A Genetic Algorithm optimization model is used in this study to find the optimum flow values of the Tigris river branches near Ammara city, which their water is to be used for central marshes restoration after mixing in Maissan River. These tributaries are Al-Areed, AlBittera and Al-Majar Al-Kabeer Rivers. The aim of this model is to enhance the water quality in Maissan River, hence provide acceptable water quality for marsh restoration. The model is applied for different water quality change scenarios ,i.e. , 10%,20% increase in EC,TDS and BOD. The model output are the optimum flow values for the three rivers while, the input data are monthly flows(1994-2011),monthly water requirements and water quality parameters (EC, TDS, BOD, DO and pH).The objective function adopted in the optimization model is in a form the sum of difference in each of the 5 water quality parameters, resulting from the
mixing equation of the waters of the rivers, from the accepted limits of these parameters , weighted by a penalty factor assigned for each water quality parameter according to its importance. The adopted acceptable limits are 1500,1000, 6,4 and 7, while the penalty factors are 1,0.8,0.8,0.8,and 0.2 for EC,TDS,BOD,DO,and pH respectively. The constraints adopted on the decision variables which the monthly flows of the three rivers are those that provide the monthly demands downstream each river, and not exceed a maximum monthly flow
limits. The maximum flow limits adopted are for three flow cases, wet, average and dry years. For each flow case three scenarios for the monthly water quality parameters were adopted , the average values(scenario 1),the 10% increase in EC,TDS, and BOD (Scenario
2),and the 20% increase in these three water quality parameters (Scenario 3). Hence nine cases are adopted and for each an optimum monthly flows are found for each river. The genetic optimization model adopt a variable number of population of 100 to 1000 in a step of
100,0.8 and 0.2 cross over and mutation rates, and three iterations to reach the stable optimum solutions. The results indicates that the flow analysis shows a significant decrease in the flow values of the three rives after year 2000,hence, the flow values for the period of (1994-1999), are excluded and the only used values are those for (2000-2011). The estimated monthly demands exhibits low variation. The observed optimum monthly flow values decrease in general as the case flow changed from wet to normal and dry cases. The change in Scenarios from S1 to S2 and S3 , do not necessarily increase all the required optimum monthly flow values. The obtained minimum objective functions do not exhibits a certain trend with the change in the flow cases and/or the change in the scenarios.