Aquaveo & Water Resources Engineering News

We are pleased to announce the release of WMS 11.3 in beta! Our developers have been working on several updates to the Watershed Modeling System (WMS). They have added some new features and improved the functionality of others. We'll highlight a few of them here.

GSSHA Permafrost

We are pleased to share that we have now added the ability to model permafrost regions with the GSSHA numeric model in WMS 11.3. With the addition of permafrost options to GSSHA models, your. Permafrost parameters can be defined and set under the GSSHA menus, Job Control and Map Tables. Also when you select a Feature Point/Node and right-click on it and select Attributes to open the Properties dialog. Output graphs and reports on soil temperatures can be generated for further analysis.

Feature Objects Clean Option Updates

We have made several improvements and updates to the Clean Option in our Feature Objects menu. Our developers have improved the cleaning algorithm, so that it is now significantly faster on large coverages. This will improve the efficiency of your model runs.

The Clean Option user interface has also been completely updated. It has the same functionality as the old interface but it now contains more options giving you more flexibility. You can choose to clean all feature objects or only selected ones. You can also now choose to do a full clean on feature objects, or only selected types of clean up.

Search Box for Recent Files

We have also added a search box to the Recent Files dialog. WMS shows the 5 most recent projects you have worked on when you click on File. When you click "More…" below that list of five projects, the dialog that comes up now includes a search box at the top. Rather than scrolling through the list of recent projects, you can now use the search box to find your modeling project more quickly.

These are only some of the great new and updated features in WMS 11.3 beta. Head on over to Aquaveo and try out the WMS 11.3 beta today!

When creating multilayer models, defining layer data can be challenging. This is true for cases involving embedded seams, pinchouts, and truncations. Fortunately, Ground-water Modeling System (GMS) contains a suite of tools for interpolating and manipulating layer elevation data. With the tools in GMS), even complex geologic strata can be modeled quickly and easily. When interpolating layer data for the purpose of defining MODFLOW layer elevation arrays, there are often cases where the interpolated values overlap. In some cases, the best way to fix such a problem is to experiment with the interpolation options or to create some "pseudo-points" to fill in the gaps between sparse scatter points. In other cases, the overlap may correspond to a pinchout or truncation in the layer. In such cases, the elevations need to be adjusted so that there is a small but finite thickness for all cells in the overlapping region.

The first step in fixing layer errors is to use the Model Checker to determine if elevation overlaps occur. If they do occur, the Fix Layer Errors button at the top of the Model Checker dialog can be used to bring up the Fix Layer Errors dialog. Four options are available for fixing layer errors, including Average, Preserve Top, Preserve Bottom, and Truncate to Bedrock. The Average method is useful for modeling the transition zones adjacent to embedded seams. The Preserve Top method can be used to model truncated outcroppings. With the Preserve bottom method, at each cell where an overlap is found the bottom elevation is unchanged and the top elevation is adjusted to top = bot + min thickness. The Truncate to bedrock option differs from the other methods in that it can be used to alter several layers at once.

These are hypothetical scenarios that outline problems and solutions you may encounter when using the Fix Layer Errors Tool in GMS:

You are trying to construct a UGrid model that includes refinement around streams and pumping wells with refinement reserved for the top layers, and inactive cells with a thickness of less than 10 cm.

1. You want a UGrid that includes refinement around streams and pumping wells, yet reserved for the top layers. You get the impression that reserved refinement is achievable only by using the preserve top method.
   It is correct that the preserve top method is a way to apply refinement. The average method does not have any way to refine certain areas, unless the 2D geometry being used as the base already has that refinement. In that case, the refinement would be added to all layers. In other words, refine the 2D grid first, but use the TIN method to create the grid based on that refinement. Use your judgment on if method one works better for your elevation data.
2. You would like all cells with a thickness of less than 10 cm to be inactivated. Yet you find that the only way to inactivate cells less than 10 cm is by using the average method.
   Using the average method and setting the minimum thickness to 0.1m ≠ inactive thin cells. It means cells less than the minimum thickness are not created. Cells are not inactivated until after a MODFLOW simulation has been added. As such, they cannot be inactivated during the creation process. If this is not the result, and there does appear to be thin cells for a TIN grid, further action would be required.

Access the latest version of GMS 10.8 to make use of the Fix Layer Errors tool today!

Delineating a watershed area into a usable model can be a daunting process. Two new tools in the Surface-water Modeling System (SMS) Toolbox make defining a watershed domain quick and easy. Introducing the Streams from Rasters and the Watershed from Rasters tools.

These two tools are found in the Coverages folder in the Toolbox.These two tools can extract data from an imported raster to automatically generate the feature objects for watershed streams and domains for your SMS model.

The first tool, Streams from Raster, will evaluate the raster elevation data, extract the direction of runoff, create connected arcs, and put it into a separate coverage for you. You’ll need a directional raster in order to run the tool.

The Streams from Raster tool will show the entire runoff flow based on elevation in the selected raster. If water starts here, then it will go in that direction until it ends up there in that stream bed. You can see and trace the most likely paths for water flow until it hits the lowest point possible for that flow path. This can help you plan where to place your stream arcs for your model.

The Watershed from Rasters tool creates a domain of the watershed area. This tool uses an amalgamation of several processes that operate in a particular order in the background as the tool runs. Several of these processes have been added to the Toolbox, including Streams from Raster, to run as separate tools, if desired. Once run, you will end up adding feature objects that define a domain to a coverage.

Then, the feature objects can be used to create a geometry (2D or 3D meshes or UGrids, etc.) of the watershed area. By using the Watershed from Raster tool, it enhances the speed at which a model can be created.

Head on over to SMS and try delineating a watershed with these new tools in your next model.

Did you generate stream arcs in your Watershed Modeling System (WMS) model that you discovered later needed to be adjusted? Or maybe the outlet point’s position needs to be slightly adjusted. You can manually edit streams without using any of the wizards available in WMS, but you do need to be careful. Here are some tips on how to do it and what to watch for.

To manually edit your stream arcs, you will need to use the tools in the Map module. You can select and move a stream node or vertex to alter the path of a stream. You can also change a node to a vertex, create new feature points where needed, and manually edit properties in the Properties screen. You may wish to change your Display Options so that you can see the stream arcs, and vertices more clearly. Used carefully, you can make minor adjustments without using the wizards.

If you need to shift a stream outlet point or other major node, you can use the Select Feature Point/Node tool to select the stream outlet point and drag it to a new position. When the stream outlet point is originally on an arc but then moved away from the arc, the arc can snap to the new outlet location. Be careful where you move your stream outlet point, (or any stream arc vertex), especially if you accidentally shift it to a higher elevation, as this can create digital dams or break the model.

If you have extremely long stream arcs, or need to make precise corrections around obstacles, land formations, or buildings, you can manually add one or more vertices to the arc using the Create Feature Vertex tool. Then, you can then use the Select Feature Vertex tool to select and move them to better locations within the bounds of the model. This can be especially useful if you discover that one or more of your steam arcs now cross outside the bounds of the delineation arcs after manually editing them.

If you’ve changed a stream arc by adding vertices or just moving locations, you’ve also changed the vertex distribution along the arc. It may be necessary to redistribute the vertices again.

You will want to check elevation values against the DEM. If you have moved a stream arc point, you may have shifted it from its elevation. You may need to re-interpolate elevations back onto the stream arcs.

It is also recommended that manual edits be done prior to defining the model, otherwise you may discover that making these edits, while improving the stream arcs, has broken the model. If that happens, you may need to re-delineate the watershed. You can go back to the wizard that you used to delineate your watershed model and skip to the appropriate step to rework your model from there.

This manual editing of stream arcs is different from the GSSHA’s Smooth Stream/Pipe Arcs tool and works outside of any wizards within WMS.

Try out any of the tips with your watershed projects in WMS today!