Network representation in hydrological modelling on urban catchments in data-scarce contexts: A case study on the Oued Fez catchment (Morocco)

Abstract

Study regionOued Fez, Morocco. Study focusUrban catchments are heterogeneous in terms of land use and have both natural and artificial drainage networks. Modelling them is not a straightforward task especially in data-scarce settings. This study investigates network representation in hydrological modelling using field data collected between 2008 and 2018 on the Oued Fez catchment. The road network is used as a proxy for the stormwater network. Two production functions, SCS (1972) and a linear reservoir, are coupled to the lag and route transfer function. Three types of land use classes are used. Tests are carried out at hourly and 5-minute time steps using both the natural and modified drainage networks. New hydrological insights for the regionFifty-three rainfall–runoff events are monitored on the urban part of the catchment over the 2008–2018 period. The highest rainfall values are recorded in 2008/2009, while the highest peak flow values are recorded in 2017/2018. This is due to stream channelisation and increased stormwater network coverage. Using the road network with minimal land use classes improves the model performance at both the hourly and 5-minute time steps.