Sediment Yield Assessment for Tannur Dam Reservoir in Jordan

Abstract

Reservoir sedimentation is caused from erosion process in the catchment area, the sediment build up in the reservoir, reduce its capacity and affect the aim for which the dam was constructed. This study presents an application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate the water and sediment yield for Tannur dam reservoir in Jordan. The model was calibrated and verified using the monthly average surface flow and sediment measurements at Tannur gauging station. The optimum curve number (CN) was found in the range 82 to 86 and land cover factor (C) in range 0f 0.003 to 0.03. Model validation results estimated the total volume of water of 110.5 MCM and total amount of sediment yield of 0.8 million ton reached Tannur dam reservoir during the period from October 2003 to December 2009. Total sediment yield of 2.5 million ton was predicted for the period 2010-2030. Subbasins 14 and 30 are more susceptible to soil erosion and sediment yields. The present work could assist in quantifying sediment yields in the long-term as well as in identifying the most susceptible areas within the catchment in order to assist policy makers in taking cost-effective management decisions.

Keywords: Sediment yield, Erosion, Reservoirs, Tannur dam, Jordan