Example 6 Floodway Determination

E X A M P L E 6

Floodway Determination


Purpose

This example demonstrates the use of HEC-RAS to perform a floodplain
encroachment analysis. Floodplain and floodway evaluations are of
substantial interest to planners, land developers, and engineers, and are the
basis for floodplain management programs. Most of the studies are
conducted under the National Flood Insurance Program and follow the
procedures in the "Flood Insurance Study Guidelines and Specifications for
Study Contractors," FEMA 37 (Federal Emergency Management Agency,
1985).

FEMA 37 defines a floodway "...as the channel of a river or other
watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to
discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water-surface
elevation by more than a designated height." Normally, the base flood is the
one-percent chance event (100-year recurrence interval), and the designated
height is one foot, unless the state has established a more stringent regulation
for maximum rise. The floodway is usually determined by an encroachment
analysis, using an equal loss of conveyance on opposite sides of the stream.
For purposes of floodway analysis, the floodplain fringe removed by the
encroachments is assumed to be completely blocked.

For this example, the floodplain encroachment analysis was performed to
determine the maximum encroachment possible, constrained by a 1 foot
maximum increase in water surface elevation from the natural profile. The
geometric data used in this example are identical to the cross-section and
bridge geometric data used in Example 2.

To review the data files for the current example, from the main program
window select File and then Open Project. Select the project labeled
"Floodway Determination - Example 6." This will open the project and
activate the following files:

Plan: "Method 5 Encroachment"
Geometry: "Existing Conditions"
Flow: "Base + 1 ft Target Depth"

6-1
Example 6 Floodway Determination
Floodplain Encroachment Analysis Procedure

Currently, the HEC-RAS program has 5 methods to determine floodplain
encroachments. These methods are:

Method 1 - User enters right and left encroachment stations
Method 2 - User enters fixed top width
Method 3 - User specifies the percent reduction in conveyance
Method 4 - User specifies a target water surface increase
Method 5 - User specifies a target water surface increase and
maximum change in energy

For a detailed discussion on each of these methods, the user is referred to
Chapter 9 of the Hydraulic Reference Manual.


Floodway Fringe
Floodway
100 - Year Floodplain
Floodway Fringe
Main
Channel
Natural Water Surface
Water Surface
Cross Section
View
Plan View
Encroached Water Surface
The goal of performing a floodplain encroachment analysis is to determine
the limits of encroachment that will cause a specified change in water surface
elevation. To determine the change in water surface elevation, the program
must first determine a natural profile with no encroachments. This base
profile is typically computed using the one percent chance discharge. The
computed profile will define the floodplain, as shown in Figure 6.1. Then, by
using one of the 5 encroachment methods, the floodplain will be divided into






















Figure 6.1 Floodway Definition Sketch





6-2
Example 6 Floodway Determination
two zones: the floodway fringe and the floodway. The floodway fringe is the
area blocked by the encroachment. The floodway is the remaining portion of
the floodplain in which the one-percent chance event must flow without
raising the water surface more than the target amount.

For this example, the following procedure was employed to perform the
encroachment analysis:

Determine the 100-year flood profile
Method 5 optimization procedure
Method 4 - with 3 target depths
Method 4 - with 1 target depth
Method 1 - final delineation of floodway
Review of floodway delineation sketch

To perform the floodplain encroachment analysis for this example, the first
step was to develop a model of the river reach that would compute the 100-
year flood profile. This model must be developed and calibrated to the fullest
extent possible because it defines the base flood elevations and all subsequent
calculations will be based upon this profile. This was accomplished in
Example 2.

After the base profile was computed, the Method 5 procedure was chosen as
an initial attempt to calculate the encroachments. Method 5 will typically
calculate reasonable encroachment stations for "well behaved" streams. That
is, for streams that exhibit minor changes in cross section geometry and have
small losses due to bridges and culverts. If the river reach has abrupt changes
in geometry or orientation, contains a flow controlling structure, or the
encroachments encounter the main channel bank stations, then Method 5 may
produce erratic results at these locations.

If Method 5 produces inconsistent results, then Method 4 may be utilized.
Method 4 is frequently used for a floodplain encroachment analysis. The
initial approach is to use this method with several target water surface
increases.

Finally, after the results are obtained from the Method 4 analysis, Method 1
was used to further refine the encroachment stations. The modeler should
sketch the floodway on a topographic map to visually inspect the floodway
and allow for smooth transitions. The computed floodway is considered
preliminary, in that the regulating community must approve and adopt.

Each of these steps, as performed for this example, are discussed in detail in
the following sections.






6-3
Example 6 Floodway Determination
Base Flood Profile

To perform the floodway analysis, the user must first determine the natural
(existing conditions) 100-year flood water surface profile for the river reach.
Therefore, a model of the existing river system must first be developed and
calibrated to the fullest extent possible.

For this current example, the river reach and bridge geometric data of
Example 2 were used. During Example 2, the HEC-RAS program was used
to develop a calibrated model of the "Kentwood" Reach of Beaver Creek for a
flow of 14000 cfs. During the analysis of that flood event, it was determined
that the pressure/weir method produced water surface values that were
comparable to the observed data. Verification that the model is adequately
modeling the river system is an important step before starting the floodway
analysis. For this example, the pressure/weir geometry file from Example 2
was used. This file was renamed to be "Existing Conditions" and was used
for all of the plans developed here.


Method 5 Optimization Procedure

In general, when performing a floodway analysis, encroachment Methods 4
and 5 are normally used to get a first cut at the floodway. For this example,
Method 5 was used as an initial attempt to determine the encroachment
stations. Encroachment Method 5 is an optimization scheme that will use a
target increase in the water surface elevation and/or a maximum limit for the
increase in energy to obtain the encroachment stations. The program will
attempt to meet the target water surface while maintaining an increase in
energy that is less than the maximum.

Method 5 Steady Flow Data

To perform the Method 5 encroachment analysis, the flow data were first
entered. From the main program window, select Edit and then Steady Flow
Data. This activated the Steady Flow Data Editor. For the Method 5
analysis, 2 water surface profiles were chosen to be calculated. The first
profile was used to determine the base profile and the second profile was used
to determine the encroached profile. The flow values for both of the profiles
were entered as 14000 cfs, the flow value that the model was calibrated.
Then, the Boundary Conditions icon was selected and the Downstream
Known Water Surface elevations were entered as 211.8 and 212.8. The first
downstream boundary condition (211.8) was determined during Example 2.
The second downstream boundary condition (212.8) was set at 1 foot higher
to coincide with the maximum possible change in downstream water surface
elevation. This accounted for the possibility of future encroachments
downstream of the modeled reach. Finally, the steady flow data was saved as
"Base + 1 ft Target Depth."


6-4
Example 6 Floodway Determination
Method 5 Encroachment Data

To enter the data for encroachment Method 5, from the main program
window select Run, Steady Flow Analysis, Options, and then
Encroachments. This will activate the Encroachments Data Editor as
shown in Figure 6.2. The editor and the entering of data is divided into the
following sections: global information; reach and river station information;
and method and target values. The following sections describe each of the
data entry items. For a further discussion of the data entry procedure, the user
is referred to Chapter 9 of the User's Manual.


Figure 6.2 Encroachment Data Editor Method 5 Analysis


Global Information. The global information is applied to all of the reaches
and cross sections that will be selected for the analysis. The first input for the
global information is the Equal Conveyance Reduction box. If this box is
selected, then the program will encroach by simultaneously removing an
equal amount of conveyance on both sides of the main channel. As the
amount of conveyance is removed, if one of the encroachments reaches the
main channel bank station (or the offset), then the program will continue to
encroach on the other side until the target values are obtained or until the
encroachment on the other side reaches the main channel bank station (or the
offset). If the equal conveyance box is not selected, then the program will
encroach by maintaining a loss of conveyance in proportion to the distribution
of the natural overbank conveyance. The equal conveyance reduction applies
6-5
Example 6 Floodway Determination
to Methods 3, 4, and 5; and, for this example, the option was selected.

The next global information items are the Left bank offset and the Right
bank offset. These offsets limit the distance of the encroachments. Without
an offset, encroachments can go up to the bank stations, eliminating the entire
overbank. For this example, the offsets were set to be 10 feet for both the left
and right bank. Therefore, the limit of encroachment was 10 feet to the left of
the left channel bank station and 10 feet to the right of the right channel bank
station.

Reach and River Station Information. The next items to select in the
encroachments editor are the River and Reach that will be analyzed. For this
example, there is only one river and reach: the "Kentwood" reach on the river
"Beaver Creek." Next, the Starting River Station and Ending River
Station were entered. The analysis was set to begin at river station 5.99 and
end at river station 5.00, the entire river reach. Finally, the Profile was
selected. For a Method 5 analysis, only 2 profiles are necessary. The first
profile will be used to determine the base water surface profile and cannot be
selected in the encroachments data editor. The second profile is selected to
be used for the Method 5 analysis.

Method and Target Values. Method 5 was selected for this analysis.
When a method is selected, the data entry fields required for that method will
appear immediately under the method field. For Method 5, the fields Target
WS change (ft) and Target EG change (ft) appeared. A target water surface
change of 1.0 foot and a target energy change of 1.2 feet were entered.
Typically, the energy target will be chosen to be slightly greater than the
water surface target. The energy target will act as an upper limit during the
iterations to prevent the encroachment from getting very large.

The next step is to select the range of the river reach that will be analyzed, for
the target values that were entered. For this example, the Set Selected Range
button was selected and this applied Method 5 and the chosen targets to the
selected range of river stations 5.99 to 5.00 for the Beaver Creek reach. By
selecting this button, the fields in the table were filled with the corresponding
method and values. In the table, since Method 5 was selected, the heading
Value 1 corresponds to the target water surface change and Value 2
corresponds to the target energy change. When other methods are selected,
the value 1 and value 2 columns will represent the specific data input items
for the method. (Note: Some methods only require 1 value.) As a final note,
the user can now edit the data table and change any of the methods and value
items for any specific river station. For this example, the table was not edited
at this time.

The OK button was then selected at the bottom of the encroachment editor.
This prompted the Steady Flow Analysis Window to appear. Then the
geometry file "Existing Conditions" and the steady flow file "Base + 1 ft
Target Depth" were saved as the plan "Method 5 Encroachment." Finally, the
Short ID was entered as "M5" and the COMPUTE button was selected for
the subcritical flow analysis.
6-6
Example 6 Floodway Determination
Method 5 Output Review

The output of the encroachment analysis can be viewed both graphically and
in tabular format. For this analysis, the encroachment data tables were
reviewed. From the main program window, select View, Profile Summary
Table, and then Std. Tables. The program generates 3 encroachment tables,
with each table providing some of the same information and additional data.
For this analysis, select Encroachment 1. A portion of this table is shown in
Figure 6.3. The figure displays the bottom portion of the table.

The table is divided into sets of rows, with each set containing two rows. The
first row in each set is for the un-encroached profile and the second row is for
the encroached profile. Columns one and two show the reach and river
stations and the third column shows the calculated water surface elevation.
The fourth column shows the difference between the first profile and each of
the encroached profiles. Starting at river station 5.00 (at the bottom of the
table), the difference in the water surface elevations for the encroached
profile is 1 foot because the downstream boundary condition set the elevation
change of 1 foot.

Review of the method 5 results shows that the method provided reasonable
results up to the bridge to river station 5.39. However, at the bridge the
method produced a negative surcharge. Further upstream, the encroachment
method produced results up to the 1.0 foot allowable rise. This method had
difficulty determining the encroachments around the bridge because the
bridge hydraulics performed like a local control. This will be discussed
further in the Method 4 analysis.

From the analysis of the Method 5 output, it was determined that the results
were not acceptable upstream of the bridge and an alternate procedure should
be then undertaken. The results from Method 5 up to the bridge could be
used as a starting point for future analysis with a different method.


















6-7
Example 6 Floodway Determination


Figure 6.3 Encroachment Table 1 for Method 5 Analysis




Method 4 Encroachment Analysis - Trial 1

An alternative approach to perform the encroachment analysis is to use
Method 4. The Method 4 analysis is similar to Method 5, without the
iterative solution technique. To perform the Method 4 analysis, the program
uses the following procedure:

1) First, the program computes the base water surface profile by using the
data from the first profile in the steady flow data editor. With this profile, the
program calculates (among other parameters) the water surface profile and
the conveyance for each river station.

2) For the second profile, starting at the first river station, the program takes
the user supplied target water surface increase and adds this value to the base
water surface elevation. With the increased water surface elevation, the
program calculates the new conveyance at this river station. (Note: The first
river station is located at the downstream end of the river system for a
subcritical flow analysis.)

3) The program then determines the increase in conveyance between the base
profile and the increased water surface profile. One half of this increase in
conveyance will be removed from each side of the cross section fringe, if the
6-8
Example 6 Floodway Determination
equal conveyance option was selected. If the equal conveyance option was
not selected, then the program will remove the conveyance from both sides in
proportion to the natural conveyance. In either case, the difference of
conveyance will be removed from the cross section, if possible.

4) To remove the conveyance, the program starts at the limits of the increased
water surface profile and encroaches on both sides towards the main channel.
As the conveyance is removed from both sides, the program checks to
determine if the encroachment has reached the main channel bank station (or
the offset) on that side. If the main channel bank station (or offset) is
encountered, then the program will stop encroaching on that side and will
make up the difference on the other side. If the encroachment on the other
side encounters the main channel bank station (or offset), then the program
can no longer continue to encroach.

5) Once the increase in conveyance has been removed from the cross section,
with the higher water surface elevation, the encroachment stations are set.
Also, the conveyance at the cross section with the higher water surface is now
the same as the original conveyance at the cross section (if possible). Then
the program uses the new geometry of the encroached cross section to
determine the depth of flow at that cross section. Since the geometry of this
river station has changed, the value of the friction slope and velocity head
will change. Also, the magnitude of the expansion or contraction losses will
change. Therefore, when the program calculates the water surface elevation
with the new geometry, the depth of flow will typically be different than the
target value entered by the user. In other words, even though the total
conveyance is the same at this river station, the geometry, friction slope, and
energy losses are different and this will produce a different flow depth at this
river station. Often, the resulting depth of flow will be greater than the target
increase in water surface elevation. Therefore, the first run with Method 4 is
typically applied with several target values, usually smaller than the
maximum increase.

6) The program then moves to the next river station and steps 2 through 5 are
repeated. This process continues until the last river station is evaluated.


Method 4 Steady Flow Data - Trial 1

To perform the Method 4 encroachment analysis, the flow data was first
entered. The Steady Flow Data Editor was activated and 4 water surface
profiles were chosen to be calculated. The first profile is still the base profile.
The second, third and fourth profiles were used to determine the encroached
profiles with different target depths. The flow values for all of the profiles
were entered as 14000 cfs, the 1 percent chance flood event. Then, the
Boundary Conditions icon was selected and the Downstream Known

Water Surface elevations were entered as 211.8, 212.8, 212.8, and 212.8.
The first downstream boundary condition (211.8) was determined during
Example 2. The other downstream boundary conditions (212.8) were set 1
6-9
Example 6 Floodway Determination
foot higher to coincide with the maximum possible change in downstream
water surface elevation. This accounted for the possibility of future
encroachments downstream of the modeled reach. Finally, the steady flow
data was saved as "Base + 3 Target Depths."

Method 4 Encroachment Data - Trial 1

The Method 4 encroachment data were then entered, similar to that for
Method 5. First, the Encroachment Data Editor was selected from the
Options menu of the Steady Flow Analysis window. The encroachment
editor is shown in Figure 6.4. Then, the global information of equal
conveyance reduction and a 10 foot left and right offset were selected. The
reach was selected as "Kentwood" and the starting and ending river stations
were set as 5.99 and 5.00, respectively. Next, profile 2 and Method 4 were
selected. Since Method 4 was chosen, this caused the data entry box Target
WS change (ft) to appear. A target value of 0.8 feet was then entered and
the Set Selected Range button was chosen. This filled in the table with the
Method 4 and 0.8 foot change in water surface for the entire reach. Finally,
the target value for river station 5.00 was changed to 1.0 foot. This will
assume that the encroachment matched the target water surface of the
downstream boundary condition. If the modeler is aware of the actual water
surface increase at this river station (from other encroachment analyses), then
this value should be used. Typically, this information is not known and
therefore the modeler should include river stations below the area of interest
so that the boundary conditions do not effect the region of the study.

Next, Profile 3 was selected by depressing the down arrow adjacent to the
profile field. Then Method 4 was chosen and a Target WS change (ft) of
0.9 feet was entered. The Set Selected Range button was selected and this
filled in the table with Method 4 and target values of 0.9 feet for the selected
range. Then, the target value at river station 5.00 was changed to 1.0 foot, as
performed previously. This procedure was repeated once more with the
fourth profile for Method 4 and a target water surface change of 1.0 foot. The
user should note that this method only requires one data input item and,
therefore, the data will appear under "Value 1" of the table. The OK button
was then selected to close the encroachment editor.

Finally, the geometry file "Existing Conditions" and the steady flow data file
"Base + 3 Target Depths" were saved as a plan entitled "Method 4
Encroachment - Trial 1." The Short ID in the Steady Flow Analysis
Window was entered as "M4 - Trial 1." This identification will assist the
user when analyzing the output. Then, the COMPUTE button was selected
to perform the calculations.
6-10
Example 6 Floodway Determination


Figure 6.4 Encroachment Data Editor for Method 4 Trial 1



Method 4 Output - Trial 1

To review the output, the Encroachment 1 table was selected and a portion
of this table is shown as Figure 6.5. For each river station, there are four rows
of data in the table. The first row is for the natural, un-encroached profile.
The second, third, and fourth rows are for the second, third, and fourth
profiles. These profiles were set with target values of 0.8, 0.9, and 1.0 foot,
respectively (except for the first river station which had a constant target of
1.0 foot). The first non-fixed column of the table shows the water surface
elevation for each profile. The second column displays the change in water
surface from the natural profile for the encroached river station. Additional
column headings show the calculated value of the energy gradeline, flow,
calculated encroachment stations (by toggling to the right in the table), etc.
Depending upon the required information, the user can select one of three
encroachment tables. Further discussion of the encroachment tables is
presented in Chapter 9 of the User's Manual.





6-11
Example 6 Floodway Determination


Figure 6.5 Encroachment Table 1 for Method 4 Trial 1


For this review of the first run of Method 4, the main concern is with the
change in water surface elevation. The encroachment process and resulting
water surface elevations were determined using the 6 steps as described
previously at the beginning of this section. For river station 5.00, the change
in water surface was 1.0 foot for all of the target values because the
downstream boundary conditions were set to be 1 foot higher than the base
profile. At river station 5.13, the changes in water surface were 0.94, 0.97,
and 1.01 feet for the target values of 0.8, 0.9, and 1.0 feet. This shows that
the actual resulting water surface is generally greater than the target values.
Further review of the table shows the various resulting water surface
elevations for the target depths.

To continue the encroachment analysis process, a Method 4 analysis was
again calculated, however this was performed with only 1 target depth for
each river station. The target depths that were used in the subsequent analysis
were the target depths that resulted in a water surface change as close to 1
foot without exceeding 1 foot. For example, at river station 5.13, the
resulting change in water surface that is as close to 1 foot as possible without
exceeding 1 foot is 0.97 feet. This value was obtained from a target increase
of 0.9 feet from the third profile. Therefore, for the next trial, a target value
of 0.9 was used at river station 5.13. Likewise, a target of 0.80 was used at
river station 5.24* because this target yielded a change in water surface of
0.94 feet. Table 6.1 shows the values that were used for the subsequent
analysis.



6-12
Example 6 Floodway Determination
Table 6.1 Selected Target Values

Station Target WS from Trial 1
5.99
5.875*
5.76
5.685*
5.61
5.49*
5.41
5.40 (Bridge)
5.39
5.24*
5.13
5.065*
5.00
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.0
0.86
0.67
0.58
0.52
0.49
0.43
0.17
0.17
0.95
0.94
0.97
1.00
1.00


It should be noted that for the bridge river station (5.40), the user can only
enter one target value into the encroachment data editor. Therefore, only one
target value appears in Table 6.1. Additionally, since the pressure/weir
option is being used as the high flow analysis method, the program will use
the encroachments calculated at river station 5.39 as the encroachments for
river stations 5.40 and 5.41. This will be discussed further in the proceeding
section and additional discussion is provided in Chapter 9 of the Hydraulic
Reference Manual.


Method 4 Encroachment Analysis - Trial 2

The next step to define the encroachments was to again use a Method 4
analysis, but with only 1 target depth for each river station. To perform the
analysis, a steady flow data file was first developed and then the
encroachment data were entered. Finally, this section will review the output
from the second run using the Method 4 analysis.

Method 4 Steady Flow Data - Trial 2

Since this analysis only requires two profiles, the steady flow data file as
developed for the Method 5 analysis was used. This file, "Base + 1 ft Target
Depth," included only 2 profiles (14000 cfs each) and had the downstream
known water surface boundary conditions set at 211.8 and 212.8 feet.






6-13
Example 6 Floodway Determination
Method 4 Encroachment Data - Trial 2

To enter the data for the second Method 4 analysis, the Encroachment Data
Editor was activated from the Steady Flow Analysis Window. This
encroachment editor is shown in Figure 6.6. As entered previously, the equal
conveyance option was selected and a left and right offset of 10 feet were
entered. The reach of "Kentwood" was selected (the only reach in this
example) and the starting and ending river stations were 5.99 and 5.00,
respectively, which included the entire river reach. Then the profile was
selected as 2 (since the first profile is used to calculate the base profile).

For this analysis, Method 4 was selected for each river station and the target
water surface values for each river station were obtained from Table 6.1, as
discussed previously. At this point, the user can enter the data directly into
the table. A 4 was placed adjacent to each river station under the "Method"
column and the target values for each river station were entered directly into
the table under "Value 1," a portion of which is shown in Figure 6.6. (The
remaining values can be observed by using the toggle arrows on the right side
of the editor.) Finally, the OK button was selected to exit the data editor.




Figure 6.6 Encroachment Data Editor for Method 4 Trial 2



6-14
Example 6 Floodway Determination
A new plan was created with the geometry data file "Existing Conditions"
and the steady flow data file "Base + 1 ft Target Depth." These files were
saved as the plan "Method 4 Encroachment - Trial 2." The Short ID was
entered as "M4 - Trial 2" and the COMPUTE button was then selected.

Method 4 Output - Trial 2

The output from the encroachment analysis can be viewed in either tabular or
graphical form. For a tabular review, the user can select from 1 of 3 tables
defined by the program (or the user can create a table). For this review, a
portion of the Encroachment 1 Table is shown in Figure 6.7. (Note: The
flow columns have been removed from the table in the text.)

As described previously, the first non-fixed column is the resulting water
surface elevation and the second column is the difference in the water surface
profile from the first profile. The goal of this analysis is to determine the
encroachments so that the resulting water surface does not change by more
than 1 foot. As can be seen by the results in the table, the change of water
surface for river stations 5.00 and 5.065* are both 1.00 feet. For river station
5.13, the change in water surface is 1.01 feet. This value was obtained with a
target value of 0.9 feet. Therefore, to decrease the resulting water surface
elevations at this river station, the target value for this river station must be
decreased and a subsequent Method 4 analysis performed. This iterative
process of changing the target values and reviewing the output can determine
the floodway that will result in a change of water surface less than 1 foot.

When performing a subcritical flow analysis, the user should begin this
iterative process at the downstream cross section and work upstream.
Additionally, the user should not attempt to adjust a large quantity of target
values at the same time. For this example, the target values for the river
stations below the bridge (5.00 through 5.29) were adjusted first. Then the
bridge section was analyzed and finally the upstream river stations were
adjusted. This procedure will allow the user to focus on specific river
sections and adjust these target values before moving onto the further
upstream river stations.













6-15
Example 6 Floodway Determination


Figure 6.7 Encroachment Table 1 for Method 4 Trial 2


As an additional review of the encroachment 1 table, it can be seen that the
left and right encroachment stations that were calculated for river station 5.39
were 440.00 and 1144.54. These encroachments were then used for river
stations 5.40 and 5.41. This is a default method for the program since the
pressure/weir method was used for the bridge high flow analysis. If the
energy method had been used, then the program would allow for separate
encroachment stations throughout the bridge.

Finally, the left encroachment station of 440 at river station 5.39 is 10 feet to
the left of the main channel bank station. Therefore, the program encroached
up to the left offset on this side of the main channel. (This also occurred at
river stations 5.00, 5.065*, and 5.13.) If the offsets had not been used, then
the left encroachment would have continued up to the main channel bank
station. When this occurs, additional wetted perimeter will be added to the
main channel. This will cause the conveyance of the main channel to
decrease and the total loss of conveyance at the cross section may be greater
than if the encroachment did not encounter the main channel. Therefore, this
may reduce the amount of encroachment on the right side of the channel since
an additional loss of conveyance had already occurred.


6-16
Example 6 Floodway Determination
To determine the percent reduction of conveyance removed from each side,
the Encroachment Table 2 can be viewed. A portion of this table is shown
as Figure 6.8. From the table, it can be seen that for river station 5.00, an
approximately equal amount of conveyance was removed from each side of
the main channel (15.43 and 15.53 percent for the left and right sides,
respectively). This occurred even though the encroachment encountered the
left offset. However, for river station 5.065*, the encroachment also
encountered the left offset but the percent reduction of left and right
conveyance is not equal. The percent of conveyance removed at river station
5.065* is 10.79 and 18.89 for the left and right sides, respectively. This
implies that after the left encroachment reached the left offset, the program
needed to remove an additional amount of conveyance from the left.
Therefore, the program removed that amount from the right side in addition to
the amount required to be removed from the right side. This caused the
percent of conveyance removed to be unequal on both sides of the main
channel.




Figure 6.8 Encroachment Table 2 for Method 4 Trial 2
6-17
Example 6 Floodway Determination
Method 4 Encroachment Analysis - Trial 3

To further define the encroachments, an iterative process was performed by
changing the target values at the river stations and then executing the Method
4 analysis. Before the iterative process was started, the data was saved as a
plan entitled "Method 4 Encroachment - Trial 3." Then, as mentioned
previously, the iterations were performed first for the river stations below the
bridge (5.00 through 5.29), then the bridge vicinity was analyzed (5.39, 5.40,
and 5.41), and finally the upstream river sections were evaluated (5.49*
through 5.99). The target values and resulting rise in water surface which
yielded the most practical results are shown in Table 6.2.


Table 6.2 Final Target Values

Station Target WS for M4 -Trial 3
5.99
5.875*
5.76
5.685*
5.61
5.49*
5.41
5.40 (Bridge)
5.39
5.24*
5.13
5.065*
5.00
0.60
0.95
1.40
1.80
2.00
2.00
1.10
1.10
1.10
1.05
0.80
0.95
1.00
1.00
0.99
0.87
0.72
0.63
0.44
0.12
0.12
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00


The final target water surface values used and the resulting change in water
surface are listed in Table 6.2. These values were obtained from the
Encroachment Table 1 as discussed previously.

In the vicinity of the bridge, a target value of 1.1 foot at river station 5.39
(just downstream of the bridge) was found to result in the most practical
encroachments through the bridge. If a higher target value was used, the
program would encroach further towards the main channel and a slightly
higher water surface value would be obtained at river stations 5.39, 5.40, and
5.41. If the encroachments at the bridge were moved closer to the main
channel, then this would further increase the upstream water surface. The
increase in upstream water surface is in effect before the upstream
encroachments are calculated. Therefore, the upstream encroachments are
limited from the start because the upstream water surface elevation is already
greater than the natural profile.



6-18
Example 6 Floodway Determination
As the target value at river station 5.39 was increased beyond 1.1, the
program could only provide minor encroachment distances at river station
5.49*. This created an erratic transition in the floodway at river station
5.49*. As a compensation between the bridge encroachment constriction and
initial upstream rise, the target value of 1.1 foot at river station 5.39 was
determined to be most practical.

Additionally, at river station 5.40 (the bridge) and 5.41, the change in water
surface was only 0.12 feet. This water surface elevation only increased
slightly due to two factors. First, the rise in water surface upstream of the
bridge (river station 5.41) is controlled by the bridge structure itself, due to
the occurrence of pressure and weir flow. The increase in water surface at
section 5.39 did not cause enough submergence on the weir to increase the
upstream headwater. Secondly, the conveyance reduction at 5.40 and 5.41
removed only the weir flow that was occurring. This reduction of weir flow
was not sufficient enough to cause the water surface to rise dramatically.
This implies that the pressure flow was dominate through the bridge opening.
The modeler should check the bridge solution to determine the value of the
pressure flow. For this example, the pressure flow through the bridge was
12177.60 cfs, a major portion of the total flow of 14000 cfs.

It should be emphasized that the Method 4 iterations were continued until a
practical floodway was developed. After the Method 4 procedure was
completed, the results were used in a Method 1 analysis which is discussed in
the following section.


Method 1 Encroachment Analysis

Typically, the floodplain encroachment method results are converted to
Method 1 to perform minor adjustments for smoothing the floodplain. To
perform a Method 1 analysis, the user must enter the left and right
encroachment stations for each cross section. For this example, the
encroachment stations as determined by the Method 4 iterative procedure
were used for the Method 1 analysis. To perform the analysis, first the steady
flow data was entered and then the encroachment data was entered. Finally,
this section will discuss the output from the Method 1 analysis.

Method 1 Steady Flow Data

For the Method 1 analysis, only 2 flow profiles were used. Therefore, the
steady flow data file "Base + 1 ft Target Depth" was used for this analysis.
This was the same file as used for the Method 5, the Method 4 - Trial 2, and
the Method 4 - Trial 3 plans.





6-19
Example 6 Floodway Determination
Method 1 Encroachment Data

To enter the encroachment data, the Encroachment Data Editor was
activated from the Steady Flow Analysis window. The encroachment editor
was opened from the plan that contained the final Method 4 iterative results.
Then, the Import to Method 1 icon was selected. This option prompts the
program to read the final encroachment results from the currently opened
plan, and to automatically convert those output results to encroachment
Method 1 input. Once the data appeared in the table, the OK button was
selected. Then the geometric file "Existing Conditions" and the steady flow
data file "Base + 1ft Target Depth" were saved as the plan "Method 1
Encroachment." The Short ID was entered as "M1" and the COMPUTE
button was selected.

Method 1 Output

The output from the Method 1 analysis should be identical to the output from
the Method 4 iterative plan output. This was verified by comparing the
resulting changes in water surface elevation at the river stations. At this
point, the user can fine tune and adjust the encroachments as deemed
necessary by adjusting the left and right encroachment stations in the
Encroachment Data Editor. For this example, no further adjustments were
made.

To review the output in graphical form, from the main program window
select View and then X-Y-Z Perspective Plots. This will result in the
display as shown in Figure 6.9. As can be seen in Figure 6.9, the
encroachment stations appear to follow a smooth transition throughout the
river reach. However, the user must be aware of the fact that this plot is
based upon the X-coordinates as entered by the user. If the X-coordinates for
the cross sections are not all established from the same left baseline, then the
plot may not be accurately portraying the correct configuration of the
floodway. The modeler should sketch the resulting encroachments and
floodway on a topographic map to view the correct alignment of the
floodway. At this point, further refinement for the locations of the
encroachments stations should be made.










6-20
Example 6 Floodway Determination


Figure 6.9 3-D Perspective Plot of Method 1 Analysis


In addition to the 3-D plot, the user can also view the individual cross section
plots to see the location of the encroachment stations. By using the
information from the encroachment tables, the cross section plots, the 3D
plot, and the user developed topographic plot, the encroachment stations
should be evaluated for the required constraints and the transitions of the
floodway.


Summary

To perform the floodway analysis for this example, a Method 5 procedure
was first attempted. This procedure can yield reasonable results for a smooth
transitioning river reach. However, for this example, the bridge structure in
the river reach caused difficulties in the Method 5 analysis and the program
did not yield reliable results upstream of the bridge.

6-21
Example 6 Floodway Determination
To continue the analysis, a Method 4 procedure was employed. First, 3 target
depths were used to obtain a first cut at the encroachment stations. Then, the
Method 4 procedure was employed iteratively with one target value for each
river station to further define the encroachments. After the encroachments
appeared to be well established, the results were imported to Method 1 for a
final check on the encroachments and to perform any additional smoothing of
the floodway transitions.

When performing a floodway analysis, the general approach is to attempt to
encroach on both sides of the water course without increasing the water
surface elevation by some predefined amount. The user should also be aware
of other constraints such as velocity limits and equal conveyance reduction
requirements, which may be constraining the floodway delineation.
Additionally, the floodway must be consistent with local development plans
and provide reasonable hydraulic transitions throughout the study reach.
These transitions must be determined by plotting the encroachment stations
onto a topographic map. The user should not rely on the 3-D plot provided
with the program due to the constraints of the plot as described previously.

6-22