Retracted: Low-Temperature Water Mitigation Measures at the Jiudian Gorge Water Conservancy Hub Project at the Tao River in Gansu Province

The Jiudian Gorge water conservancy hub at the Tao River in Gansu Province is located at the entrance of the Jiudian Gorge in the middle reaches of the Yellow River tributary, Tao River. The project has a total capacity of 943 million m3 and is an all-year balancing reservoir. Under normal water level conditions, the maximum water depth in front of the dam is 103 m. The water temperature structure at the reservoir area is seasonally stratified and the discharge of low-temperature water produces significant effects on downstream agricultural irrigation. In order to effectively reduce the effects of low-temperature water discharged by the project, a retaining wall was constructed in front of the water diversion and electricity generation tunnel so that the water inlet of the tunnel can draw water from the higher levels in the reservoir where water temperatures are higher. This study uses the MIKE mathematical model by the Danish Hydraulic Institute to perform numerical simulations of the water temperature structure at the reservoir and discharge water temperature before and after the construction of the retaining wall to observe the effects of this measure on the mitigation of low-temperature water effects.