An integrated approach to predict local wind and waves for reliable design of shore protection in reservoirs

Empirical methods are traditionally used to estimate design wind and waves for shore protection in reservoirs. However, reservoir waves are strongly influenced by local topography, bathymetry, and the valley orientation. This paper provides a new approach for engineers to overcome the limitations of empirical methods for predicting wave heights in reservoirs. The outcome is particularly relevant for predicting the vulnerable locations for wave erosion and designing measures for the protection of reservoir shoreline. This approach has been applied to a BC Hydro-operated reservoir in Canada, and the results are compared with those obtained from empirical methods to demonstrate advantages of the new method.