Abstract. Flood events cause significant damage not only on the surface but also underground. Infiltration of surface water into soil, flooding through the urban sewer system and, in consequence, rising groundwater are the main causes of subsurface damage. The modelling of flooding events is an important part of flood risk assessment. The processes of subsurface discharge of infiltrated water necessitate coupled modelling tools of both, surface and subsurface water fluxes. Therefore, codes for surface flooding, for discharge in the sewerage system and for groundwater flow were coupled with each other. A coupling software was used to amalgamate the individual programs in terms of mapping between the different model geometries, time synchronization and data exchange. The coupling of the models was realized on two scales in the Saxon capital of Dresden (Germany). As a result of the coupled modelling it could be shown that surface flooding dominates processes of any flood event. Compared to flood simulations without coupled modelling no substantial changes of the surface inundation area could be determined. Regarding sewerage, the comparison between the influx of groundwater into sewerage and the loading due to infiltration by flood water showed infiltration of surface flood water to be the main reason for sewerage overloading. Concurrent rainfalls can intensify the problem. The infiltration of the sewerage system by rising groundwater contributes only marginally to the loading of the sewerage and the distribution of water by sewerage has only local impacts on groundCorrespondence to: T. Sommer (tsommer@dgfz.de) water rise. However, the localization of risk areas due to rising groundwater requires the consideration of all components of the subsurface water fluxes. The coupled modelling has shown that high groundwater levels are the result of a multi-causal process that occurs before and during the flood event.
Groundwater infiltration into urban sewers represents a problem that influences costs and management of technical systems. The hydrodynamic groundwater software MODFLOW is used to analyse the influencing variables of the infiltration processes. Besides the hydraulic conductivity of the soil and the piezometric head in the vicinity of the sewer pipe, properties of the sewer trench, the shape and the size of leaks are important influencing factors. A nonlinear-regression method is applied to develop a one-dimensional approach in accordance with the MODFLOW results and Darcy's law. Monte Carlo simulations and the developed one-dimensional model are used to assess the leak area and the range of pressure loss in the vicinity of the pipe leaks. By additional sensitivity analysis it was found that the infiltration factor and the conductivity of the backfill are very important for the calculation of the leak area.
Exfiltration of waste water in sewer networks represents a potential danger for the soil and the aquifer. Various modelling approaches have been proposed to quantify sewerage exfiltration and its spatial and temporal variation. Common models are based on the law of Darcy, extended by a more or less detailed consideration of the expansion of leaks, the characteristics of the soil and the colmation layer. In the paper investigations are introduced, which are focused on the actual water content of the soil and its influence on exfiltration rates. Modelling results with HYDRUS 1D show, that under unsaturated conditions initial exfiltration rates are increased compared to saturated conditions. In experiments it was found, that the matrix potential increases the tightness of the colmation layer. Further a colmation model was deduced, which allows the calculation of the thickness and conductivity of the colmation layer.
The exfiltration of wastewater from sewer systems in urban areas causes a deterioration of soil and possibly groundwater quality. Beside the simulation of transport and degradation processes in the unsaturated zone and in the aquifer the analysis of the potential impact requires the estimation of quantity and temporal variation of wastewater exfiltration. Exfiltration can be assessed by the application of a leakage model. The hydrological approach was originally developed to simulate the interactions between the groundwater and surface water, it was adapted to allow for modelling of interactions between groundwater and sewer system. In order to approximate the exfiltration specific model parameters infiltration specific parameters were used as a basis. Scenario analysis of the exfiltration in the City of Dresden from 1997 to 1999 and during the flood event in August 2002 shows the variation and the extent of exfiltration rates.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.