Evaporation Reduction by Suspended and Floating Covers: Overview, Modelling and Efficiency

Abstract

This report has been prepared for the SEQ Urban Water Security Research Alliance for the purposes of assessing the potential for floating and suspended covers to reduce evaporation from water storages in South East Queensland (SEQ). In SEQ, large water storages or dams are the primary drinking water supply. The volume of water lost through evaporation each year is roughly equivalent to the SEQ water usage. This considerable loss of water indicates that research into innovative techniques for reducing evaporation could prove beneficial as demand increases in SEQ with rapid population growth. This report forms one of a group of reports, each of which assesses the applicability of different evaporation mitigation techniques to SEQ water supply systems.