The Carlisle Flood Practical – Defend the City

Instructions – Starting the Simulation

Download the Folder “Flood Model – install on your local drive” from Canvas onto your machine.

Open the file “BSG Carlisle flood model”

Go to Config File – Open

Navigate to the folder and open the file “Carlisle25m load file”

This file tells the model the parameter values and where to find the driving data files – this means
you do not need to change anything.

Click the “Load Data” button

To load up the graphics for the DEM, do to Top Graphics – DEM and click it on.

To start the simulation, press the “Start!” button

The model will update the graphics every 180 minutes of simulation time, also saving an image in the
new “Animations” folder. Water Depth is scaled from light blue for shallow flows, through purple to
pink for the deepest areas.

The model will take a while to complete the simulation, the time depends on the specifications of
the PC you are using.
In the running bar at the bottom, “it =” shows the number of calculations the model has performed,
“t =” is the time simulated, “Qw =” is the discharge from the model left-hand edge, and “Qs =” would
be the sediment leaving the model if the sediment modelling functions were enabled (they’re not).

The model will simulate 8 days. At the end of the simulation, close the model and –

Make a copy of “carlisle25m.txt” – rename the copy “carlisle25m_base.txt”

Rename the “animation” folder “animation_base”

Incorporating your Flood Management Scheme

In this stage you will edit the DEM to represent some form of flood management. You will do this
using the “RasterEdit” tool in the folder “Flood Model – install on your local drive”

Open RasterEdit – Select “Load Data”

Navigate to the folder and select “Carlisle25m.txt” – you will edit this file as the model is set up to
read the elevations from the file with this name only. This is why you made a copy of the original.
Press “Open”.

Change the “Zoom Level” using the drop-down box so you can see individual pixels (8 is usually right)

Use “Point Edit Model” to edit individual pixels

Use “Increase by value” to alter the elevation by the user-defined value (in metres)

Use “Set to value” to set the pixel to the user-defined value (in metres)

Use “Restore to last saved value” to undo your changes

Examples of things you can do with this tool –

 Raise elevations to represent flood walls

 Lower channel elevation to represent dredging
 Lower elevations to cut meanders
 Lower elevations to widen channel
 Raise elevation to build a dam

You are not limited to the above – be creative, use your imagination, but when it comes to your final
scheme for the report ensure it is grounded in reality (excessive dredging is not feasible!).

Close the programme using the cross in the top-right.

Select “Save Changes” and save over the original file.

Close Raster Edit

Repeat the flood simulation

Re-run the simulation exactly as before. If you have followed the steps correctly the model will be
using your edited DEM file, incorporating your flood management scheme.

The model will create a new “animations” folder (or write over another if you neglected to rename
it), and save images every 180 minutes as before. These can be compared to those from the
“animations_base” folder to see how effective our scheme has been.

After each simulation, make sure you rename the appropriate files as before, giving them a name
from which you can identify what they show.
“Slowing the Flow” – Using the sliders to represent natural flood management

You will have noticed the three ‘slider’ bars at the bottom of the model, labelled Caldew, Petteril
and Eden. These are set at a default to provide the discharge as observed during the event – by
moving a slider left you reduce the discharges by 10% each step, and right increases this.

By reducing the discharges the influence of natural flood management can be inferred in the model
– likewise by increasing the slider the impacts of possible larger events can be simulated.

Use the Excel file “Hydrographs” to see how these modifications influence the hydrographs for the
flood. It will also calculate the volume of water over the event – in order to reduce the discharge you
will need to find sufficient storage for that volume of water you hope to reduce the flood by – use
Google Earth to find suitable sites, their area and thus the potential volume which could be removed
from the flood.