Coastal Reservoir by Soft-Dam and its Possible Applications

This paper introduces the patented technology of “soft-dam coastal reservoir”. Compared to the conventional technology of solid-dam coastal reservoir or long-distance water diversion, the patented technology is easier to implement with lower cost. As an example, the paper discusses the application of this technology in Murray-Darling River, Australia and Yellow River, China for water resources management. Both catchments are currently facing the similar problems of water shortage, degradation of water quality, and the threat of flood disaster. Both Australia and China have taken many measures to remediate the damaged ecosystems but none of them have been proven fully effective. In our proposal, the patented soft-dam coastal reservoir will be built at the river mouths to uphold the river runoff lost to the sea. The preliminary study shows that with the use of the coastal reservoirs, the river runoff and water supply in these two basins can be significantly increased and the water quality can also be improved. This is because 1) there exists an adequate amount of good quality water in these two river mouths, especially during the flood seasons; 2) it is technically and economically feasible to develop the storm water, relative to other methods such as long distance water diversion & transportation and seawater desalination; 3) the patented technology uses the natural resources in a sustainable and environmental friendly way to the ecosystem.