LIFE OF RESERVOIR

• Any reservoir cannot last for ever.
• Ultimately all the reservoirs get silted up.
• Silting of the reservoir starts from the day it is created.
• When reservoirs are created some of its capacity is left unused.
• This is the capacity of the reservoir lying below the crest level of the bottom most under sluices.
• This storage capacity which remains unused is know dead storage.
• This dead storage capacity is used to accommodate deposited silt so that effective storage of the reservoir is not affected.
• So long as dead storage capacity of the reservoir is not silted completely, effective storage or useful storage capacity is not affected.
• The process of silting continues even after complete silting of dead storage.
• The further silting affects the effective storage of the reservoir and the reservoir does not have enough water to fully fulfil its obligations.
• Generally useful life of the reservoir is considered terminated when its effective storage is reduced by 20% of the designed capacity of the reservoir.