Resumen
The intensification of agricultural production brings problems related to water erosion, even to the upper parts of river basins. Soil particles that have eroded from unprotected agricultural land are often deposited in small water reservoirs, the efficiency or function of which might be compromised. This study presents an analysis of changes in the retention capacity of a small water reservoir over a period of 8 years. Within the study, a detailed bathymetry of the reservoir was conducted using an acoustic Doppler current profiler. The results, when compared to a 2008 geodetic survey, showed that the retention volume of the reservoir was reduced by only 2%, which was also confirmed by mathematical modeling. The possibility of strengthening the reservoir?s role in flood protection was also investigated. A flood wave with a return period of 100 years was estimated using a design storm approach. A simple numerical model was proposed to transform the flood wave through the reservoir by considering four different scenarios of the elevation of the initial water level. The model, which is based on a water balance equation, uses simple hydraulic relationships to control the discharge through the reservoir?s outflow objects. The results demonstrate that by reducing the initial water level, significant improvements in terms of the flood peak?s attenuation and a longer time to peak values could be achieved.