Reliable Uses of Two-Demensional Hydrodynamic Flood Models in Stream Restoration Design

2D Hydrodynamic modeling (2D models) provides the stream restoration community with a powerful tool to visualize the impact of flooding on restoration sites. The primary application of 2D models in restoration work is to simulate flood flows over proposed restoration terrain, allowing users to identify areas that are vulnerable to flood damage and modify those areas through iterative design. This iterative design process supported by 2D models helps to achieve two primary goals: preventing inadequate design, which can lead to projects which fail to meet their objectives or require costly repairs; and preventing over-design, which can result in excess disturbance to the landscape and un-necessary expense during construction.

A recently concluded project funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust evaluated the reliability of 2D model predictions in stream restoration sites located in tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay. The results of this study add confidence to the use of 2D models in restoration, with specific insights into how these models should be applied to different kinds of restoration sites, design methods, and in the presence of infrastructure.