Author(s): A. N. Findikakis; J. Imberger; I. S. Hansen; L. A. Delgado; R. G. Martinez; E. Gundlach
Linked Author(s): Angelos N. Findikakis
Keywords: Dredging; Stratification; Hydrodynamic model; Water quality model
Abstract: As part of the evaluation of different environmental remediation options for Lake Maracaibo, the water quality impact of abandoning the dredged navigation channel from the Gulf of Venezuela to the Lake was analyzed. The analysis was performed with two hydrodynamic and water quality numerical models, used independently of each other, and which are viewed to bracket the range of potential water quality changes in the system. The results of the models suggest that if the dredging in the channel stopped and the system were allowed to return to its pre-dredging bathymetry, salinity levels in the Lake would reach a new dynamic equilibrium within about ten years and would return to their historic levels. This would reduce the density stratification of the Lake and would result in seasonal improvement in oxygen levels, reducing on the average the volume of the hypolimnion, but with anoxic and hypoxic conditions likely to persist during several months per year. The concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus most likely would decrease, but eutrophication conditions in the Lake would not change. The overall conclusion of the study is that the presently available evidence does not justify closure of the channel on the basis of potential environmental benefits.
Year: 2003