A Case Study of the Aquatic Habitat Changes due to Weir Gate Operation

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of weir gate operation in aquatic fish habitats through a physical habitat simulation of Geum River, Korea. The target species was Zacco platypus, which is a dominant species in the study area. The River2D model was used to compute the flow, and the habitat suitability index model was used to estimate the quality and quantity of the habitat using a habitat suitability curve. An unopened case and a partially opened case were investigated to assess the impact of weir gate operation on the aquatic fish habitat. The simulation results showed that the aquatic habitats of the target species in the partially opened case improved significantly, compared to the case without a gate opening. Furthermore, the weighted usable area increased by a factor of approximately 13, owing to weir gate operation in the study area.