Hydraulic Modeling and Flood Risks

The EU course “Hydrological/Hydraulic Modeling and Flood Risks” examines the phenomena of flood genesis, flood propagation, and flooding. The module aims to enable students to acquire skills in hydrological and hydraulic modeling of these processes at the watershed and river scales:

1) The function of the system designed to separate rainwater into runoff and infiltration;

2) The transfer function on slopes and through the hydrological network, as well as overflow and flooding;

3) The creation of a list of projects and a summary hydrograph;

4) Applications of hydrological and hydraulic flood models.

The EU program also includes a field day (on-site data collection for hydrological and hydraulic modeling, and on-site flood risk analysis).

The tutorials focus on practical applications involving watersheds and watercourses in France and abroad, using spatialized hydrological flood models (e.g., ATHYS, MHYDAS) and hydraulic models (HEC-RAS, Diffuse Wave, Kinematic Wave, etc.): analysis of rainfall/discharge data, use of hydrological/hydraulic models, model parameterization, calibration, and validation, and analysis of the impact of development scenarios (levees, dams, etc.).

This course unit should enable students to: 

• to acquire the tools needed to model basic flood processes: runoff generation, flood propagation, flooding, the impact of infrastructure, etc.
• to develop and use a spatialized hydrological and/or hydraulic model at the watershed or river scale (e.g., ATHYS, MHYDAS, HEC-RAS, etc.).
• to predict the behavior of a watercourse in response to various hydrological drivers, to analyze flood propagation, to determine the floodplain, and to assess the sensitivity of the model’s response to parameters and drivers.
• to implement a flood risk assessment methodology (e.g., the “Inondabilité” and “SOCOSE” methods developed by Cemagref) and use it to potentially mitigate risk in exposed areas.
• to write a summary report on a micro-project and to present the work carried out and a summary of it during a group presentation.

• General Hydrology
• Free-Surface Hydraulics
• Modeling
• Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

• Write a summary report on a micro-project based on the tutorials completed.
• Oral presentation of the work completed during a group defense.

The module includes:

1. The yield function used to distinguish between stormwater runoff and infiltration (e.g., the Richards, Green and Ampt, and Horton models, etc.);
2. The transfer and routing functions in a river system: Saint-Venant equations, spreading wave, kinematic wave, unit hydrograph, Muskingum model, overflow;
3. Development of a project matrix and a summary hydrograph (using Cemagref’s “Inondabilité” and “SOCOSE” methods); 4. Sensitivity analysis, criterion function, parameterization, calibration, and validation of hydrological and hydraulic flood models.

The EU program also includes a field day: surveying a watercourse and its potential flood zone, collecting on-site data for hydrological and hydraulic modeling, and conducting an on-site analysis of flood risk. 

The tutorials focus on practical applications involving watersheds and watercourses in France and abroad, using spatialized hydrological models (e.g., ATHYS, MHYDAS) and hydraulic models (HEC-RAS, diffusive wave, kinematic wave, etc.): analysis of rainfall/discharge data, use of hydrological/hydraulic models, model parameterization, calibration, and validation, and analysis of the impact of development scenarios (levees, dams, etc.).