Introduction to
HEC-HMS
Bill Scharffenberg
Hydrologic Engineering Center
US Army Corps
of Engineers
Hydrologic Engineering Center
Objectives
Become familiar ith the !rogram and learn basic
conce!ts of !rogram organi"ation# data com!onents#
and simulation runs$
%nderstand the different hydrologic elements and the
methods available for each one$
See the different ty!es of results visuali"ation and
statistical summaries$
&revie advanced ca!abilities$
&rogram Sco!e
'esigned to simulate atershed hydrology$
( Surface ater modeling$
( )rom meteorology to atershed outlet$
*ool +it of o!tions$
( ,enerali"ed modeling$
( Mathematical model choices$
( -nalysis tools$
,ra!hical user interface
( Ma! of the atershed$
( &oint-and-edit for entering and u!dating data$
( ,ra!h and table dis!lays of simulation results$
&rogram .imitations
'eterministic models$
%ncou!led models$
( Eva!otrans!iration-infiltration$
( Infiltration-baseflo$
/o a0uifer interactions$
Constant !arameter values$
'endritic stream systems$
( )lo s!lits !ossible but limited ca!ability$
/o donstream flo influence or reversal$
( Bac+ater !ossible but only if contained ithin a reach$
&roject
Container for main com!onents$
( Basin model$
( Meteorologic model$
( Control s!ecifications$
-lso holds additional com!onents$
( *ime-series gages$
( &aired data functions$
( ,rid data sets$
&rovides analysis tools$
( &arameter estimation using o!timi"ation theory$
( 'e!th-area analysis for fre0uency storm$
Subdirectory name
&rogram .ayout
'ata Management
Configuration data and !arameters$
( )iles ithin the !roject directory$
( -utomatically created# saved# loaded# etc$
'ata Storage System HEC-'SS$
( *ime-series and !aired data can be manually entered or
retrieved from e1ternal files$
( ,rid data can only be retrieved from e1ternal files$
( -ll time-series results com!uted during a simulation$
-utomatic data handling$
( %nits conversion$
( Inter!olation or accumulation$
Main Com!onents
Basin model gives the !hysical descri!tion of the atershed$
( Subbasin2 atershed catchments here rain falls$
( 3each2 rivers and streams$
( 3eservoir2 dams and la+es$
( 4unction2 confluence$
( 'iversion2 bifurcations and ithdrals$
( Source2 s!rings and other model sin+s$
( Sin+2 outlets and terminal la+es$
Meteorologic model describes atmos!heric conditions over the
atershed land surface$
( &reci!itation$
( &otential eva!otrans!iration$
( Snomelt$
Control s!ecifications2 *ime control during a simulation run$
&rogram -!!lication
Create a ne !roject$
Enter time-series# !aired data# and grid data$
Create a basin model$
Create a meteorologic model$
Create control s!ecifications$
Create and com!ute a simulation run$
5ie results$
Create other alternatives# com!ute# and com!are results$
Save the !roject and e1it$
Basin Ma!
Hydrologic Elements
Subbasin Infiltration
.oss rate methods2
( 'eficit constant$
( E1!onential$
( ,reen -m!t$
( ,ridded deficit constant$
( ,ridded SCS$
( ,ridded SM-$
( Initial constant$
( SCS curve number$
( Smith &arlange$
( Soil moisture accounting$
Subbasin Surface 3unoff
%nit hydrogra!h methods2
( Clar+$
( SCS$
( S-gra!h$
( Snyder$
( %ser-s!ecified$
Other methods2
( 6inematic ave$
( ModClar+ distributed$
Subbasin Baseflo
Baseflo methods2
( Bounded recession$
( .inear reservoir$
( Monthly constant$
( /onlinear Boussines0$
( 3ecession$
3each
3outing methods2
( 6inematic ave
( .ag
( Modified &uls
( Mus+ingum
( Mus+ingum-Cunge
( Straddle stagger
.oss7gain methods2
( Constant$
( &ercolation$
3eservoir
3outing methods2
( Storage curve$
( Outlet structures$
( S!ecified release$
&ossible structures2
( ,ated s!illay 89 to :9;$
( Overflo 89 to :9;$
( Outlet 89 to :9;$
( &um! 89 to :9;$
( 'am brea+ 89 or :;$
&reci!itation
Historical methods2
( ,age eights$
( Inverse distance$
( %ser-s!ecified$
( ,ridded$
Hy!othetical methods2
( )re0uency storm$
( SCS storm$
( Standard !roject storm$
Eva!otrans!iration
-vailable methods2
( ,ridded &riestley-*aylor$
( Monthly average$
( &riestley-*aylor$
Snomelt
*em!erature inde1
method$
( Subbasin band a!!roach$
( ,ridded a!!roach$
Simulation 3un
Consists of one basin model# meteorologic model# and control
s!ecifications$
( &reci!itation or outflo ratio o!tion$
( Start states o!tion$
( Save states o!tion$
5ie results for the current simulation run using menu or toolbar
( ,lobal summary table$
5ie results for one element in the current simulation run using the
menu# toolbar# or basin ma!$
( ,ra!h# summary table# time-series table$
5ie custom gra!hs and time-series tables for elements in different
simulation runs using the Watershed Explorer$
,lobal Summary *able
Element ,ra!h
Element Summary *able
Element *ime-Series *able
Continuous Simulation
<Event< simulation is only concerned ith hydrology during and
immediately after a storm$
<Continuous< simulation includes events and the time beteen
them# u! to several decades at a time$
.oss rate methods2
( 'eficit constant$
( Soil moisture accounting$
May be needed to satisfy some study goals2
( 3e!roduce fre0uency curve$
( =ater balance estimates$
( )lo rates or volumes beyond instantaneous !ea+s$
,ridded Simulation
&reci!itation# eva!otrans!iration# and snomelt are
defined on a grid cell basis$
Infiltration and e1cess !reci!itation is com!uted
se!arately for each cell$
ModClar+ transform method is used to !rocess e1cess
!reci!itation into runoff at the subbasin outlet$
Better definition of subbasin res!onse2
( Storm is small com!ared to the subbasin si"e$
( Storm is very heterogeneous$
-dvanced 3eservoir )eatures
Interior flood !rotection !rojects$
( 3e!resents a !ond on the <dry< side of a levee or floodall
here local drainage ater accumulates$
( Include culverts to !ass ater through the levee into the river
hen the river stage is lo$
( Include !um!s to move ater over the levee during floods$
'am brea+ evaluations$
( Simulate the dam release from !i!ing or overto!!ing failures$
&arameter Estimation
-utomated tool for estimating !arameters hen observed flo is
available$
<Objective function< measures ho ell the com!uted and observed
flo hydrogra!hs match$
<Search method< uses the objective function as in!ut to an algorithm
that determines ho to adjust !arameter values to find the o!timum
match$
Can !rovide good estimates for some !arameters2
( Infiltration initial conditions and !arameters$
( %nit hydrogra!h !arameters$
( Baseflo initial conditions and !arameters$
( Some routing !arameters$
'e!th--rea -nalysis
)re0uency storm is often used for estimating flos due
to the :99-yr storm or other return intervals$
.arge atersheds often have many locations here flo
estimates are re0uired$
It can be tedious to develo! storms ith the correct area
for each of the locations$
-nalysis tool uses a simulation run and automatically
adjusts the storm area for each selected location$
,IS &re!rocessor
HEC-,eoHMS can be used to create basin models
using terrain data$
Start ith a digital elevation model$
Select a atershed outlet and then ,eoHMS
automatically delineates the atershed border and
!reliminary subbasins outlines$
-djust subbasin outlets$
,eoHMS creates a basin model that can be im!orted
into HEC-HMS and also creates database table of
!arameters that can be estimated from terrain and other
su!!lemental data layers$
