Impacts of construction of dam on the flow regimes and water quality: A case study from Turkey

Abstract

Dam construction has important positive and negative effects on the environment, including physical changes of the riverbed morphology, changes in sediment transport patterns and water quality, and the river ecosystem in general. The primary objective of this study is to present a methodology to assess the impacts of construction and operation of Çine Dam, in Aydin, Turkey, on the river flow regimes, sedimentation, and water quality of the downstream reach of Büyük Menderes River. Construction of the dam significantly reduced the sediment load from the Çine tributary to the main reach, as expected. To evaluate changes in the water quality of the Çine River, five different water quality index methods are compared before and after the dam operation: Weighted Arithmetic Index (WAI-WQI), Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI), Universal Water Quality Index (UWQI), Oregon Water Quality Index (OWQI) and Aquatic Toxicity Index (ATI). ATI and CCME-WQI methods are found to be more appropriate for the 10-year water quality assessment of the river.