Numerical Models Meeting the Minimum Requirement of NFIP
Nationally Accepted Hydraulic Models as of March 2008
- Hydraulic Models: Determination of Water-Surface Elevation for Riverine Analysis
- View More Nationally Accepted Models
- Locally Accepted Models
- Numerical Models No Longer Accepted
Hydraulic Models: Determination of Water-Surface Elevation for Riverine Analysis
Please reference the following memorandums on the use of HEC-RAS for NFIP purposes. Note that the memorandums are periodically updated, so be sure to read and apply them each time you reference the chart below.
- Policy for Accepting Numerical Models for Use in the NFIP Policy Memorandum
- New Policy for the Use of HEC-RAS in the NFIP
| PROGRAM | DEVELOPED BY | AVAILABLE FROM | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-Dimensional Steady Flow Models | |||
| HEC-RAS 3.1.1 and up | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Water Resources Support Center Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center 609 Second Street Davis, CA 95616-4687 www.hec.usace.army.mil/ |
For water surface elevation difference due to use of different HEC-RAS versions, refer to FEMA Memorandum HEC-RAS Version Updates (August 17, 2004) www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=2295 Public Domain: Yes |
| HEC-2 (May 1991) |
US Army Corps of Engineers | Water Resources Support Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center 609 Second Street Davis, CA 95616-4687 |
Includes culvert analysis and floodway options. Public Domain: Yes |
| WSPRO (Jun. 1988 and up) |
US Geological Survey, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) |
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) web page at: www.fhwa.dot.gov/ engineering/hydraulics/ software/softwaredetail.cfm |
Floodway option is available in June 1998 version. 1988 version is available on the USGS web page at: water.usgs.gov/software/ surface_water.html Public Domain: Yes |
| QUICK-2 1.0 and up (Jan. 1995) |
FEMA | Federal Emergency Management Agency Mitigation Directorate 500 C Street, SW Washington, DC 20472 www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/ fhm/frm_soft.shtm |
Intended for use in areas studied by approximate methods (Zone A) only. May be used to develop water-surface elevations at one cross section or a series of cross sections. May not be used to develop a floodway. Public Domain: Yes |
| HY8 4.1 and up (Nov. 1992) |
US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) | Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) web page at: www.fhwa.dot.gov/ engineering/hydraulics/ software/softwaredetail.cfm |
Computes water-surface elevations for flow through multiple parallel culverts and over the road embankment. Public Domain: Yes |
| WSPGW 12.96 (Oct. 2000) and up |
Los Angeles Flood Control District and Joseph E. Bonadiman & Associates, Inc. |
Joseph E. Bonadiman & Associates, Inc. 588 West 6 th Street San Bernardino, CA 92410 www.bonadiman.com |
Windows version of WSPG. Computes water-surface profiles and pressure gradients for open channels and closed conduits. Can analyze multiple parallel pipes. Road overtopping cannot be computed. Open channels are analyzed using the standard step method but roughness coefficient cannot vary across the channel. Overbank analyses cannot be done. Multiple parallel pipe analysis assumes equal distribution between pipes so pipes must be of similar material, geometry, slope, and inlet configuration. Floodway function is not available. Demo version available from: www.bonadiman.com/ software/wspg.htm Public Domain: No |
| StormCAD v.4 (June 2002) and up | Bentley Systems | Bentley Systems 685 Stockton Drive Exton, PA 19341 www.bentley.com/en-US |
Perform backwater calculations. Should not be used for systems with more than two steep pipes (e.g. supercritical conditions). Inflow is computed by using the Rational Method; the program is only applicable to watershed, which has the drainage area to each inlet less than 300 acres. Public Domain: No |
| PondPack v. 8 (May 2002) and up |
Bentley Systems | Bentley Systems 685 Stockton Drive Exton, PA 19341 www.bentley.com/en-US |
Cannot model ineffective flow areas. HEC-RAS or an equivalent program must be used to model tail water conditions when ineffective flow areas must be considered. Public Domain: No |
| Culvert Master v. 2.0 (September 2000), and up |
Bentley Systems | Bentley Systems 685 Stockton Drive Exton, PA 19341 www.bentley.com/en-US |
Compute headwater elevations for circular concrete and RCB culverts for various flow conditions. Public Domain: No |
| XP-SWMM 8.52 and up | XP Software | XP-Software, 2000 NE 42 nd Ave. #214 Portland , OR 97213-1305 www.xpsoftware.com |
XP-SWMM cannot represent more than three Manning’s n values per channel section. Where more than this number of values per section are required, the user must demonstrate that the three n values used accurately depict the composite n value for the entire section at various depths. The floodway procedures are for steady flow purposes only. Refer to procedures for unsteady flow floodway calculation posted on the FEMA website at www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=2348 Public Domain: No |
| Xpstorm 10.0 (May 2006) | XP Software | XP-Software, 2000 NE 42 nd Ave. #214 Portland , OR 97213-1305 www.xpsoftware.com |
Xpstorm has the same stormwater modeling capability as the XP-SWMM program. |
| One-Dimensional Unsteady Flow Models | |||
| HEC-RAS 3.1.1 and up | US Army Corps of Engineers | Water Resources Support Center Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) 609 Second Street Davis, CA 95616-4687 www.hec.usace.army.mil/ |
Calibration or verification to the actual flood events highly recommended. Floodway concept formulation unavailable. Version 3.1 cannot create detailed output for multiple profiles in the report file. CHECK-RAS cannot extract data. Public Domain: Yes |
| FEQ 9.98 and FEQUTL 5.46 (2005, both),FEQ 8.92 and FEQUTL 4.68 (1999, both) |
Delbert D. Franz, Linsley, Kraeger Associates; and Charles S. Melching, USGS |
U.S. Geological Survey 221 North Broadway Avenue Urbana, IL 61801 il.water.usgs.gov/proj/feq/ |
The FEQ model is a computer program for the solution of full, dynamic equations of motion for one-dimensional unsteady flow in open channels and control structures. The hydraulic characteristics for the floodplain (including the channel, overbanks, and all control structures affecting the movement of flow) are computed by its companion program FEQUTL and used by the FEQ program. Calibration or verification to the actual flood events highly recommended. Floodway concept formulation is unavailable. Public Domain: Yes |
| ICPR 2.20 (Oct. 2000) and 3.02 (Nov. 2002) | Streamline Technologies, Inc. | Streamline Technologies, Inc. 6961 University Boulevard Winter Park, FL 32792 www.streamnologies.com |
Calibration or verification to the actual flood events highly recommended. Floodway concept formulation unavailable; however, version 3 allows user to specify encroachment stations to cut off the cross section. Public Domain: No |
| SWMM 5 Version 5.0.005 (May 2005) and up | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Water Supply and Water Resources Division U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/ednnrmrl/ models/swmm/index.htm |
SWMM 5 provides an integrated environment for editing study area input data, running hydrologic simulations, and viewing the results in a variety of formats. Public Domain: Yes |
| UNET 4.0 (April 2001) |
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Water Resources Support Center Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) 609 Second Street Davis, CA 95616-4687 |
Calibration or verification to the actual flood events highly recommended. Comparison of bridge and culvert modeling to other numerical models reveals significant differences in results; these differences may be investigated in the near future. Floodway option is not accepted for NFIP usage. Public Domain: Yes |
| FLDWAV (Nov. 1998) |
National Weather Service | Hydrologic Research Laboratory Office of Hydrology National Weather Service, NOAA 1345 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
Includes all the features of DAMBRK and DWOPER plus additional capabilities. It is a computer program for the solution of the fully dynamic equations of motion for one-dimensional flow in open channels and control structures. Floodway concept formulation is unavailable. Calibration to actual flood events required. This model has the capability to model sediment transport. Program is supported by NWS. Public Domain: Yes |
| MIKE 11 HD (2002 D, 2004) |
DHI Water and Environment | DHI, Inc. 319 SW Washington St. Suite 614 Portland, OR 97204 |
Hydrodynamic model for the solution of the fully dynamic equations of motion for one- dimensional flow in open channels and control structures. The floodplain can be modeled separately from the main channel. Calibration to actual flood events highly recommended. Floodway concept formulation is available for steady flow conditions. This model has the capability to model sediment transport. The web page is at: www.dhisoftware.com/mike11/ Public Domain: No |
| FLO-2D v. 2006.01 and 2007.06 | Jimmy S. O'Brien | FLO-2D Software, Inc. P.O. Box 66 Nutrioso, AZ 85932 www.flo-2d.com/ |
Hydrodynamic model for the solution of the fully dynamic equations of motion for one-dimensional flow in open channels and two-dimensional flow in the floodplain. Bridge or culvert computations must be accomplished external to FLO-2D using methodologies or models accepted for NFIP usage. Calibration to actual flood events required. Floodway option is under review. User of Version 2006.01 is strongly encouraged to update to the latest version for bug correction. Public Domain: No |
| XP-SWMM 8.52 and up | XP Software | XP-Software, 2000 NE 42nd Ave. #214 Portland, OR 97213-1305 www.xpsoftware.com |
XP-SWMM cannot represent more than three Manning’s n values per channel section. Where more than this number of values per section are required, the user must demonstrate that the three n values used accurately depict the composite n value for the entire section at various depths. Calibration to actual flood events required. The floodway procedures are for steady flow purposes only. Use the procedure for unsteady flow floodway calculation posted on FEMA website at |
| Xpstorm 10.0 (May 2006) | XP Software | XP-Software, 2000 NE 42 nd Ave. #214 Portland , OR 97213-1305 www.xpsoftware.com |
Xpstorm has the same stormwater modeling capability as the XP-SWMM program. |
| Two-Dimensional Steady/Unsteady Flow Models | |||
| TABS RMA2 v. 4.3 (Oct. 1996) RMA4 v. 4.5 (July 2000) |
US Army Corps of Engineers | Coastal Engineering Research Center Department of the Army Waterways Experiment Station Corps of Engineers 3909 Halls Ferry Road Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199 |
Limitations on split flows. Floodway concept formulation unavailable. More review anticipated for treatment of structures. Public Domain: Yes |
| FESWMS 2DH 1.1 and up (Jun. 1995) |
US Geological Survey | U.S. Geological Survey National Center 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, VA 22092 water.usgs.gov/software/ surface_water.html |
Region 10 has conducted study in Oregon. Floodway concept formulation unavailable. This model has the capability to model sediment transport. Public Domain: Yes |
| FLO-2D v. 2006.01 and 2007.06 | Jimmy S. O'Brien | FLO-2D Software, Inc. Tetra Tech, ISG P.O. Box 66 Nutrioso, AZ 85932 www.flo-2d.com/ |
Hydrodynamic model that has the capabilities of modeling unconfined flows, complex channels, sediment transport, and mud and debris flows. It can be used for alluvial fan modeling. Floodway option is under review. User of Version 2006.01 is strongly encouraged to update to the latest version for bug correction. Public Domain: No |
| MIKE Flood HD 2002 D, 2004 and 2005 | DHI Water and Environment | DHI, Inc. 319 SW Washington St. Suite 614 Portland, OR 97204 |
A dynamic coupling of MIKE 11 (one-dimensional) and MIKE 21 (two-dimensional) models. Solves the fully dynamic equations of motion for one- and two-dimensional flow in open channels, riverine flood plains, alluvial fans and in costal zones. This allows for embedding of sub-grid features as 1-D links within a 2-D modeling domain. Examples of sub-grid features could include small channels, culverts, weirs, gates, bridges and other control structures. Calibration for actual flood events is highly recommended. The web page is at www.dhisoftware.com/mikeflood/ Public Domain: No |
1 The enhancement of these programs in editing and graphical presentation can be obtained from several private companies.
2 Program is typically distributed by vendors and may not be available through HEC. A list of vendors may be obtained through HEC.
View More Nationally Accepted Models
Locally Accepted Models
- Coastal Models Meeting the Minimum Requirement of NFIP
- Hydraulic Models Meeting the Minimum Requirement of NFIP
- Hydrologic Models Meeting the Minimum Requirement of NFIP
Numerical Models No Longer Accepted
Last Modified: Thursday, 21-Aug-2008 11:54:22 EDT