HEC-HMS Computer Workshop

Instructors

Robert J. Houghtalen, Ph.D., P.E.
Dr. Houghtalen is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Dr. Houghtalen specializes in the areas of hydrology, hydraulics, modeling, and water resources management and has taught seminars on HEC-RAS, ILLUDAS, and SWMM.

He co-authored three books: FHWA Culvert Design Manual, (HDS #5), Hydraulic Engineering Systems, and Urban Stormwater Hydrology.

Scott J. Kenner, P.E.
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology specializing in hydrologic modeling and watershed assessment.

He has over 25 years of consulting experience.

Project applications include urban stormwater master planning, flood plain analysis and delineation, and watershed assessment for total maximum daily loads using various hydrologic models.

Siavash E. Beik, P.E., CFM
Mr. Beik is the head of the Water Resources Department at the Indianapolis Office of Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.

He has over 25 years of professional experience in water resources planning and management, hydrology and hydraulics and project management.

He has developed and managed several complex stormwater master plans, flood protection projects, and flood insurance studies involving intensive modeling with HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, UNET, and ICPR. He has been the principal editor, author, or co-author of a number of technical guidebooks including the Indiana Drainage Handbook, Indiana Dam Safety Inspection Manual, and Hydrologic/Hydraulics Modeling Guidelines.

Thomas Burke, Ph.D., P.E.
Details Coming Soon!

Course Description

The design of most hydraulic structures (e.g., culverts, open channels, reservoirs, etc.) requires either a peak discharge or an inflow hydrograph. Hydraulic assessments (e.g., flood elevations, sediment transport, contaminant transport, etc.) are also generally preceded by hydrologic studies. How do engineers perform these hydrologic studies? Until recently, desktop methods or batch-type computer programs (requiring either a data file or the use of a preprocessing shell program) were commonly used. Take heart—HEC-HMS has arrived!

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) is well known for its hydrologic and hydraulic software. HEC-1 has been one of the primary hydrologic models used by American engineers for over two decades. HEC-HMS (hydrologic modeling system) is part of the new generation software recently released by HEC that will supersede HEC-1. The thought and effort that went into this new Windows version program promise to make it as popular as their river analysis system model (HEC-RAS).

HEC-HMS takes full advantage of the multi-tasking Windows environment. It includes a graphical user interface, data storage and management features, integrated hydrologic analysis components, and graphical and tabular reporting facilities. Inputting your watershed is like working with building blocks; you grab icons representing sub-basins from a palette, place them in the workspace, and interconnect them with stream, reservoir, and junction icons. Double-clicking on these icons opens up data-input boxes, which request information like lengths, areas, infiltration parameters, etc. Finally, you input the rainfall characteristics and launch the model. It’s a highly intuitive program.

HEC-HMS provides a variety of options for simulating the rainfall-runoff process:

• Precipitation can be modeled using either actual gauged events or hypothetical, frequency-based storms.
• Rainfall losses are represented empirically (SCS) or with physically based algorithms (Green and Ampt).
• Runoff is generated from unit hydrograph transforms or the physically based kinematic wave method. Stream routing options include the Muskingum, Modified-Puls, Muskingum Cunge, and kinematic wave methods.
• Reservoir routing, base flow, and diversions can also be modeled.

Special Features

Workshop participants will receive a CD containing the HEC-HMS users manual and software.

Who Should Attend

If your work requires hydrologic modeling, for applications such as watershed studies, stormwater management projects, flood elevation determinations, and sediment or contaminant transport analyses, this workshop is for you. If you are interested in transitioning from HEC-1 to the new HEC-HMS program, you will also benefit from attending. The seminar includes lectures and class exercises on hydrologic algorithms, as well as practical hands-on applications using HEC-HMS.

This seminar is intended for people with some hydrologic background and a need for instruction in the techniques and applications of hydrologic modeling. No background in HEC-1 is required, because the algorithms used in the hands-on exercises are thoroughly explained. The seminar will give you confidence in applying HEC-HMS or other hydrologic models to water related projects.

Summary Outline

Day One

• Hydrologic Modeling Overview
• HEC-HMS Capabilities
• Basin Delineation
• Precipitation Methodology*
• Rainfall Abstractions (Losses)*
• Runoff Transformations*

Day Two

• Stream Routing*
• Reservoir Routing*
• Model Execution*
• Analysis Of Results*
• Dam Break* and Special Topics
• Introduction to HEC-GeoHMS

* Hands-on example problems covered for each of these topics.