Influence of Sediment Transort to Water Level Elevating in the Middle Reach of Yangtze River

Based on the field data from the Yangtze River and the Dongting Lake, the variation of sediment transport and deposition characteristics in these areas are comprehensively analyzed. The study shows that the diversion amount of water and sediment from the Yangtze River to the Dongting Lake is not only the primary reason for the decreasing of sediment deposition in Dongting Lake and the increasing in the reach from Luoshan to Hankou, but also the primary reason for the water level increasing in the Yangtze River and capacity decreasing of flood regulation in the Dongting Lake. Thus, while stressing the reinforcement of dikes along the Yangtze River, releasing more sediments to the lake area will be one of the effective measures for the prevention of flood disasters in recent years.