The operation and management of water resources projects have direct and significant effects on the optimum use of water. Artificial intelligence techniques are a new tool used to help in making optimized decisions, based on knowledge bases in the planning, implementation, operation and management of projects as well as controlling flowing water quantities to prevent flooding and storage of excess water and use it during drought.
In this research, an Expert System was designed for operating and managing the system of AthTharthar Lake (ESSTAR). It was applied for all expected conditions of flow, including the cases of drought, normal flow, and during floods. Moreover, the cases of hypothetical operating of flow under extreme conditions were considered. The results showed a good capability of the designed expert system to operate the potential cases for those discharges and with high efficiency. Also the results showed the inability of AthTharthar Lake System to pass the discharge up to 12600 m3/s during floods. It was recommended to accomplish Tigris River training and increasing the level of levees, reshaping the cross-sections and longitudinal section of the river. It was suggested to expanded AthTharthar Head Regulator and the intake canal to accommodate more flood discharges.
