Integrating Hydraulic and Ecological Knowledge Streams in Flow Regulation and Planning

To enable the long-term sustainable planning and operation of hydropower, we need better understanding of how flow variations affect biodiversity and ecosystem processes. There are advanced hydraulic models within the industry today, as well as extensive ecological models and data from research and environmental monitoring. However, these systems are often developed within different disciplines and are not always designed to work together. The project aims to bridge this gap by analysing how hydraulic and ecological models, along with their associated data flows, can be integrated in a more structured and practically useful way.

Hydropower is a central part of Sweden’s energy system and plays a key role in both electricity generation and system balancing. At the same time, variations in water flows—from rapid daily fluctuations to seasonal changes—affect habitats for fish, benthic fauna, and riparian vegetation.

By synthesising knowledge of the effects of water regulation on benthic fauna, riparian vegetation, and fish, and by analysing the interaction between ecological data and models and the industry’s hydraulic models, the project develops a structured approach for assessing the ecological impacts of flow variation in a more comprehensive and comparable manner. The aim is to strengthen the basis for well-balanced decisions that consider electricity production, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions in regulated rivers.