Aquaveo & Water Resources Engineering News

Does your Surface-water Modeling System (SMS) model contain null values? Null values can be useful at times. Some models are even built around them. But what about when you don’t want them in your model? The tools in the Toolbox have ways to change, correct, or exclude data, including null values, without needing to manually edit the files and re-importing them, to clean up the data. These tools have multiple uses for viewing data in different ways, modifying current datasets, and creating new ones from the modifications made.

The Toolbox holds a very useful option in the Filter Dataset. It can be used to modify data in existing datasets by using various filters to include, exclude, or change the data being processed. When you have null values inside your project that you wish to exclude, you can use this tool to eliminate null values and assigning them to 0.

In order to use the Filter option, follow these steps:

1. Go to Toolbox | Dataset | Filter Dataset.
2. Click on Run Tool…
3. Under Input dataset, select the dataset from the dropdown.
4. For the If condition, select null from the dropdown.
5. For Assign on true, select Specify from the dropdown.
6. Enter 0.0 for the Specified Value.
7. Under Output dataset, enter a new name for the results of the test.
8. Click OK to run the tool.

Once you have created a filtered dataset, the new dataset can then be viewed in the simulation or used with other tools in the toolbox to modify, view, or create other new datasets for better visualization.

This filter function can also be found under Data | Data Set Toolbox… under the Tools section in the left-hand column. It has a slightly different look but the exact same utility.

Head over to SMS and try out the Filter tool to see how it can improve your model results and data visualizations.

When working with the Watershed Modeling System (WMS) and the MODRAT model, one potential aspect of your watershed analysis would be determining the percent impervious values for each sub-basin. Accurate percent impervious calculations may significantly influence your hydrologic modeling outcomes. Here is a guide to help you navigate this process effectively.

Importing Land Use Data

To compute the percent impervious for each sub-basin in MODRAT, you need to start with accurate land use data. Land use data in WMS is typically stored in the GIS and Map modules. The most efficient way to read this data into WMS is through a shapefile. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Create a Land Use Coverage: In WMS, start by creating a new land use map coverage. This coverage will hold all the land use data you import.
2. Import the Polygon File: Import your land use polygon shapefile into WMS. This file should contain various land use types and their respective boundaries.
3. Assign the Percent Impervious Field: Ensure that the percent impervious field, often labeled as IMPERV_ by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW), is correctly mapped to the LA County Soil land use field in WMS. This step is crucial as it links the impervious data to your land use coverage.
4. Compute and Assign Percent Impervious: With the land use data now present in WMS, use the "Map Attributes" command in the MODRAT menu to compute and assign the percent impervious values. This function will analyze the land use data and calculate the percent impervious for each sub-basin.

Using Coverage Overlay Options

Another method to determine the percent impervious values is by using the Coverage Overlay options in WMS. This approach is similar to calculating curve numbers and involves overlaying land use coverage with drainage coverage.

1. Overlay Land Use and Drainage Coverage: Start by overlaying your land use coverage with an existing drainage coverage. This will combine the datasets, allowing for an analysis of land use types within each drainage area.
2. Calculate Percentages: The overlay will provide you with the percentages of different land use types within each sub-basin.

Whether you choose to import land use data directly or use the coverage overlay options, both methods can aid in determining the percent impervious. Use either method in your MODRAT projects in WMS today!

Do you have to refine the recharge options in your MODFLOW-USG Transport model in the Groundwater Modeling System (GMS)? With GMS 10.8, we’ve added two options to the MODFLOW-USG Transport Recharge Package. Concentrations (CONC) option and Use Seep Elevation (SEEPELEV) option have now been added as options to the main dialog. This makes it easier to add the data required when concentrations and/or seepage elevations are required for certain species. These additions can improve the accuracy and applicability of groundwater models, particularly in complex and variable hydrological settings.

Adding the Concentrations (CONC) feature to the Recharge (RCH) package in MODFLOW-USG Transport allows you to account for the spatial and temporal variations in the concentration of contaminants or solutes in recharge water.

The Use Seep Elevation (SEEPELEV) feature enables you to consider the elevation of seepage faces in your simulations. This is particularly important in areas with complex topography and variable groundwater-surface water interactions.

In order to use these options:

1. Go to MODFLOW | Global Options.
2. In MODFLOW Global/Basic Package, select Packages.
3. Make sure “RCH1” has been selected as one of the packages.
4. Then, access the RCH package options using the RCH - Recharge Package command in MODFLOW | Optional Packages menu. You can also reach the options by double-clicking on the RCH package in the Project Explorer.
5. In the MODFLOW Recharge Package dialog, look for “Concentrations (CONC)” and “Use Seep Elevation (SEEPELEV)”. They will appear below the “Recharge option (NRCHOP)” drop down.
6. Select one or both of them, depending on your model’s needs.
7. For the seep elevation, you can manually enter or import the appropriate data.

Note: These options are only a part of USG Transport and are not available in other versions of MODFLOW..

With these two options now available in MODFLOW-USG Transport, better refinement in your groundwater models is now possible. Head on over to GMS 10.8 to try out the Concentrations (CONC) and Use Seep Elevation (SEEPELEV) options in your MODFLOW-USG Transport projects today!

Jumping between multiple projects can be commonplace in most organizations. For this reason, the Surface-water Modeling System (SMS) includes a way to see your most recent projects. This feature makes it easier to jump between projects.

When starting SMS, you can see your recent projects by going to the File menu. Towards the bottom of the File menu, you will see the five most recent projects. Selecting any of these projects will load them into SMS.

Only the five most recent projects are listed in the File menu, but SMS provides a way to access more of your recent projects. Clicking the More… command under the recent files in the File menu will bring up the Recent Files dialog. The Recent Files dialog contains a list of recent projects. This list will go back to when the major version of the software was installed.

The Recent Files dialog allows you to search for past projects using the Search field at the top of the dialog. This can be immensely helpful when trying to find a project that has been neglected for a while.

Also helpful is a feature that lets you open the location of the project files. You can right-click on any project and select the Open Containing Folder command to bring up the folder containing the project files in the File Explorer window. This can help you locate files you haven’t been working with in a while and may have forgotten the location.

There are some caveats to this feature. If the project files have been moved, the project will still appear in the list of recent files but SMS will not be capable of importing the file because it is being directed to the wrong location. This is also true if a folder in the directory is renamed.

The Recent Files dialog provides a great tool to help you manage your projects in SMS. Head over to SMS and see what projects you have been working on recently!