The Assessment of The Integrated Structural Flood Control System in The Jingjiang Reach of The Yangtze River on Mitigating a Catastrophic Flood

Abstract In order to mitigate the flood disaster, an integrated structural flood control system, mainly incorporating levees, reservoirs, and flood diversion and detention zones, has been established in the JingJiang Reach of the Yangtze River by the efforts of Chinese government after several decades. The flood control effect of the integrated structural flood control system on mitigating the most catastrophic flood in history record which did occur in 1870 was assessed. According to the results, the used storage for flood control of the Three Gorges Reservoir is 18.4 billion m3 and the used storage for flood control of the other upstream reservoirs is 9.3 billion m3. The used flood storage of the Jingjiang Flood Diversion Zone is 5.4 billion m3 and the highest water level at Shashi Station is 45.00m. It shows that the flood control safety in the Jingjiang Reach is ensured to reach the achievement that controlling the highest water level at Shashi Station no more than 45.00m in the flood of 1870 to avoid the likely catastrophic flood disaster in the Jianghan plain and Dongting Lake plain along the Jingjiang Reach.