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Article 11 - Volume 21/1 - 2012

Paper title:

A study case of Baranca drainage basin flash-floods using thehydrological model of Hec-Ras

Author(s):

1 Stefan cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania
2 Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany

DOI:

10.4316/GEOREVIEW.2012.21.1.61

Pages:

118 - 133

Abstract:

In the last decades, the floods which occurred within Romanian territory stand as proof for the increased frequency of the extreme hydrological hazards which have negative effects on the normal pathway of the human-beings activities. The technological progress among with the increased frequency of floods events are the base for the development of informational programs for the analysis, simulation and flood management. The Baranca brook which drains a considerable part of Zamostea village (Romania) was used as a pilot drainage basin for the flash-flood simulation using the Hec-Ras program and the Arcgis extension, HecGeo-Ras. The flash-floods that occurred in the summer of 2010 were used to validate the results of the simulation. Between 28.06.2010 – 29.06.2010, two flash-floods occurred in the Baranca drainage basin with a discharge oscillated between 10m3 and 70m3 , a water extent which covered an area of 5.14 km2 and a depth ranging between 0.3-3m. The programs are capable to simulate the water flowand to investigate the floodway encroachments in the study area. The damages evaluated in the field along with the program’s results reveal the fact that more than half of the built-up areas of Zamostea village are established along brooks, within the floodplain area. What is more, after the 2010 floods, the expension of the habitable area was not detained by the water danger, many houses are still built on the floodplain. The programs used, taking an acceptable margin of error, may be integrated into any flood management strategy or in any watershed plan and may provide the necessary support for mitigating the risks associated with floods.

Keywords:

Hec-Ras, HecGeo-Ras, flash-floods simulation