ABSTRACT
Dams significantly influence the sediment balance on watersheds. A specific management is therefore necessary to preserve normal operating conditions of the stored water as well as to keep the usable volume of the reservoir. Most of Swiss dams were built in the middle of last century and the dead zone assigned to sediment storage is generally full, leading to operation difficulties at intakes and bottom outlets (Boillat et al., 2000 and 2003). Considering that main part of the Swiss electrical production issues from hydropower schemes, it becomes obvious why reservoir sedimentation management is a major challenge.
