Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System Research Articles

Quantifying the impact of impervious surface location on flood peak discharge in urban areas

To date, limited attention has been paid to the role of impervious surface (IS) location in influencing flood processes. However, this topic is of tremendous significance for developing guidelines for urban planning and flood management. This study uses the Hydrologic Engineering Center’s Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) to investigate the impact of land-use change on flood processes and proposes a new index to quantify the impact of IS location on basin peak discharge. The results indicate that rapid urban expansion in the Longhua Basin, China, has increased peak discharge and flood volume by 140 and 162 % over the past 30 years, respectively. The new index, named the Impervious Surface Impact Index, describes the spatially varying effects of IS increase in individual sub-basins on a basin’s peak discharge. For the Longhua Basin, the index varies from 0.43 in downstream sub-basins to 5.91 in upstream sub-basins. An increase in upstream IS increases peak discharge nearly 14 times more than the same increase in downstream IS. Accordingly, the location of newly created IS can influence flood processes significantly. These findings can help to find suitable locations for urban development while mitigating the impact of land development on flood risks.

Application of HEC-HMS for simulation of peak runoff rates from a small watershed

Hydrologic Engineering Center - Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS), a versatile hydrological model, was applied to a small watershed situated in Chotanagpur plateau region of India for simulation of peak runoff rates. Initial and constant loss method and Snyder unit hydrograph were chosen for computing the precipitation losses and transforming the estimated runoff into direct surface runoff, respectively. Seven sets of observed hyetographs and corresponding flood hydrographs were used for calibration of model parameters viz., initial loss, constant loss rate, Snyder peaking coefficient and standard time lag. The model output was validated with other set of flood hydrographs (five in number) of the same watershed. A simple linear relationship between predicted and observed peak flow rates was also developed. The HEC-HMS simulated depths of runoff and peak runoff rates matched reasonably well with the observed data. The average value of absolute relative error in estimated peak, a measure of goodness of fit between the peak runoff rates of predicted and observed hydrographs was found to be 6.94%. It was concluded from the study that the HEC-HMS model with the calibrated parameters can be safely used for the determination of the depth of runoff and peak runoff rates from ungauged watersheds with similar hydrological conditions

Assessments of Irrigation Water Requirement from Deduru Oya Left Bank Canal to Supplement Deduru Oya Left Bank Irrigation Demand

Rainfall in DeduruOya basin has a significant temporal variation and thus the Deduru Oya carry flash floods during rainy season and very low flows during dry season. The Deduru Oya reservoir under construction at the upstream of the existing Ridi Bedi Ela anicut will be useful to regulate discharge of the DeduruOya for better utilizing the basin water resources especially for irrigation. The multi-purpose DeduruOya reservoir project with a reservoir of a capacity of 75 Million Cubic Meters (MCM), augments water resources in 136 existing tank based irrigation systems in the Deduru Oya Left Bank through a Left Bank (LB) canal and also diverts water to the Iginimitiya tank in the Mee Oya basin through a Right Bank (RB) trans basin canal. This study develops a model for water management in LB canal development area and for the assessment of diversion requirement from the Deduru Oya reservoir through the LB Canal to supplement LB irrigation demand. Hydrological Engineering Center-Hydrological Modeling System (HEC-HMS) is used for runoff estimations and CROPWAT model is used to estimate crop water requirements. Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) model is used for water balance simulations in Deduru Oya LB canal development area and to calculate water requirements from LB canal for the period of recent 10years. The study reveals that the annual water requirement from the LB canal for 100% cropping intensity in the proposed 3000 ha irrigable area in LB canal development area varies from 26 MCM to 41 MCM. ENGINEER, Vol. 47, No. 04, pp. 17-32, 2014

Evaluation of the effects of underlying surface change on catchment hydrological response using the HEC-HMS model

Abstract. Due to rapid population growth, China, and urbanization, the Dongwan catchment, with a drainage area of 2856 km2 and located in Henan Province, has been subjected to considerable land-use changes since the 1990s. Distributed or semi-distributed models have been widely used in catchment hydrological modeling, along with the rapid development of computer and GIS technologies. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of underlying surface change on catchment hydrological response using the Hydrologic Engineering Center's Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS), which is a distributed hydrological model. Specifically, 21 flood events were selected for calibrating and validating the model parameters. The satisfactory results show that the HEC-HMS model can be used to simulate the rainfall–runoff response in the Dongwan catchment. In light of the analyses of simulation results, it is shown that the flood peaks and runoff yields after 1990 moderately decrease in comparison with that before 1990 at the same precipitation level. It is also indicated that the underlying surface change leads to the increased flood storage capacity after 1990 in this region.

Runoff Curve Numbers for Peat-Dominated Watersheds

AbstractThe natural resources conservation service (NRCS) curve number method is widely used to estimate runoff from rainfall events for four hydrological soil groups (A, B, C, and D). However, the NRCS soil groups do not yet include peat soils. Therefore, this study analyzed 59 rainfall-runoff events from two peat-dominated watersheds in Finland (Marjasuo, Royvansuo) and one in Norway (Grualia). The analysis used the United States Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) to calibrate curve numbers and initial abstraction ratios (Ia/S). This gave a mean Ia/S of 0.036, with a mean standard error of 0.003 and 95% confidence interval of 0.030–0.042, which is significantly lower than the value of 0.2 recommended in the NRCS curve number method. The mean curve number was 61, with a mean standard error of 0.9 and 95% confidence interval of 59–63 for the study watersheds. This study confirmed that application of the NRCS curve number method in HEC-HMS required se...

Vulnerability to Flooding of the Towns of Mabitac and Santa Maria, Laguna, Philippines

The combination of flood modelling and socio-economic analysis was used to determine the flood vulnerability of the towns of Santa Maria and Mabitac, Laguna, Philippines. Geograhic Information System (GIS)-hazard mapping and vulnerability-resilience indicator were used to assess the interaction of a flood hazard and the socio-economic conditions of the people in the area. The Hydrologic Engineering Center Hydrologic Modelling System (HEC-HMS) and Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) modelling system was used to derive the synthetic hydrograph and delineated the inundated areas in the flood-prone barangays (village) of Santa Maria and Mabitac. The flood modelling predicted the flood depths in seven out of ten communities and delineated the inundated barangays of the two towns. The social vulnerability analysis indicated that Barangays (village) Jose Rizal, Masinao, Adia and Coralan in Santa Maria and Barangays San Antonio, Libis ng Nayon, Bayanihan, Pag-asa, Nanguma and Lambac in Mabitac are very vulnerable to flooding. The study revealed environment-related aspects that are helpful in reducing the impacts of flooding such as, strengthening the flood warning system and emergency response capacity through flood hazard zonation mapping and rehabilitation of the watershed in Santa Maria.

Flood Risk Analysis of Cultural Heritage Sites: Changgyeong Palace, Korea

Floods are recognized as one of the main risk factors to cultural heritage sites. However, flood risks in these areas are mainly considered in flood protection schemes from a civil engineering point of view. Changgyeong Palace is one of the major palaces of Seoul, Korea, and is home to the national architectural heritage. It experienced a flood on July 28, 2011, when extreme rainfall struck Seoul. This study examined the flood events at Changgyeong and analyzed the flood risk based on flood risk analysis models, using a map of the observed inundation. Flood risk analysis models, including Hydrologic Engineering Centre–Hydrologic Modeling System, Storm Water Management Model, and Geographic Information System, were used for further analysis of flood risk scenarios (100-, 200-, and 500-year return periods). The flood risk analysis carried out in this study revealed that flooding which occurred at Changgyeong Palace was due to an insufficient urban drainage network enclosing the site. The flood risk model was used to simulate possible flooding areas based on flood risk scenarios. Although the architectural heritage would be safe from inundation in all flood risk scenarios, the lower part of Changgyeong Palace has a high risk of flooding.

Optimization – Simulation Model for Detention Basin System Design

A model for the design of detention basin systems is presented that interfaces a simulated annealing (SA) optimization procedure with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s Hydrologic Engineering Center - Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS). The optimization model is based upon the simulated annealing method to optimize the size and location of detention basin system including the outlet structures subject to design constraints. The program is implemented in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) interfacing the simulated annealing model with the HEC-HMS model using an MS Excel environment. The respective result files are created by using a VBA executed Python script to extract the appropriate data from the HEC-HMS project DSS file after each simulation performed for the SA procedure. Example applications include a single detention basin system and multiple detention basin systems considering two scenarios. Though the implementation requires considerable computational effort with respect to the number of hydrologic simulations, simulated annealing proves to be an effective tool in the optimal design of detention basin systems as compared to traditional standards of practice.

Hydrological model calibration for derived flood frequency analysis using stochastic rainfall and probability distributions of peak flows

Abstract. Derived flood frequency analysis allows the estimation of design floods with hydrological modeling for poorly observed basins considering change and taking into account flood protection measures. There are several possible choices regarding precipitation input, discharge output and consequently the calibration of the model. The objective of this study is to compare different calibration strategies for a hydrological model considering various types of rainfall input and runoff output data sets and to propose the most suitable approach. Event based and continuous, observed hourly rainfall data as well as disaggregated daily rainfall and stochastically generated hourly rainfall data are used as input for the model. As output, short hourly and longer daily continuous flow time series as well as probability distributions of annual maximum peak flow series are employed. The performance of the strategies is evaluated using the obtained different model parameter sets for continuous simulation of discharge in an independent validation period and by comparing the model derived flood frequency distributions with the observed one. The investigations are carried out for three mesoscale catchments in northern Germany with the hydrological model HEC-HMS (Hydrologic Engineering Center's Hydrologic Modeling System). The results show that (I) the same type of precipitation input data should be used for calibration and application of the hydrological model, (II) a model calibrated using a small sample of extreme values works quite well for the simulation of continuous time series with moderate length but not vice versa, and (III) the best performance with small uncertainty is obtained when stochastic precipitation data and the observed probability distribution of peak flows are used for model calibration. This outcome suggests to calibrate a hydrological model directly on probability distributions of observed peak flows using stochastic rainfall as input if its purpose is the application for derived flood frequency analysis.

Rainfall-runoff modeling using Doppler weather radar data for Adyar watershed, India

Precipitation is a significant input for hydrologic models; so, it needs to be quantified precisely. The measurement with rain gauges gives the rainfall at a particular location, whereas the radar obtains instantaneous snapshots of electromagnetic backscatter from rain volumes that are then converted into rainfall via algorithms. It has been proved that the radar measurement of areal rainfall can outperform rain gauge network measurements, especially in remote areas where rain gauges are sparse, and remotely sensed satellite rainfall data are too inaccurate. The research focuses on a technique to improve rainfall-runoff modeling based on radar derived rainfall data for Adyar watershed, Chennai, India. A hydrologic model called ‘Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS)’ is used for simulating rainfall-runoff processes. CARTOSAT 30 m DEM is used for watershed delineation using HEC-GeoHMS. The Adyar watershed is within 100 km radius circle from the Doppler Weather Radar station, hence it has been chosen as the study area. The cyclonic storm Jal event from 4-8 November, 2010 period is selected for the study. The data for this period are collected from the Statistical Department, and the Cyclone Detection Radar Centre, Chennai, India. The results show that the runoff is over predicted using calibrated Doppler radar data in comparison with the point rainfall from rain gauge stations.

Flood Mitigation on Mithi River using Detention pond, Mumbai, India

Mumbai city having an area of 437sq km with a population of 12 million came to a complete halt due to the unprecedented rainfall of 944 mm during the 24 hours starting on 26 th July 2005; with 380 mm falling in just 3 hours between 14:30 to 17:30 and hourly rainfall exceeding 190 mm/hr. The severity of flood was such that it took 447 lives in Mumbai alone. The financial cost of flood was unprecedented and affected the entire commercial, trading, and industrial activity for 3 days. The present study uses the HEC-HMS 3.4 (Hydrologic Engineering Centre's-Hydrologic Modeling System) and HEC-RAS 4.0 (Hydrologic Engineering Centre's-River Analysis System). The flow and water surface depth have been simulated for various flood scenarios using the model HEC-HMS 3.4 and HEC-RAS 4.0 respectively for rainfall intensities varying from 25 mm/hr. to 200 mm/hr in increment of 25 mm/hr. Runoff and water surface depth at a upstream and downstream of detention pond have been obtained for various rainfall scenarious.. The simulation result shows maximum peak reduction of 21% by JVLR (Jogeshwari- Vikhroli link road) flood detention pond. It has been seen that efficiency of JVLR detention pond decreases as the rainfall intensity increases above 50 mm/hr. Accordingly this study can be used in flood forecasting for various rainfall scenarios, sustainable development and flood management plans of Mithi River catchment. Keywords: Urbanization, Flood, Mithi River, Flood detention pond, HEC-HMS 3.4, HEC-RAS 4.0.

Assessment of Water Availability under Climate Change Scenarios in Thailand

This paper investigates the potential impact of climate change on future water availability in Thailand. For this study, entire country was divided into nine Hydrological Response Units (HRUs) and the hydrological modeling was performed by Hydrologic Engineering Center’s Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) for each HRU using the future decadal climate data obtained from the Regional Climate Model (RCM) named Providing Regional Climates for Impact Studies (PRECIS) which was further bias corrected by using ratio method for two emission scenarios A2 and B2. The simulation shows that the water availability in the future decades at the different HRUs varies for the dry and wet season. In case of dry season, the coastal HRUs show a decline in water availability in the near future then tending to increase to the similar amount as of current situation in the late part of century. However, in case of wet season all the HRUs shows an increasing trend of water availability in future. Nonetheless, considering the whole country for dry season the water availability is expected to be decreased in the early part of the century followed by an increasing trend by the end of the century relative to current water availability for both scenarios. Similarly a univocal increasing trend of water availability is expected for wet season indicating the possibility increased frequency and intensity of floods.

Climate change, urban development, and community perception of an extreme flood: A case study of Vernonia, Oregon, USA

Extreme precipitation events and land development on floodplains have been an increasing concern for many regions throughout the world as they increase flood risks. Using the 2007 Vernonia flood in Oregon as a case, this research examined potential changes in future flood risks under the combined climate change and urban development scenarios. Research procedures included hydraulic modeling, social analysis, and scenario analysis. Physical modeling involved creating a model for the 2007 flood, analyzing the results using Hydrologic Engineering Center – Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS), predicting variation in watershed parameters, and creating accessible maps for the public. Social questionnaires were distributed throughout Vernonia, and the results were analyzed. Our results indicate that increasing urbanization and impervious surface resulted in a major increase in the severity of flooding, exacerbating flood damage by longer inundation time and higher peak flow. The social survey revealed key discrepancies between floodplain residents and non-floodplain residents. The communal strain on the flood victims is independent of whether they lived in the floodplain or not, while floodplain residents perceived higher economic strain, family strain, and physical damage than non-floodplain residents. The information obtained from residents' response to extreme floods, along with the successful reevaluation of flood modeling at a finer scale, buttress the applicability of our procedure for flood inundation studies to other areas. Such methodologies will enhance our ability to predict and mitigate the damaging effect of floods in a changing climate.

Assessment of the Melt Rate Function in a Temperature Index Snow Model Using Observed Data

AbstractTemperature index snowmelt models often require representation of a snowpack’s melt rate. Defining the melt rate as a function of an accumulated number of warming degree-days is achieved in some temperature index models through the antecedent temperature index–melt rate (ATIMR) function, and provides a reasonable method for adjusting the melt rate during the season. Modelers have typically relied on a default ATIMR function developed two decades ago. However, literature concerning the nature of this default function and how it was developed is largely nonexistent. This paper presents results of a comparison between the default ATIMR function and ATIMR functions computed from field data from two headwater stations within the American River watershed upstream of Folsom Lake, California. An error analysis was also performed using the site-specific data. Using the Hydrologic Engineering Center’s hydrologic modeling system (HEC-HMS), it was found that modeled results often varied dramatically between t...

Improving calibration of two key parameters in Hydrologic Engineering Center hydrologic modelling system, and analysing the influence of initial loss on flood peak flows

Parameter calibration is a key and difficult issue for a hydrological model. Taking the Jinjiang Xixi watershed of south-east China as the study area, we proposed methods to improve the calibration of two very sensitive parameters, Muskingum K and initial loss, in the Hydrologic Engineering Center hydrologic modelling system (HEC-HMS) model. Twenty-three rainstorm flood events occurring from 1972 to 1977 were used to calibrate the model using a trial-and-error approach, and a relationship between initial loss and initial discharge for these flood events was established; seven rainstorm events occurring from 1978 to 1979 were used to validate the two parameters. The influence of initial loss change on different return-period floods was evaluated. A fixed Muskingum K value, which was calibrated by assuming a flow wave velocity at 3 m/s, could be used to simulate a flood hydrograph, and the empirical power-function relationship between initial loss and initial discharge made the model more applicable for flood forecasting. The influence of initial loss on peak floods was significant but not identical for different flood levels, and the change rate of peak floods caused by the same initial loss change was more remarkable when the return period increased.

Climate change and water resources in the Bagmati River Basin, Nepal

This paper characterizes potential hydrological impact of future climate in the Bagmati River Basin, Nepal. For this research, basinwide future hydrology is simulated by using downscaled temperature and precipitation outputs from the Hadley Centre Coupled Model, version 3 (HadCM3), and the Hydrologic Engineering Center's Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS). It is predicted that temperature may rise maximally during the summer rather than winter for both A2 and B2 Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) scenarios. Precipitation may increase during the wet season, but it may decrease during other seasons for A2 scenario. For B2 scenario, precipitation may increase during all the seasons. Under the A2 scenario, premonsoon water availability may decrease more in the upper than the middle basin. During monsoons, both upper and middle basins show increased water availability. During the postmonsoon season, water availability may decrease in the upper part, while the middle part shows a mixed trend. Under the B2 scenario, water availability is expected to increase in the entire basin. The analysis of the projected hydrologic impact of climate change is expected to support informed decision-making for sustainable water management.

Modeling of Event and Continuous Flow Hydrographs with HEC–HMS: Case Study in the Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka

AbstractThis paper describes a case study of event and continuous hydrologic modeling in the Kelani River basin in Sri Lanka using the Hydrologic Engineering Center—Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC–HMS). An extremely high rainfall event in November 2005 was used to calibrate model parameters, and extremely high rainfall events in April–May 2008, May–June 2008, and May 2010 were used to validate the event model. The calibrated, direct runoff and base flow parameters were then used in the continuous hydrologic model. The Green and Ampt infiltration loss method was used to account for infiltration loss in event-based modeling and a five-layer soil moisture accounting loss method was employed in continuous modeling. The Clark unit hydrograph method and the recession base flow method were used to simulate direct runoff and base flow, respectively. The results depict the capability of HEC–HMS to reproduce streamflows in the basin to a high accuracy with averaged computed Nash–Sutcliffe efficiencies of 0.91 for e...

Evaluating the impacts of watershed management on runoff storage and peak flow in Gav-Darreh watershed, Kurdistan, Iran

Recently, water and soil resource competition and environmental degradation due to inadequate management practices have been increased and pose difficult problems for resource managers. Numerous watershed practices currently being implemented for runoff storage and flood control purposes have improved hydrologic conditions in watersheds and enhanced the establishment of riparian vegetation. The assessment of proposed management options increases management efficiency. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of watershed managements on runoff storage and peak flow, and determine the land use and cover dynamics that it has induced in Gav-Darreh watershed, Kurdistan, Iran. The watershed area is 6.27 km2 which has been subjected to non-structural and structural measures. The implemented management practices and its impact on land use and cover were assessed by integrating field observation and geographic information systems (GIS). The data were used to derive the volume of retained water and determine reduction in peak flow. The hydrology of the watershed was modeled using the Hydrologic Engineering Center–Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC–HMS) model, and watershed changes were quantified through field work. Actual storms were used to calibrate and validate HEC–HMS rainfall–runoff model. The calibrated HEC–HMS model was used to simulate pre- and post-management conditions in the watershed. The results derived from field observation and HEC–HMS model showed that the practices had significant impacts on the runoff storage and peak flow reduction.

Application of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar data for extraction of soil moisture and its use in hydrological modelling at Gottleuba Catchment, Saxony, Germany

AbstractHydrological modelling is a powerful tool for hydrologists and engineers involved in the planning and management of water resources. With the recent advent of computational power and the growing availability of spatial data, remote sensing and geographical information systems technologies can augment to a great extent the conventional methods used in rainfall run‐off studies. That means it is possible to accurately describe the characteristics of watershed in particularly when determining the run‐off response to rainfall inputs. The main objective of this study is to apply the potential application of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data (i.e. TerraSAR‐X and Advanced Land Observing Satellite/Phased Array type L‐band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS PALSAR) for soil moisture retrieval) and to improve the spatial input parameters required for hydrological modelling. For the spatial database creation, a high‐resolution 2‐m aerial laser scanning digital terrain model, soil map, and land use map were used. Rainfall records were transformed into a run‐off through hydrological parameterisation of the watershed using Hydrologic Engineering Center's Hydrologic Modelling System (HEC‐HMS) software for rainfall run‐off simulation. The Soil Conservation Services Curve Number and soil moisture accounting loss methods were selected to calculate the infiltration losses. In this research, soil moisture was derived from two different types of spaceborne SAR data: TerraSAR‐X and ALOS PALSAR (L‐band). The developed integrated hydrological model was applied to a flood prone area: Gottleuba Catchment in Pirna (Saxony, Germany). For model validation, 10 years historical precipitation data were used. The validated model was further optimised using the extracted soil moisture from SAR data. The simulation results showed a reasonable match between the simulated and the observed hydrographs. Hence, this paper confirms that TerraSAR‐X and ALOS PALSAR (L‐band) have a high potential for soil moisture mapping as a useful source of information and technique in hydrological modelling.

Continuous Hydrologic Modeling of Snow-Affected Watersheds in the Great Lakes Basin Using HEC-HMS

To reproduce historical stream flows, climate and land-use change studies require watershed models with physically based parameters, rather than empirical models that are simply calibrated. With this in mind, soil moisture accounting and the temperature index (degree-day) snowmelt models embodied in the Hydrologic Engineering Center's hydrologic modeling system (HEC-HMS) are applied to three Great Lakes watersheds—Kalamazoo, Maumee, and St. Louis—with different climatic and land-use characteristics. Watershed and subwatershed models are calibrated and validated on a daily time step using gauge precipitation measurements, observed snow water equiv- alent data, and physically based parameters estimated using geospatial databases. Results are compared with area-scaled outputs from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) large basin runoff model (LBRM) for historical conditions. The results show modest improvements resulting from the increased spatial resolution of the HEC-HMS models, in addition to the benefits of the more process- based snow algorithm in HEC-HMS, particularly for the snow-dominated St. Louis watershed. However, both LBRM and HEC-HMS models had difficulty reproducing peaks in late winter and early spring runoff, and discrepancies could not be attributed to any systematic errors in the snowmelt models. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0000591. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Hydrologic models; Snow; Calibration; Runoff; Great Lakes; Watersheds. Author keywords: Hydrologic modeling; Snow modeling; Calibration; Hydrologic Engineering Center's hydrologic modeling system (HEC-HMS); Snow water equivalent; Large basin runoff model; Great Lakes; Runoff.