Integrating Environmental Flows into Hydropower Dam Planning, Design and Operations - Water Working Note 22 was primarily prepared as a contribution to the World Bank economic and sector work (ESW), that is mainstreaming environmental flow requirements into water resources investments and policy reforms jointly supported by the Environment Department and the Energy, Transport and Water Department.

This technical note also forms a contribution to the Bank’s hydropower investments. The note has been developed to assist World Bank staff and their clients to identify ways to better incorporate the benefits associated with environmental flow protection into hydropower dam projects.

Most of the material in this note will be equally applicable to hydropower dams with either multiple objectives or a single objective, but the integration of environmental flow protection into projects with multiple objectives presents some special challenges. In addition, many issues covered in this note will be applicable to other types of water infrastructure projects.

The printed version should be available over the course of the month. The electronic version will soon be posted on the World Bank water website.