Reverse Flood Routing in Natural Channels using Genetic Algorithm

Establishing a clear overview of data discharge availability for water balance modelling in basins is a priority in Europe, and in the particular in the framework of the system of Economic and Environmental Accounts for Water (SEEAW) developed by the EU Directorate-General for the Environment. However, accurate discharge estimation at a river site depends on rating curve reliability usually defined by recording the water level at a gauged section and carrying out streamflow measurements. Local stage monitoring is fairly straightforward and relatively inexpensive compared to the cost to carry out flow velocity measurements which are, in addition, hindered by high flow. Moreover, hydraulic models may not be ideally suitable to serve the purpose of rating curve extension or its development at a river site upstream/downstream where the discharge is known due to their prohibitive requirement of channel cross-section details and roughness information at closer intervals. Likewise, rainfall-runoff transformation might be applied but its accuracy is tightly linked to detailed information in terms of geomorphological characteristics of intermediate basins as well as rainfall pattern data. On this basis, a procedure for reverse flood routing in natural channels is here proposed for three different configurations of hydrometric monitoring of a river reach where lateral flow is significant and no rainfall data are available for the intermediate basin. The first considers only the downstream channel end as a gauged site where discharge and stages are recorded. The second configuration assumes the downstream end as a gauged site but only in terms of stage. The third configuration envisages both channel ends equipped to recording stages. The channel geometry is known only at channel ends. The developed model has basically four components: (1) the inflow hydrograph is expressed by a Pearson Type-III distribution, involving parameters of peak discharge, time to peak, and a shape factor; (2) the basic continuity equation for flow routing written in the characteristic form is employed; (3) the lateral flow is related to stages at channel ends. (4) the relation between local stage and remote discharge as found by Moramarco et al. (2005b) is exploited. The parameters, coefficients and exponents of the model are obtained, for each configuration, using the genetic algorithm method. Three equipped river branches along the Tiber River in central Italy are used to validate the proc