UM-42 : Comprehensive data requirement for NWS DAMBRK model with selected examples

Abstract

Planning and design requirement for a wide range of projects, such as emergency preparedness and location of nuclear power plants, have generated widespread interest in dam break floods analysis. Although much academic research have been accomplished on this topic, a generalised analytic technique for calculating and routing of dam break floods in natural channels is rarely available. The U.S. National Weather Service DAMBRK programme is meant to serve this practical purpose. This note presents the data requirements for analysing the flood wave generated by dam failure using the DAMBRK programme, and also gives the details on how to prepare the data for executing the DAMBRK programme for a most practical case. The DAMBRK programme was developed so as to require data that is accessible to the forecaster. The input data can be categorised into two groups. The first data group pertains to the details of dam such as breach, spillways, and reservoir storage volume, etc. The second group pertains to the routing of the outflow through the downstream valley. The input data requirements are flexible in so far as much of the data may be ignored when a detailed analysis of a dam break flood inundation event is not feasible due to lack of data or insufficient data preparation time.