoir will depend, in part, on the dimensions of
the dam. The size of the dam will normally affect the capital
expenditure in a very significant way. Indeed the construction of large
water resource control systems - such as dams - generally involves
rather huge manpower and material outlays. Consequently, the elaboration
of effectual methods of approach that can be used in establishing the
optimal reservoir parameters is of great practical significance. For
instance, in the design and operation oflarge multi-reservoir systems,
simple simulation and/or optimization models that can identify
potentially cost- effective and efficient system design are highly
desirable. But it should be recognized that the problem of finding
optimal capacities for multi-reservoir systems often becomes
computationally complex because of the large number of feasible
configurations that usually need to be analyzed.
