Case Study: Hawks & Associates

Automating HEC-RAS in One-Tenth the Time
Hawks & Associates estimate that every hour using RiverNET saves about 10 hours of manual work

Background Information

Few places have experienced as much growth in the past 25 years as Southern California. The development increases peak storm runoff, causing erosion and scour as well as increasing floodplain boundaries. For these reasons, local agencies and private land owners turn to civil engineers to protect and restore damaged or threatened areas of land.

Hawks & Associates, a recognized civil engineering firm in Ventura County, CA, provides professional engineering services to public agencies and private developers. With over 25 years in business, Hawks has built a reputation for specialized expertise in floodplain management, drainage, FEMA floodplain map changes, and water resource management.

In 2006, when the firm needed to complete river floodplain studies, staff saw an opportunity to move beyond traditional, manual floodplain mapping practices to a more streamlined and automated approach.

One Application – Start to Finish

The firm implemented RiverNET software from BOSS International to automate HEC-RAS and HEC-2 modeling in AutoCAD. From within AutoCAD, engineers use RiverNET to cut cross sections, perform HEC-RAS analyses, determine floodways, and create floodplain and floodway maps.

Hawks & Associates staff quickly integrated RiverNET into its current engineering workflow, learning on actual projects. The software effectively automates the steps that engineers performed manually before, and does so all within one application.

“We can produce HEC-RAS projects and the final floodplain and floodway mapping – all within AutoCAD,” said Dean Wilkinson, Engineering Consultant. “We can take a HEC-RAS project from start to finish and produce accurate results in a minimal amount of time.”

Determine Floodway Encroachments in Minutes

Using the floodway analysis capabilities in RiverNET, engineers can determine encroachments, try them and get results immediately. Engineers press “analyze,” and in a few seconds, RiverNET shows the effect on the end result. This capability allows engineers to make changes easily, evaluate the impact of those changes, and identify the floodway within the required one-foot tolerance in minutes, instead of the sometimes hours it took previously.

With RiverNET, Hawks evaluated a floodway of San Antonio creek, near Ojai, California. Three parcels of land were located mostly in the floodway, preventing the land owner from developing the property. Hawks engineers used RiverNET to help identify the best way of encroaching the river. The resulting floodway was developed within the FEMA criteria and still allowed for potential development.

Faster, More Accurate Results for Clients

Hawks staff has found RiverNET to be very useful and much easier to use than the iterative approach of taking topographic data from maps to HEC-RAS, and then transferring results to AutoCAD for floodplain maps. For a typical project, modeling with the U.S. Army Corps HEC-RAS software and then preparing a flood map would have taken up to 15 days, instead of just two days with RiverNET.

RiverNET enables the firm to provide information to clients more quickly, which supports better decision-making. For example, since floodplain maps can be created all within RiverNET, Hawks can deliver the final product in a shorter time period. The firm estimates that every hour spent using RiverNET saves about 10 hours of manual work.

RiverNET also reduces the human error that can occur with manual interpretation of topographic maps. The software manages the digital data, thus eliminating the manual transfer of data where mistakes can occur.

Polished Presentations

RiverNET provides the mapping documentation required by clients, municipalities and review agencies like FEMA. With the floodplain mapping capability of RiverNET, engineers create an AutoCAD file with professional quality that delineates the floodplain. The firm can then easily modify maps for presentations using AutoCAD.

Beyond the software, Hawks staff values the technical support provided by BOSS International, allowing the firm to keep projects on schedule.

“Support engineers respond quickly, and with hands-on help for the specific project,” Wilkinson added. “They have the ability to connect remotely to your computer to provide the best support possible. BOSS International is always professional and courteous.”