Ecological sediment feeding concept and technology for dammed rivers
CAO Huiqun
BI Sheng
YANG Wenjun
Abstract：River damming generally results in sediment deposition,which not only reduces the reservoir lifespan but also disrupts the natural and continuous transport of water,sediment,and nutrients.Sediment and nutrient retention in reservoirs increases eutrophication risks,while the sharp decline in downstream sediment brings about risks such as nutrient imbalance and ecological degradation.Currently,there is still no effective solution to the above problems.To deal with the economic losses and ecological influence of reservoir sediment deposition on upstream and downstream river sections,this study innovatively proposes the concept of ecological sediment feeding for dammed rivers.An intelligent robot for ecological sediment feeding is independently developed based on the vertical flow velocity distribution characteristics of reservoirs.Therefore,fine sediment from the reservoirs could be continuously transported to downstream channels to meet the demands for reservoir deposition reduction and downstream ecological sediment replenishment simultaneously,and restore the continuity of sediment and nutrient transport as much as possible.The robot comprises a bottom pneumatic sediment lifting device and an underwater robotic platform,and is capable of autonomous underwater movement and precise dredging positioning.For a typical channel-type reservoir,implementing this ecological sediment feeding scheme can reduce annual reservoir deposition by 5%and increase downstream annual sediment transport by 3.5 times,with non-flood season sediment transport potentially restored to pre-damming levels.The concept and technology of ecological sediment feeding are universally applicable and can be extended to reservoirs globally,providing a scientific and effective approach for alleviating reservoir deposition and ecological environment influence.Then,these feasible technical measures and equipment are provided for promoting near-natural restoration of water-sediment processes in dammed rivers and supporting large-scale watershed ecological conservation.
Keywords：reservoir depositionpneumatic sediment liftingecological sediment feedingunderwater robotcontinuous water-sediment transport
Publication Date：2026-02-12
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 39-45 )