The stakeholder-derived flood mitigation strategy consists of placing new hydraulic infrastructure in addition to the current flood controls in the basin. This is done by simulating three scenarios: (1) evaluate the impact of the current structure, (2) implementing a large dam similar to the Rompepicos dam and (3) the inclusion of three small detention dams. These mitigation strategies are assessed in the context of a major flood event caused by the landfall of Hurricane Alex in July 2010 through a consistent application of the two modeling tools. To do so, spatial information on topography, soil, land cover and meteorological forcing were assembled, quality-controlled and input into each model. Calibration was performed for each model based on streamflow observations and maximum observed reservoir levels from the National Water Commission in Mexico.
Simulation analyses focuses on the differential capability of the two models in capturing the spatial variability in rainfall, topographic conditions, soil hydraulic properties and its effect on the flood response in the presence of the different flood mitigation structures. The implementation of new hydraulic infrastructure is shown to have a positive impact on mitigating the flood peak with a more favorable reduction in the peak at the outlet from the larger dam (16.5% in tRIBS and 23% in HEC-HMS) than the collective effect from the small structures (12% in tRIBS and 10% in HEC-HMS). Furthermore, flood peak mitigation depends strongly on the number and locations of the new dam sites in relation to the spatial distribution of rainfall and flood generation. Comparison of the two modeling approaches complements the analysis of available observations for the flood event and provides a framework within which to derive a multi-model approach for stakeholder-driven solutions.
The EPICS program, an acronym for Engineering Projects in Community Service, provides students an opportunity to create engineering solutions to “real world” problems. This honors thesis project is a collaboration with the EPICS program, the Vietnam Smart Agriculture EPICS team, and the Da Nang University of Technology (DUT) in Da Nang, Vietnam. The goal of the Vietnam Smart Agriculture EPICS team is to design an accessible system to reduce water consumption for Vietnamese small farmers through the use of smart agriculture technology. In January of 2023, my EPICS team and I were able to travel and interview five farmers in the Tra Que Farm to complete a needs assessment. The focus of this thesis project is to provide background research and to complete a feasibility study to aid the Vietnam Smart Agriculture EPICS team in developing a smart agriculture device to aid small farmers with overwatering. The thesis includes a literature review investigating solutions for evaluating the water needs of crops, delves into insights gathered from interviews with Vietnamese small farmers, and data collected from their farms.
The process-based calibration strategy utilized in this work provides a new approach to identify areas of structural improvement for WRF-Hydro and the NWM.