How DynamicFlood supports surface water management in Aalborg
- DynamicFlood
In Aalborg, the neighbourhoods of Vestholm, Mølholm, and Hasseris Villaby face significant flooding issues resulting from storm surges from the fjord, extreme rainfall events, and overflowing streams.
Given these conditions, these neighbourhoods have been classified as high-risk areas.
Preben Dam Simonsen, hydraulic modeller at NIRAS, and his colleagues have recently developed a comprehensive surface water management plan for these neighbourhoods using Scalgo Live and DynamicFlood. The goal of the plan was to conduct a detailed flood risk evaluation and identify suitable mitigation measures.
"There is an increasing demand to know exactly how water flows because we're experiencing more frequent flooding. This is where DynamicFlood is valuable".
Preben Dam Simonsen, NIRAS
The neighbourhoods in the western part of Aalborg are highly vulnerable to flooding due to their proximity to the fjord and some streams that flow through the area.
"We use the standard Scalgo Live analyses for screening flow paths, depressions, and flooded areas," Preben explains, "but there is an increasing demand to know exactly how water flows because we're experiencing more frequent flooding. This is where DynamicFlood is valuable."
Preben and his colleagues use DynamicFlood especially in more complex situations where understanding detailed flow patterns and water velocities is critical.
"It saves us considerable time, yet still allows easy customisation if adjustments are required. This flexibility makes DynamicFlood very straightforward to integrate into projects like these."
Preben Dam Simonsen, NIRAS
In Aalborg, the team at NIRAS created a detailed map and catalogue of flood mitigation opportunities for the area. To do this, the area was divided into smaller zones, and the identified measures were grouped into immediate actions to address current flood issues and long-term strategies aimed at improving future conditions.
"For describing flood mitigation measures we used DynamicFlood," says Preben, "and we shared the results with the municipality in Modelspaces, allowing municipal planners to review the details thoroughly."
For instance, one road, Vestre Fjordvej, was identified as suitable for transporting water during extreme rainfall events.
At Vestre Fjordvej, DynamicFlood simulations helped evaluate the needed cross section design for the road, making sure that surface water could be transported along the road during extreme weather conditions.
"We analysed the flow rate and volume passing along this road, which directly informed the cross-section design needed for effective water transport," Preben describes.
In another typical scenario, water accumulation under a railway required practical solutions.
"We needed to introduce a pump station there. Flow rates calculated by DynamicFlood allowed us to precisely determine the pumping capacity needed," Preben adds.
In low points under railroads, flooding is a typical issue. DynamicFlood helped evaluate the needed pumping capacity.
Preben appreciates how DynamicFlood simplifies their workflow: "It's very helpful that DynamicFlood comes with default parameters. It saves us considerable time, yet still allows easy customisation if adjustments are required. This flexibility makes DynamicFlood very straightforward to integrate into projects like these."
