Projected Reservoir Rating Curves and Their Utility for Water Planning in Texas

This paper presents a method for projecting future reservoir elevation-area-capacity rating curves by calculating the distribution of sediment volume by lake elevation in reservoirs in Texas. We develop reservoir rating curves for the next 50 years, assuming a constant sedimentation volumetric rate as calculated at each elevational gradient for the predicting period. Projected rating curves can be used to simulate the impact of sedimentation on future reservoir firm yield and inform estimates of future available surface water for water planning purposes in Texas.