Dynamics of Reservoir Environment Carrying Capacity (Case of Kedungombo Reservoir, Central Java, Indonesia)

The development of dams or reservoirs requires continuous attention. The dynamics of rain as the primary natural resource and the water utilization may change from the design. Climate change is thought to have caused changes in reservoir inflow patterns where the patterns may change throughout the service life of the reservoir. The way of the utilization of catchment areas and reservoir inundation is also very dynamic, along with the dynamics of water demand which is generally aimed at obtaining better human welfare. At the same time, such activities may affect the quality of the reservoir waters, followed by disturbances in the water utilization for various purposes. This paper presents the results of evaluating the carrying capacity of the reservoir environment based on the data obtained from reservoir sedimentation and water monitoring of Kedungombo Reservoir. The adopted method of the environmental carrying capacity of the Kedungombo Reservoir considers the four environment-related carrying capacities, i.e., reservoir sedimentation, water utilization, recreation, and aquaculture. The term overall carrying capacity is introduced, adopting three approximations of weighting factor α of the four parameters. The analysis results show a promising method to evaluate the reservoir environment carrying capacity that could be dynamics during its service life.