Reservoir water level
Application Overview: Monitoring points within the reservoir collect real-time water level and change data. The system calculates based on water level changes and the maximum flood discharge capacity of the reservoir and dam, and issues warnings and alarms when the water level exceeds the warning threshold.
Industry Knowledge and the Importance of Reservoir Water Level Monitoring: As a core water conservancy hub integrating flood control, water supply, irrigation, and power generation, water level monitoring is a crucial link in reservoir operation and scheduling, directly affecting the safety of water conservancy projects and the effective utilization of water resources. According to the “Code for Design of Reservoir Engineering Management” (SL 106-2017), medium-sized and above reservoirs must implement real-time water level monitoring with a monitoring accuracy of not less than ±2mm, a data sampling interval of not more than 10 minutes, and a historical data storage time of not less than 10 years.
1. Industry Situation and Experience Analysis
According to the “2024 Water Resources Development Report,” my country currently has over 98,000 reservoirs of various types, including more than 3,100 medium-sized reservoirs. Approximately 70% of these medium-sized reservoirs serve both flood control and urban/rural water supply functions. Water level monitoring data is not only a core basis for reservoir flood control scheduling—when water levels approach flood control limits, flood discharge plans need to be initiated in conjunction with rainfall data—it is also an important reference for water supply scheduling—reservoir capacity is calculated based on water level changes to ensure irrigation for farmland and water supply for cities. Furthermore, water level data provides fundamental support for safety assessments of water conservancy projects and hydrological and water resources research; its accuracy and continuity directly affect the comprehensive benefits of reservoirs.
1.1Existing problem: Taking Dongping Lake Reservoir as an example
Dongping Lake Reservoir is an important flood storage and detention area in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It serves as the drinking water source for 1.2 million people in Tai’an and Jining cities and provides irrigation water for 500,000 mu of surrounding farmland, with a total storage capacity of 2.008 billion cubic meters. Before the introduction of the duweyintelli equipment, its water level monitoring system suffered from three major problems, which seriously affected the efficiency of operation and scheduling.
1.2Insufficient monitoring accuracy: Traditional float-type water level gauges are easily affected by wind, waves, and water temperature changes, resulting in a monthly average measurement error of ±8mm, far exceeding the ±2mm accuracy standard stipulated in the “Code for Management and Design of Reservoir Projects”. During the flood season in 2023, the water level monitoring deviation caused a 2-hour delay in the flood discharge plan, increasing the downstream flood control pressure.
1.3Data transmission delay: Water level data is recorded manually on-site every hour and then reported to the dispatch center by telephone, resulting in an average data transmission delay of 40 minutes. During the summer drought of 2022, the rapid drop in water level was not detected in time, leading to a temporary interruption of irrigation water supply to farmland and affecting the growth of 12,000 mu (approximately 800 hectares) of wheat.
1.4Data Preservation Gap: Currently, water level data is recorded in paper ledgers, which are susceptible to moisture and insect damage, leading to missing historical data. In the Ministry of Water Resources’ reservoir safety assessment, the assessment level was downgraded to “qualified” due to incomplete water level data for some years. 1. Core Requirement: Upgrade to a precise, real-time, and traceable water level monitoring system.
2. What conditions must a flow meter meet?
Based on the above issues and the operational positioning of Dongping Lake Reservoir as “primarily for flood control, supplemented by water supply”, three core requirements for fully meeting industry standards were determined.
2.1High-precision monitoring requirements: The water level measurement error must be controlled within ±2mm, adapt to water level changes of 0-12m in the reservoir, withstand complex operating conditions such as level 3 wind waves, and water temperature changes from -10℃ to 40℃, and ensure monitoring accuracy under special conditions such as flood season and winter.
1.2Real-time transmission requirements: The data sampling interval is shortened to 5 minutes/time, and the monitoring data can be automatically transmitted to the provincial water conservancy dispatch center with a transmission delay of no more than 30 seconds, supporting real-time decision-making for flood control and water supply dispatch.
2.3Full-cycle traceability requirements: It should be able to automatically store water level data, support the generation of water level change curves by day, month, and year, and have the function of marking abnormal data to meet the needs of water conservancy supervision, safety assessment, and data auditing.
3.Solution:
Deploy a level gauge and data logger system supplied by brand manufacturer duweyintelli.
Given the demand for and complex operating conditions of Dongping Lake Reservoir, brand manufacturer duweyintelli provided an integrated solution of “high-precision monitoring + real-time transmission + intelligent storage,” clearly defining the application scenarios and core functions of the equipment and optimizing the entire water level monitoring process.
(1) Duweyintelli radar level gauge: Deployed at key monitoring points to achieve high-precision water level acquisition. Application scenario: Six Duweyintelli radar level gauges were deployed at the main dam, secondary dam, spillway, and intake of the
(2) Duweyintelli brand industrial-grade data logger, Application scenario: Deploy two Duweyintelli brand industrial-grade data loggers (one for primary use and one for backup) in the reservoir dispatch center to acquire real-time data from six water level gauges and connect with other monitoring data (such as rainfall and flood flow) to form a unified data management platform.
4.Core functions:
a. The device receives liquid level gauge data in real time, and the sampling interval can be flexibly set (minimum 5 minutes/time). The transmission delay is controlled within 20 seconds. When the water level approaches the flood control limit level (42.72 meters) or the dead water level (36.72 meters), it will automatically issue an audible and visual alarm.
b. It achieves secure data storage, with each device having high storage capacity, supporting instantaneous traffic, cumulative traffic, etc., and having a long data retention time.
c. It possesses intelligent data processing capabilities, automatically generating daily/monthly/yearly water level data tables. It can mark water level abrupt changes corresponding to special events such as rainstorms and floods, and supports exporting data to Excel and data integration with provincial water conservancy platforms to meet regulatory and assessment needs.
5.Application Results: Dual Improvement in Monitoring Capabilities and Scheduling Efficiency
duweyintelli One year after the manufactured equipment was put into use, the water level monitoring system of Dongping Lake Reservoir was fully upgraded, with all indicators exceeding industry standards and scheduling efficiency significantly improved.
5.1The monitoring accuracy meets standards: the water level gauge measurement error is stable at ±1.5mm, far below the industry standard of ±2mm. During the 2024 flood season, it accurately captured three rapid rises in water level, providing precise data for flood discharge scheduling. The flood discharge response time was advanced by 1.5 hours, effectively reducing downstream flood control pressure.
5.2Optimized transmission efficiency: Data sampling intervals are shortened to 5 minutes per instance, and transmission latency is controlled within 20 seconds, completely replacing manual recording and reporting methods and reducing maintenance personnel by 50%. During the irrigation season, real-time water level data is used to accurately calculate reservoir capacity, ensuring a continuous and stable supply of irrigation water for farmland and preventing water supply interruptions.
5.3 Improved Data Traceability: The data logger has accumulated and stored water level data, achieving 100% historical data integrity. In the water conservancy safety assessment, due to the completeness and standardization of the data, the assessment level was upgraded to “Excellent”.
5.4 Exceptional Equipment Stability: The entire system operates stably under harsh conditions, including temperatures as low as -10°C in winter, as high as 38°C in summer, and gale-force winds of level 8, with an annual failure rate of only 0.3%, far below the industry average of 2%. duweyintelli provides 24/7 after-sales service, ensuring a fault response time of no more than 2 hours, guaranteeing continuous operation of the monitoring system throughout the year, and improving water supply reliability to 99.9%.
Summarize:
This application fully validates the adaptability and reliability of Duweyintelli level gauges and data loggers under complex reservoir conditions, providing a replicable practical case for upgrading water level monitoring in medium-sized reservoirs. If you are also looking for solutions in this industry, please contact Duweyintelli, China’s leading expert in flow meter measurement and control instruments.