The Influence of Foz do Chapecó Hydroelectric Power Plant Operation on the Levels of the Uruguay River at Salto do Yucumã, Turvo State Park
The installation and operation of a Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) can cause various environmental impacts, which can be aggravated according to environmental conditions. This study aims to identify and describe the river flow pattern resulting from the operation of the HPP Foz do Chapecó (SC) on t...
| Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Country: | Brasil |
| Institution: | Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM) |
| Repository: | Geografia Ensino & Pesquisa (Online) |
| Language: | Portuguese |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/85229 |
| Online Access: | https://periodicos.ufsm.br/geografia/article/view/85229 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Usina Hidrelétrica Impacto ambiental Ecossistema fluvial Usina Hidroeléctrica Ecosistema fluvial Hydroelectric Power Plant Environmental impact River ecosystem |
| Summary: | The installation and operation of a Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) can cause various environmental impacts, which can be aggravated according to environmental conditions. This study aims to identify and describe the river flow pattern resulting from the operation of the HPP Foz do Chapecó (SC) on the Uruguay River, in the section between the plant and the Yucumã Falls (located in the Turvo State Park-PET, RS). For this, pluviometric and fluviometric information was collected from the stations of Foz do Chapecó Downstream, Iraí, Itapiranga and from the experimental monitoring station installed at the Yucumã Falls, during the period from 02/18/2018 to 03/11/2018. The analysis of collected river flow and rainfall data allowed us to identify that the flood wave (maximum levels) takes, on average, 17:22 h to propagate between the HPP Downstream and the Yucumã Falls (PET), taking 2:28 h hours to Iraí (raises on average 268.4 cm), another 11:30 h to Itapiranga (raises on average 142.47 cm) and another 3:24 h to the Yucumã Falls (raises on average 245.52 cm). The speed of rising levels reaches 45.50 cm h-1 at the Yucumã Falls, which results from the channel geomorphology resembling the behavior observed in the HPP discharge zone. The characteristics of this flow make the region a place of high environmental fragility requiring monitoring of the hydrological process and identification of environmental impacts resulting from sub-hourly oscillations of Uruguay River water levels at Yucumã Falls. |
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