What is the function of the dam?

The main functions of dams are irrigation, power generation, water supply and shipping. Both require a relatively fixed water consumption and water consumption time, and their requirements often cannot fully adapt to the natural water supply situation.

In order to solve the problem of redistribution of runoff in time and space and fully develop and utilize water resources to meet the requirements of water conservancy departments, people often build some reservoir projects on rivers. The beneficial function of the reservoir is to regulate runoff, store flood and make up for drought, so that natural water can meet the requirements of the water conservancy department in time and space.

In the case of spillway without sluice gate, in the stage of reservoir management and operation, if the reservoir water level can be reduced to the reservoir flood limit level before flood season, and the reservoir flood limit level is lower than the spillway crest elevation, the storage capacity between the flood limit level and the spillway crest elevation can play a role in flood storage. Part of the flood stored in the reservoir can play a planned role in the dry season.

When the spillway is equipped with gates, the reservoir can play a greater role in flood storage, and the reservoir can adjust the flow by changing the opening of the gates. Because of the gate control, the flood control limit water level of this kind of reservoir can be higher than the spillway crest, and the gate opening can be adjusted at any time to control the flow during flood discharge, which has dual functions of flood detention and storage.