RiverTrak Case Study - Riverside Technology, inc.

Challenge

Streamflow Forecast Model

The County of Washoe, Nevada, required a flood forecasting system to model rare but extreme flood events in the small basins in the area. Riverside implemented its RiverTrak® Forecasting System for Washoe County.

Solution

By implementing RiverTrak Forecasting System, Riverside assisted Washoe County with improved flood warning mitigation

Riverside Goes to Work

As part of efforts to improve flood warning and mitigation in Washoe County, Nevada, Riverside implemented RiverTrak Forecaster, a real-time hydrologic forecasting application, at the Washoe County Department of Water Resources (DWR) office in Reno, and at the National Weather Service (NWS) Reno Weather Forecast Office (WFO).

RiverTrak Forecaster uses real-time precipitation, temperature, and streamflow observations to produce streamflow forecasts at specified locations within a basin that typically are not addressed in larger scale institutional modeling. For the Washoe County system, forecasts are produced for four points located at United States Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow gages around Reno, Nevada.

The main models used in RiverTrak Forecaster for the Washoe County implementation include the Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting (SAC-SMA) model and the Snowpack model. Incorporation of the Snowpack model was important due to the heavy influence of snowmelt processes on runoff during the winter and spring seasons. Additional features include graphical user interfaces (GUI) to input Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF) estimates and to update snow water equivalent (SWE) values. QPF inputs allow the user to visualize resulting streamflow hydrographs both with and without precipitation forecasts. SWE updating provides a means to use field-estimated values to adjust the Snowpack model states, thus improving model results.

Results

Real-time precipitation and temperature observations for the Washoe County RiverTrak System were provided through the DIAD, Inc. StormWatch data acquisition system. The main models used by the RiverTrak System to estimate streamflow at four forecast points located in located at United States Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow gages (the Truckee River near Truckee, Galena Creek at Galena Creek State Park, Steamboat Creek at Steamboat, and the North Truckee Drainage at Spanish Springs Road) included the National Weather Service River Forecast System (NWSRFS) Snowpack (SNOW-17) and Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting (SAC-SMA) models.

The RiverTrak System was supported and upgraded by Riverside through 2007. The DWR continued to operate the system thereafter until operational use was suspended due to department reorganization. The Truckee River Flood Project is now planning to revitalize parts of the DWR RiverTrak System in support of streamflow forecasting activities for Steamboat Creek at Steamboat.