Presentation by Clara Chrzanowski (Deltares) at the River Basin Planning and Modelling symposium, during Delft Software Days - Edition 2017. Wednesday, 25 October 2017, Delft.

1. The River Basin Explorer
a WFD compliant planning tool for river basin
planning in Turkey
Erwin Meijers, Marnix van der Vat, William Oliemans, Laura Basco
Carrera, Clara Chrzanowski (Deltares) & Marieke Fennema
(Witteveen+Bos)
River Basin Modelling Symposium
Delft Software Days
25 October 2017

2. Table of contents
• Objectives
• Modelling Framework
• Hydrology
• Water Quality
• Ecology
• Büyük Menderes and the water challenges
• Modelling results
• Stakeholder consultation
• Lessons Learned

3. Main objectives of the project
Development and tailoring of a EU-compliant tool to:
• Assist in determining the good chemical and
ecological status / potential of water bodies.
• Play a key role in identifying, quantifying and
prioritizing the most cost effective measures to
meet the objectives of the Water Framework
Directive
• Stimulate the communication with stakeholders
• Encourage uniformity in the data that is being used
• Facilitate reporting to the EC

4. Workflow of modelling activities
0D-RIBASIM
GIS maps
Networks
Meteo
Flow
Hydrology Ecology
Species
EQR
EKF
Ecological
knowledge rules
Product-unit
Neural Networks
WFD-Explorer
Loads
Substances
Processes
Water Quality
WFD Explorer schematization

5. Hydrology
Inputs
Discharge
Demands
Infrastructure
River flows
Output
Land-use

6. Water Quality
Inputs
River flows Diffuse Emissions
Point Source Emissions
Output
Concentrations of substances

7. Ecology
Inputs
Modifications
(Embankments; meandering)
Concentrations of substances Artifical flow regime
(Dams/ obstruction; dam
operation, irrigation abstraction)
Output

8. RB-Explorer: interactive tool
An interactive tool for selecting measures
How does
it work ?
This will help just
enough, the
Explorer shows
Now this measure

9. Büyük Menderes river: 584 km
Annual average flow: 63.28 m3
/s
Number of dams: 15
Basin Area: 25 000 km2
Population: 2.4 million
Key Features Büyük Menderes

10. Büyük Menderes challenges
E. MeijersE. Meijers
Water body classes
Artificial
Heavily modified
Natural
E. Meijers
E. Meijers
INDUSTRIESLargeherds.co.nzAGRICULTURE
RESERVOIRSE. Meijers

11. Workflow of modelling activities
0D-RIBASIM
GIS maps
Networks
Meteo
Flow
Hydrology Ecology
Species
EQR
EKF
Ecological
knowledge rules
Product-unit
Neural Networks
WFD-Explorer
Loads
Substances
Processes
Water Quality
WFD Explorer schematization

12. Objective of use of RIBASIM in this project
To prepare the hydrological input for the WFD-Explorer:
• Flow through all the water bodies
• In a dry, a wet and a normal year
• On a quarterly basis
Used in WFD - Explorer:
• To calculate transport of pollutants
• To assess difference between natural and artificial flow regime

13. Approach to derive flows from monitoring data
Observed discharges in upstream monitoring
stations not influenced by reservoirs and
abstractions
A time series of monthly runoff
depths (mm/month) is derived
Are assigned to sub-catchments
and corrected for the difference
in catchment area

14. RIBASIM model
• Period from October 2003 until September 2011
• Time step one month
• Calculation for actual situation and natural flow regime (without dams and
water use)
• Assumed each reservoir only supplies the nearest downstream irrigation
area (no coordination)
• Results presented as graphs of monthly and quarterly flows
• Initial use of 4 stations
• End result: 7 stations

15. Results RIBASIM – station E07A012

16. Results RIBASIM – station E07A012
• Flow in Buyuk Menderes downstream of Cindere Reservoir is dictated by
irrigation water demand
• Timing of the peak flow has been changed from winter in the natural situation
to summer for the current situation due to high irrigation water demand
• Comparison with the natural flow regime shows that peak flows are reduced
significantly
monthly quarterly

17. Results RIBASIM – station E07A006

18. Results RIBASIM – station E07A006
• Most downstream monitoring station with data for a number of years
• Low flows 2004 and 2005 underestimated
• Peak in 2006 overestimated
• Most likely from limited information on reservoir operation rules and
generation of hydropower
• Natural flow much higher, especially during peak flow
monthly quarterly

19. Conclusions
• RIBASIM model results are adequate for use in WFD - Explorer
• Monthly time steps available  quarterly time steps
• 5-10 recent years including a dry, wet and normal year
• Results for upstream tributaries can differ significantly from reality
due to use of data from other catchments
• Coverage and quality of flow monitoring should be improved.
• Quality of inflow records for reservoirs is good
• Assumption that reservoirs are operated to supply only the nearest
downstream irrigation area seems valid. There is potential to
optimise reservoir operation & storage in the basin by coordinating
reservoir releases

20. RIBASIM – WFD-Explorer coupling
Surface water units
Basin nodes

21. Water Quality
Domestic IndustrialDiffuse
Emissions
Animal/ or manure
Land use
Fertilizer
Septic tanks
Treated sewer water (WWTP)
Untreated sewer water
Industrial plants
Regulation tables
• steady state
• Σ Qin = Σ Qout
• Σ Min = Σ Mout + Mretention
• seasonal forcing (4 periods/y)
• simplified first order decay processes
Point sourcesDiffuse sources
Focus on nitrogen and phosphorus, COD and
suspended solids

22. Total load of all diffuse sources for TN
Data source:
River basin protection
action plan (TUBITAK)
The irrigation areas around Söke have the largest values for the
diffuse source emissions due to the use of fertilizer.
The loads seem low considering the large agricultural activities.

23. Domestic waste water locations
village
city
No monitored data:
 Estimates for domestic
waste for 2010 (TUBITAK)
Sewer system/
direct discharge

24. Industrial loads locations
No monitored data:
 Based on permits

25. COD: Modelled (2010) vs. Observed (2010)
Factor = Modelled / Observed:
• Green: good aggreement
• Pink: Moderate aggreement
(underestimate)
• Red: Bad agreement(underestimate)

26. TN: Modelled (2010) vs Observed (2011 -2014)

27. Ecology
Inputs
Modifications
(Embankments; meandering)
Concentrations of substances Artifical flow regime
(Dams/ obstruction; dam
operation, irrigation abstraction)
Output

28. Ecology
Inputs
Modifications
(Embankments; meandering)
Concentrations of substances Artifical flow regime
(Dams/ obstruction; dam
operation, irrigation abstraction)
Output
PUNN
3) Ecological
knowledge rules for
different water types
1) Cluster water types (7): lakes,
rivers,…
2) Ecological key factors are
derived for each water type
• COD
• Temperature;
• tot-N;
• tot-P;
• Modifications
• Conductivity;
• Toxic elements;
• Artifical flow regime
• Suspended solids
Requirementents:
- Represent pressures on current
ecol. conditions
- Measureable
- Influencable
4) EQR

29. Types of measures
Point sources and diffuse sources
• Improvement of waste water treatment plant
• Reallocation of leather industry into industrial zone with WWTP
• Buffer strips along water courses
• Management of manure for intensive farming
Ecological measures
• Environmental flow and fish passage in dams
• Restore meandering of river canals
Capacity building
• Training on waste water treatment plant operation

30. Stakeholder participation
Effectiveness of measures

31. Measures

32. Conclusions & Lessons Learned
• Hydrology:
• Good for purpose
• Can be improved in upstream parts and reservoir operation
• The quality of discharge monitoring can be improved (more
continuous data sets at the same location)
• Water Quality:
• Hardly any monitored emission data
• Overall underestimation  missing loads? / lack of data/
information about emission pathways
• Lack of data for validation  upgrade model to recent years
• Ecology:
• First application using this concept seems promising
• Improve monitoring of macrophytes

33. Thank you for your attention
clara.chrzanowski@deltares.nl
erwin.meijers@deltares.nl