Theory 28/Water Resources Engineering
Reservoir Life Is a Trap Ratio
The claim
Reservoir storage loss is set by the ratio of sediment trap efficiency to storage volume, so a small reservoir with high trap efficiency loses its life faster than a large one.
01Mechanism
Sediment settles where velocity drops; the fraction trapped depends on residence time relative to particle settling, and the storage it fills is the denominator.
02Predictions
- P1Life should track the ratio.
- P2Catchment sediment yield alone should mispredict.
03Refutation
Life tracking sediment yield would remove the storage term.