SIMULATIONS OF FLOODFLOWS ON THE WHITE RIVER IN THE VICINITY OF U.S. HIGHWAY 79 NEAR CLARENDON, ARKANSAS
By Jaysson E. Funkhouser and C. Shane Barks
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Water–Resources Investigations Report 02-4256
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Abstract
A two-dimensional finite-element surface-water model was used to study the effects of the proposed modification to the U.S. Highway 79 corridor on flooding on the White River near Clarendon,
Arkansas. The effects of floodflows were simulated for the following scenarios: existing, natural, and four proposed bridging alternatives. All of the scenarios were modeled with floods having
the 5- and 100-year recurrence intervals (115,100 and 216,000 cubic feet per second). The simulated existing conditions included a 3,200-foot White River bridge located on the east side of the study area near Clarendon, Arkansas; a 3,700-foot First Old River bridge located 0.5 mile west of the White River bridge opening; and a 1,430-foot Roc Roe Bayou bridge located 1.6 mile west of the First Old River bridge. The simulated hypothetical natural conditions involved removing the U.S. Highway 79 and the Union Pacific Railroad embankments along the entire length of the flood plain. The primary purpose of model simulations for natural conditions was to calculate backwater data for the existing and proposed conditions. The four simulated hypothetical proposed alternatives involved a 1.8-mile White River bridge located on the east side of the study area near Clarendon, Arkansas, either a 1,400-foot relief bridge (Alternative
1) or a 1,545 relief bridge (Alternatives 2-4) located 0.25 mile west of the White River bridge opening, and three different Roc Roe Bayou bridge openings ranging from 1,540-3,475 feet in length located 0.9 mile west of the relief bridge (Alternatives 1-4).
Simulation of the 5-year floodflow for the existing bridge openings indicates that about 57 percent (65,600 cubic feet per second) of flow was conveyed by the White River bridge, about 26 percent
(29,900 cubic feet per second) by the First Old River bridge, and about 17 percent (19,600 cubic feet per second) by the Roc Roe Bayou bridge. Maximum depth-averaged point velocities for the White River, First Old River, and Roc Roe Bayou bridges were 3.6, 1.6, and 3.3 feet per second,
respectively. For the 100-year floodflow, the simulation indicates that about 56 percent (123,100 cubic feet per second) of flow was conveyed
by the White River bridge, about 26 percent (56,200 cubic feet per second) by the First Old River bridge, and about 19 percent (41,000 cubic feet per second) by the Roc Roe Bayou bridge. The maximum depth-averaged point velocities for the White River, First Old River, and Roc Roe Bayou bridges were 4.2, 2.2, and 4.1 feet per second, respectively.
Simulation of the 5-year floodflow for the proposed U.S. Highway 79 alignment alternatives indicates that 76-78 percent (87,100-89,900 cubic feet per second) of the flow was conveyed by the proposed White River bridge, 6-7 percent (7,000-7,500 cubic feet per second) by the proposed relief bridge, and 13-16 percent (14,600-18,600 cubic feet per second) by the proposed Roc Roe Bayou bridge. For the 100-year floodflow, simulations predicted that 70-72 percent (151,200-155,600 cubic feet per second) of the flow was conveyed by the proposed White River bridge, 9-10 percent (19,800-20,700 cubic feet per second) by the proposed
relief bridge, and 14-20 percent (30,700-43,000 cubic feet per second) by the proposed Roc Roe Bayou bridge.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Purpose and Scope
- Acknowledgments
- Description of Study Area
- Existing Conditions
- Natural Conditions
- Proposed Conditions
- Hydrology
- Modeling Approach
- Model Description
- Model Implementation
- Computational Grid
- Boundary Conditions
- Model Parameters
- Model Calibration
- Sensitivity Analysis
- Simulation of Floodflows
- 5-Year Flood
- Existing Conditions
- Natural Conditions
- Proposed Conditions-Alternative 1
- Proposed Conditions-Alternative 2
- Proposed Conditions-Alternative 3
- Proposed Conditions-Alternative 4
- Comparison of Simulation Results for Proposed Alternatives and Existing Conditions
- 100-Year Flood
- Existing Conditions
- Natural Conditions
- Proposed Conditions-Alternative 1
- Proposed Conditions-Alternative 2
- Proposed Conditions-Alternative 3
- Proposed Conditions-Alternative 4
- Comparison of Simulation Results for Proposed Alternatives and Existing Conditions
- Summary
- References
Figures 1-4.Maps showing:
- Location of study area
- Location of existing and proposed roadway alignments
- White River flood plain upper and lower model boundaries and U.S. Highway 79 model area in the study area
- Computational grid generated for the model area
- Graph showing verification of the 10-meter digital elevation model data with the most downstream surveyed cross section.
6-41. Maps showing:
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 5-year floodflow through the existing U.S.Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 5-year floodflow through the existing U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 5-year floodflow through
the existing U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment.
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 5-year floodflow for natural conditions
through the White River flood plain at the U.S. Highway 79 crossing
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 5-year floodflow for natural conditions
through the White River flood plain at the U.S. Highway 79 crossing
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 5-year floodflow for natural
conditions through the White River flood plain at the U.S. Highway 79 crossing14
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 5-year floodflow through the proposed
Alternative 1 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 5-year floodflow through the proposed Alternative 1 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 5-year floodflow through the proposed Alternative 1 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 5-year floodflow through the proposed
Alternative 2 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 5-year floodflow through the proposed Alternative 2 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 5-year floodflow through the proposed Alternative 2 U.S. Highway 79 openings
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 5-year floodflow through the proposed
Alternative 3 U.S. Highway 79 alignment.
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 5-year floodflow through the proposedAlternative 3 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 5-year floodflow
through the proposed Alternative 3 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment.
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 5-year floodflow through the proposed
Alternative 4 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 5-year floodflow through the proposed Alternative 4 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 5-year floodflow through the
proposed Alternative 4 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 100-year floodflow through the existing U.S.Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 100-year floodflow through the existing U.S.Highway 79 roadway alignment.
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 100-year floodflow
through the existing U.S. Highway 79 openings
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 100-year floodflow for natural conditions through the White River flood plain at the U.S. Highway 79 crossing
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 100-year floodflow for natural conditions
through the White River flood plain at the U.S. Highway 79 crossing
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 100-year floodflow for natural conditions through the White River flood plain at the U.S. Highway 79 crossing
- . Simulated water-surface elevations for the 100-year floodflow through
the proposed Alternative 1 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 100-year floodflow through the
proposed Alternative 1 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 100-year floodflow
for the proposed Alternative 1 U.S. Highway 79 openings
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 100-year floodflow through the
proposed Alternative 2 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 100-year floodflow through the
proposed Alternative 2 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 100-year floodflow
for the proposed Alternative 2 U.S. Highway 79 openings
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 100-year floodflow through the
proposed Alternative 3 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 100-year floodflow through the
proposed Alternative 3 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 100-year floodflow
for the proposed Alternative 3 U.S. Highway 79 openings
- Simulated water-surface elevations for the 100-year floodflow through the
proposed Alternative 4 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Depth-averaged velocity contours for the 100-year floodflow through the
proposed Alternative 4 U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment
- Distribution of depth-averaged point velocity vectors for the 100-year floodflow
for the proposed Alternative 4 U.S. Highway 79 openings.
TABLES
- Existing and alternative proposed bridge widths.
- Known and simulated water-surface elevation for the model calibration
- Hydraulic data for the White River flood plain U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment for simulated
floodflows having a 5-year recurrence interval
- Comparison of backwater and velocity data for each alternative for simulated floodflows having a 5-year recurrence interval
- Hydraulic data for the White River flood plain U.S. Highway 79 roadway alignment for simulated floodflows having a 100-year recurrence interval
- Comparison of backwater and velocity data for each alternative to existing conditions for simulated floodflows having a 100-year recurrence interval.