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Title: Numerical model simulating water flow and contaminant and sediment transport in watershed systems of 1-d stream-river network, 2-d overland regime, and 3-d subsurface media (WASH123d: version 1.0). Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:675924

This report presents the development of a numerical model simulating water flow and contaminant and sediment transport in watershed systems of one-dimensional river/stream network, two-dimensional overland regime, and three-dimensional subsurface media. The model is composed of two modules: flow and transport. Three options are provided in modeling the flow module in river/ stream network and overland regime: the kinematic wave approach, diffusion wave approach, and dynamic wave approach. The kinematic and diffusion wave approaches are known to be numerically robust in terms of numerical convergency and stability; i.e., they can generate convergent and stable simulations over a wide range of ground surface slopes in the entire watershed. The question is the accuracy of these simulations. The kinematic wave approach usually produces accurate solutions only over the region of steep slopes. The diffusion wave approach normally gives accurate solutions over the region of mild to steep slopes. However, neither approach has the ability to yield accurate solutions over the region of small slopes, in which the inertial forces are no longer negligible compared to the gravitational forces. The kinematic wave approach cannot address the problems of backwater effects. On the other hand, a dynamic wave approach, having included all forces, can theoretically have the potential to generate accurate simulations over all ranges of slopes in a watershed. The subsurface flow is described by Richard`s equation where water flow through saturated-unsaturated porous media is accounted for.

Research Organization:
Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Coastal Hydraulics Lab., Vicksburg, MS (United States); Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
OSTI ID:
675924
Report Number(s):
AD-A-351191/XAB; WES/TR/CHL-98-19; TRN: 82860185
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Jul 1998
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English