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$