Study on evolution characteristics of a near-dam channel downstream of the Three Gorges Reservoir

Abstract Riverbed scouring and silting is strongly related to flood control, navigation, water intake and so on. Therefore, a deep understanding of the scouring and silting characteristics of the near dam river reach is the premise of the optimal operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir. Based on the four times topographic data of the near dam reach after the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir, the scouring and silting characteristics were studied in this paper. The results show that, after the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir, except for the siltation of deep channel in some years, the other reaches had shown a scouring, and the scouring is concentrated in the low flow channel, and the change of channel above the flat is small.