DEVELOPMENT OF WATERSHED MODELS FOR THE TRIBUTARIES OF CUMMINS FALLS TO AID IN FLASH FLOOD WARNING SYSTEM

In the summer of 2017, Cummins Falls State park experienced a flash flood, which led to the death of 2 people. To better understand when floods could occur in this area, models of the two watersheds that contribute to the river flowing into Cummins Falls could help in providing early warnings for flood events. The goal in our research is to create models for both East and West Blackburn Fork, the 2 tributaries of Cummins Falls, using Win-TR 55 and HEC HMS in order to determine the amount of discharge that would be required in order for a flood to occur at the falls.

ArcGIS was used to analyze land use data and overlay it on the two distinct watersheds. Spatial data were entered into Win-TR 55 where we could run rainfall events to simulate flooding for each catchment.

Due to limitations of Win-TR 55, HEC HMS is an alternative program, designed to analyze larger watersheds. This new application will allow us to further analyze the watershed with more accurate results. Results will give emergency officials estimates of the timing of flash floods, in order to better issue warnings and evacuations.