Chasing the Moving Target: Emergency Planning in a Rapidly Changing Landscape
The community of Wesley Chapel, FL has experienced growth in population of over 150% between 2001 and 2021, during which areas surrounding the Boyette Road Reclaimed Water Reservoir have seen rapid, high-density residential construction. The 500 MG reservoir is impounded entirely by an earthfill dam classified as a high-hazard potential structureIn 2023, hydraulic modeling and subsequent inundation mapping were used to identify at-risk areas downstream to update the Emergency Action Plan (EAP) originally produced upon the reservoir’s completion in 2015. The process challenges to modeling current and future conditions in a rapidly developing landscape in order to ensure accuracy and maximize benefits for emergency responders. The hydraulic modeling performed for EAP inundation mapping required the collection of various GIS data, such as topography, stormwater infrastructure, and land use. Data available from 2018 or more recently was initially considered to be a valuable depiction of the landscape. Further inspection revealed that high-density residential construction has, and continues to, spread across the landscape and these GIS datasets reflected what was historically agricultural land. Several resources were tapped to capture ongoing downstream development and produce inundation maps that would be useful to the community in years to come. This effort included coordination with the County Planning Department and local developers to obtain grading plans of new communities, collection of on-site photographs and measurements, and evaluation of 2023 aerial imagery for incorporation into the hydraulic model. This presentation will outline the implications to downstream consequence identification and emergency planning of positioning a reservoir within a landscape evolving due to human development.
Author Bio
Daniel is an Engineer at Hazen and Sawyer with over 6 years of dam safety experience. Mr. Papa has knowledge of various water resource projects including dam safety engineering, H&H modeling, BMP design, and master planning. He has a strong understanding of HEC-RAS, utilizing both 1D and 2D models, HEC-HMS, GIS, and Civil3D. More recently, Mr. Papa has started to get more involved in active dam design and rehabilitation projects. Madi Miro is an Assistant Engineer within Hazen and Sawyer’s Water Resources Practice Group. Since joining Hazen in December 2022, she has assisted in hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) modeling for floodplain analyses and dam breaches, developed Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) in several different states, and supported dam safety programs by performing routine inspections and providing Operation and Maintenance (O&M) training to staff.
