If you’re dealing with an aging dam (or looking to build a new one), one of the first things you’ll need is hydraulic modeling and analysis. Hydraulic analyses are used to determine the flow depth, velocity and forces on the surface of the water and at the dam site itself. Hydraulic modeling allows us to predict flow behavior, determine the static and dynamic loading that needs to go into its structures, and predict the effects of natural floods and/or possible dam failure on the downstream environment. It also allows us to assess what level of erosion the dam might create, both along the river channel and around the hydraulic structures themselves.

Here at Aqua Geomatics we provide a high level of expertise combined with a wide array of modeling tools and analysis techniques. All of our models have been used and accepted as an industry standard in this field, and taken together, the 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional models we use effectively simulate the flow and transport in a given river system. We then supplement the data we receive from our models with focused field investigations, Geographic Information  System (GIS), pre- and post-processing tools, and animation and visualization routines. If needed, we’ll even custom-tailor software packages to meet your needs. For flood and dam break inundation projects specifically, we have a number of modeling packages available. HEC-2, HEC-RAS, UNET, FLO-2D, MIKE 11, MIKE 21, Tuflow, DAMBRK, FLDWAV. Taken together, this information will not only allow you to conduct a hydraulic study on an existing dam structure, it will also aid in developing an emergency preparedness and response plan.

Our services include:

  • Reservoir systems 
  • Open channel flow 
  • Overland flood routing
  • Hydraulic structure modeling
  • Dam rating curves of discharge appurtenances
  • Dam break simulations
  • Surface water exchange
  • Erosion study
  • Risk Analysis

Models and analysis techniques used:

  • Steady flow, one-dimensional: HEC-2, HEC-RAS, pipe and culvert flow hydraulics
  • Unsteady flow, one-dimensional: HEC-RAS, UNET
  • Unsteady flow, two-dimensional: FLO-2D, HEC-RAS
  • MIKE 11, MIKE 21, Tuflow, DAMBRK, FLDWAV