Discover how Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) Modeling empowers engineers and planners to predict stormwater behavior, mitigate flood risks, and build safer, more resilient communities.
Every time it rains, our communities face a hidden but critical challenge: managing how that water moves across the landscape…. Will it safely drain away, or will it pool, flood streets, threaten homes, and disrupt lives?
Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) Modeling is the engineering discipline that helps answer these questions before problems arise. It equips engineers, planners, and decision-makers with the insights they need to design safer, more resilient communities, as well as protect lives and property from the increasing risks of flooding and extreme storm events.
What is Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) Modeling?
At its core, H&H Modeling is the process of simulating and predicting the movement and behavior of water, whether it’s stormwater runoff across a parking lot or a riverine system with subsequent floodplains.
H&H Modeling combines two essential disciplines:
- Hydrology: Focuses on the water cycle, such as rainfall, runoff, evapotranspiration, and infiltration to determine how much water enters a system and when – Hydrologic modeling answers questions such as:
- How much rainwater will flow over the land during a storm?
- How quickly will it reach nearby streams, rivers, or other water bodies?
- Hydraulics: Examines the movement of water within channels, pipes, culverts, and other conveyance systems to determine how water will behave in specified locations – Hydraulic modeling answers questions such as:
- How deep will the water be in a river during a storm?
- How fast will water flow through a culvert or stormwater system?
By combining these disciplines, engineers can create dynamic and detailed models to predict how water will behave under different conditions, empowering communities to plan proactively, build smarter, and reduce risks with greater precision.
Why is Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) Modeling Essential?
It’s no secret…. Water is dynamic and complex. As communities grow, landscapes change, and climate patterns shift, managing water effectively becomes even more challenging.
H&H modeling provides a critical foundation for smarter decision-making, helping engineers and planners:
- Predict and Prepare for Flooding: By modeling multiple rainfall events, communities can identify flood-prone areas, develop flood mitigation plans, and plan emergency response strategies.
- Design Safer Infrastructure: H&H models help engineers size culverts, bridges, stormwater systems, and stormwater facilities to handle expected flows safely, reducing the risk of costly and dangerous failures.
- Assess Development Impacts: New developments can dramatically change drainage patterns. H&H modeling ensures that new projects account for these impacts and avoid increasing flood risks to both onsite and offsite areas.
- Guide Environmental Restoration: Restoring wetlands, streams, or floodplains requires a deep understanding of how water will behave. H&H modeling helps ensure that these projects enhance, rather than disrupt, natural systems.
- Support Water Quality Goals: Beyond predicting water quantity and flow patterns, some H&H models also simulate water quality. This capability helps engineers assess how pollutants, sediments, or nutrients are transported through a system, supporting the design of cleaner, more sustainable stormwater infrastructure.
And depending on the given project’s needs, H&H models can operate at different scales and levels of detail:
- 1D Modeling: Simulates water flow along a single dimension, such as flow through a pipe network or a channel. Ideal for projects where flow direction is clear and contained.
- 2D Modeling: Adds a second dimension to simulate water spreading across surfaces such as fields, wetland sloughs, roads, and urban areas, capturing complex overland flooding patterns in urban and rural settings.
- Groundwater-Surface Water Integration: Advanced models simulate the interaction between surface water and groundwater, providing a more complete picture of how water moves both vertically and horizontally through an area.
In essence, H&H modeling serves as a critical tool for understanding and managing water resources, empowering engineers and planners to make informed decisions that safeguard communities and the environment against flooding and other water-related challenges.
Modeling for a More Resilient and Sustainable Tomorrow, Today
Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling is more than just a technical requirement – it is a cornerstone of modern, resilient infrastructure design and environmental protection.
By accurately simulating stormwater flow and anticipating the impact of development, restoration, or climate events, H&H modeling empowers decision-makers to safeguard the communities and ecosystems we invest in and depend on every day.
And with trusted tools such as Streamline Technologies’ StormWise H&H modeling software, professionals have a reliable partner in navigating the complexities of stormwater management, ensuring smarter, safer, and more sustainable outcomes for generations to come!
Complex Water Management Made Easy with StormWise
For over four decades, Streamline Technologies has stood at the forefront of Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) modeling innovation with our flagship StormWise software.
Designed to meet the growing needs of engineers, water resource managers, and planners, StormWise offers:
- 1D and fully integrated 2D Modeling: Simulate both linear flow systems and complex overland flooding with precision.
- Groundwater Interaction Modeling: Analyze how groundwater levels interact with surface flows – critical for regions with high water tables or extensive wetland areas.
- Flexible, Scalable Systems: Whether the project covers a small urban basin or an entire watershed, StormWise can adapt to fit the needs.
- Regulatory Compliance Support: Helping teams meet strict environmental standards for stormwater management, floodplain mapping, and resilience planning.
- Tools for Better Decision-Making: By providing detailed, accurate simulations, StormWise empowers users to identify flood risks, optimize designs, reduce construction costs, and support more sustainable, resilient communities.
Through continuous innovation and a deep understanding of hydrologic and hydraulic principles, StormWise has been instrumental in aiding professionals across the nation in managing complex water systems, enhancing community resilience, and delivering sustainable solutions.
Visit our StormWise webpage to learn more about the extensive capabilities of our flagship software, and Contact our Team today to request a personalized demo catered to meet the needs of your team!