Combined flood routing and flood level forecasting

Abstract

This paper presents a proposed modeling approach which uses unsteady flow hydraulic modeling for both flood routing and flood level determination. The onerous data requirements of hydraulic models in the flood routing application are overcome through the use of a "limited geometry" approach to describe channel geometry. In populated areas, where flood levels are needed, the model employs full cross section geometry. This hybrid model offers the advantage of operationally combining the flood routing and the determination of the flood level. In addition, the use of a hydraulic model opens up the potential for modeling more dynamic flood events such as ice jam release surges, which cannot be handled by traditional hydrological modeling approaches.Key words: flood routing, flood delineation, finite element modeling, Peace River.