Community-Based Hydrological Modeling for Flood Mitigation in Centerville, IL
Abstract
Residents of Centreville, Illinois have been facing severe flooding for years resulting in damages of homes and municipal infrastructure. Flooding in the community may be overwhelming the combined sewer system, resulting in sewage overflows and potentially compromised drinking water quality. This work presents a community-based approach in hydrological modeling paired with a two-dimensional hydraulic model for flood simulation. The approach involves two steps of (1) collaborative and community-based data collection, and (2) two-dimensional (2D) flood modeling. Collaboration with the residents of Centreville was established for data collection and flood monitoring, with residents aiding in the identification of areas prone to flooding. These areas were then instrumented with time lapse cameras and pressure transducers. We developed a HEC-RAS (2D) model to explore the conditions leading to flooding in the community. The model was calibrated using measured depths and precipitation data for a rain event that lasted from the 18-23 March 2021. Following calibration, we used the model to evaluate the susceptibility of Centreville to flooding under low to moderate (<10 mm/hr) precipitation. We also explored the connectivity between flooded areas after the precipitation and compared results to observations from the resident-guided array of time-lapse cameras. The developed model can help with the flood risk analysis and can serve as a base for mitigation practices in Centreville, Illinois. In addition, the model provides impactful insights into landscape evolution and its effects on the flooding problems in the study area.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2021
- Bibcode:
- 2021AGUFMEP55A1046C