With the rapid development of industry, agriculture, and other sectors, the deterioration of the water environment has become a global water problem [
1,
2,
3]. The theme of the 18th World Water Conference, “Water for All: Harmony between Humans and Nature”, emphasises that the bottom line for development is environmental quality. Rivers and lakes are the main carriers of terrestrial water resources, and their environmental quality is directly related to the development of society [
4]. When hydraulic structures are built, several environmental issues, including river cut-off, deteriorated lake water quality, and decreased biodiversity, can occur [
5]. Even though hydraulic structures can have certain negative environmental effects, throughout the design and construction stages, several safeguards can be put in place to lessen these impacts. Evaluating environmental impacts using hydrodynamic water quality model simulations is a common practice.
Hydrodynamic modelling is the rule of the changes in the hydraulic elements of water and other liquids (flow, water level and flow velocity, etc.) over time and space, described by a set of mathematical equations and numerically solved under certain initial and boundary conditions [
6,
7]. French scientist Saint-Venant proposed the famous Saint-Venant equation, which discusses the shallow water body under the condition of free liquid surface to do asymptotic non-constant flow law of motion, which provides a theoretical basis for the subsequent research of hydrodynamic simulation [
8,
9]. Hansen succeeded in simplifying Saint-Venant’s equations using the periodicity of the tides and proposed a computational model for two-dimensional numerical simulations [
10]. As science advances, numerical simulation gradually assumes a significant role. Many academics have begun to simulate and evaluate the forms and processes of evolution in terms of water environment characteristics using numerical modelling techniques on multi-regional river networks. The migration pattern of pollutants in water bodies, the self-purification ability of water bodies, and the changing pattern of water quality can be studied and simulated using water quality models [
11,
12]. At the beginning of the 20th century, Streeter first proposed a water quality model (S-P) of oxygen balance, which laid a solid foundation for the development of water quality models in later years [
13]. Common examples of hydrological numerical simulation software include the MIKE software (1978) model developed by the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI), the HEC-RAS program developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering Hydrology Center (HEC), the MODFLOW model developed by the US Geological Survey, and the WASP and EFDC models proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as Delft3D, CE- QUAL-R1, CE-QUAL-W2, etc. Each of these models has its specific application conditions; for example, the MODFLOW model was developed by the USGS in the 1980s as a suite of software dedicated to the numerical simulation of groundwater flow in pore media. The MIKE software is powerful in hydrodynamic and water quality modelling and can be used to accurately process and analyse complex problems [
14,
15,
16,
17]. In the Water Quality module, the MIKE software allows the user to create different pollutant composition templates based on the pollutants in a specific study area, thus more accurately modelling and predicting changes in the water quality of a water body. Using the MIKE software (2007), Tang et al. [
18] established a one-dimensional hydrodynamic model to calculate the hydraulic characteristics of the river channel of the South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Line Project, and based on it, a one-dimensional advective diffusion model of TP, NH
3-N, COD
mn, and F was built to simulate the sudden pollution accidents with emergency response measures. Based on the measured data, Zhu et al. [
19] investigated the hydrodynamic and water quality changes in the Erhai Lake by applying the MIKE software to build a two-dimensional coupled hydrodynamic and water quality model, which screened the capacity of the water environment and the abatement of pollutant discharges, to provide guidance for the management and effective use of water resources in the Erhai Lake. A one-dimensional water quantity and quality model was established by Wang et al. [
20] with the MIKE software, and a comparative study of two water allocation schemes was conducted by selecting water cycle and water quality as evaluation indicators. On the basis of the theory of the two-dimensional mathematical modelling of the water environment, Zhang et al. [
21] constructed a water environment model of the Baiguishan Reservoir using the MIKE21 model, which analysed the evolutionary characteristics and improvement of the water environment of the reservoir under the conditions of six ecological recharge scenarios. With meteorological and hydrological data and water quality data, Li et al. [
22] used the MIKE model to simulate the water quality evolution pattern of Donghu Lake. Using the HD and Ecolab modules of MIKE, Jia et al. [
23] simulated the hydrodynamic and water quality conditions in the Bohai Bay, China, together with predicting the impacts of shoreline changes. Mali et al. [
24] conducted 2D numerical simulations using the MIKE21 model to determine the origin and fate of pollutants in the port basin. The results showed that the contaminants mainly come from the outside port, with a tendency to accumulate in the inner basin. As can be seen, the MIKE software is extensively used for hydrodynamic analysis and water quality modelling, pollutant migration in water bodies, and water quality enhancement.
The Guanqiao Lock and Pumping Station is a re-navigation project on the Wanfu River, and it is of great significance for socio-economic development. This study, which examined the proposed Guanqiao Ship Lock and Pumping Station while taking both ample and dry water periods into account, aimed to (1) evaluate whether the water quality of Wanfu River met the water abstraction standards using the entropy weight method coupled with the integrated pollution index method, (2) simulate the impact of the ship lock on water quality at the pumping station intake under rule operation using the MIKE model, and (3) model whether pumping station abstractions had an impact on navigable water levels. By constructing a coupled hydrodynamic water quality model, the spatial and temporal distribution law of water body flow and water quality status are revealed, so as to scientifically plan and manage water resources and achieve a win–win situation for both the economy and environment.