Introducing spill points for better water retention and flow insights
- New releases
Spill points are now included in the Depression and Flash Flood maps in Scalgo Live to give you additional descriptions of surface water retention and flow patterns.
Surface water naturally accumulates in depressions, i.e. low points in the terrain. When a depression overflows, water leaves it through a spill point which is the lowest elevation point along the boundary of the depression. With the new spill points in Scalgo Live, you’ll always know where surface water will flow next.
Natural depression in a park after a heavy rain event.
Start using the spill points
In the Depression map, spill points are available as an additional map layer in the menu. When activated, each depression in the terrain is visualised with a point.
Spill points show the lowest elevation along the boundary of each depression.
In the Flash Flood map, select the ‘Highlight Active Depression’ option, available via the gear icon. Spill points become visible when the depression fills up (i.e., becomes inactive), allowing water to flow out through these points.
Flooded areas with spill points. A spill point is shown when a flooded area is filled up and water starts to flow downstream. At this point, the flooded area changes colour from light blue to blue.
Spill points are also automatically recomputed in Workspaces, so when you create ponds or basins, Scalgo Live identifies the spill point for your design.
When you create new depressions in your Workspace, spill points are automatically calculated.
Enhance your planning
Spill points are excellent input when exploring terrain and surface water interactions. They provide critical insights into flow patterns, helping to identify optimal solutions for flood mitigation, wetland creation, and other surface water challenges.
Looking to increase retention volume in existing depressions? Use spill points to pinpoint where elevation adjustments along the depression border can maximise storage capacity effectively.
Need to drain a flooded area with minimal terrain alterations? Spill points can guide you in identifying the ideal locations for channels or ditches to efficiently transport floodwaters downstream.
Explore the new spill points in Scalgo Live or get in touch at info@scalgo.com if you have any questions.
