Journal of Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers ISSN:1738-3692(Print) 2093-7709(Online) 한국농공학회논문집

In recent years, the increasing uncertainty of rainfall patterns due to climate change and the frequent occurrence of localized heavy rain have raised significant concerns about the flood safety of agricultural reservoirs in Korea. Most of these reservoirs were constructed more than 50 years ago and are now facing structural limitations in responding to extreme hydrological events. Despite this, the design flood for agricultural reservoirs in Korea is still primarily based on fixed frequency standards, typically the 1/200 year flood, as outlined in the “Design Criteria for Agricultural Infrastructure – Fill Dam Section” In some high risk cases, the application of the PMF (Probable Maximum Flood) is being attempted, but the criteria for such applications remain qualitatively defined and lack a systematic risk-informed approach. In contrast, countries such as the United States, Australia, and New Zealand have adopted risk based frameworks that consider downstream consequences, potential loss of life, and societal tolerable risk levels when selecting inflow design floods. These international standards are characterized by flexible and quantitative criteria that respond to diverse hazard levels. This study aims to analyze the limitations fo Korea’s current design flood standards for agricultural reservoirs and compare them with international practices. Through this comparative analysis, the study proposes directions for improving Korea’s design flood criteria by incorporating risk-informed methodologies. The results are expected to contribute to the development of safer and more scientifically grounded flood design standards under future climate conditions.