Effect of Flood Peak Discharge Control by a Small Reservoir in an Urbanized Area—Case Study in the Kurabe River Basin, Japan

Recently severe damage of flooding by urbanization was frequently occurred. To prevent this damage, small reservoir was constructed in the urbanized residential area. This paper describes an effect of flood peak discharge control by a small reservoir (control reservoir) caused by rapidly developed urbanization. Although work for this purpose was conducted, research on the effects of the control reservoir was not conducted until now. This research, conducted by simulation, was a case study in the Kurabe River Basin in the Tedori River Alluvial Fan Area, Japan, based on the precise investigation of the reservoir in the actual field. The study was conducted to determine not only the actual control reservoir capacity for the newly developed residential area but also the ideal capacity for all present residential areas and the largest capacity allowable for a maximum rainfall event that recently occurred. The control reservoir effects between individual blocks and the entire basin area were compared by dividing the test basin into 15 blocks (sub-basins). The results showed that the effects on the capacity per unit area of the residential area in blocks have close relationship with the decreasing ratio of peak discharge in blocks. Consequently, the effects of control reservoir capacity and the limitation were clarified. In the future, control reservoirs should be constructed for all of the already developed residential areas, for example, by utilizing underground car parking lot. The results of this research can contribute to the design of the control reservoir for protection against flooding damage in urbanized areas.