Suncook River Watershed Model

Under our on-call contract with the NHDES Dam Bureau, Weston & Sampson developed a detailed hydrologic and hydraulic model of the Suncook River watershed, a large watershed in central New Hampshire.

We used the model, developed in the Army Corps of Engineers’ HEC-HMS software, to identify design flows to support evaluation of the hydraulic accuracy and potential rehabilitation designs of 10 state-owned dams. Based on data from field investigations, dam design drawings, NHDES Dam Bureau files, and publicly available data like LiDAR and aerial imagery, the model consists of 40 dams or other impounding structures, 4 bridges and culverts, 24 river reaches, and 44 subcatchments. This model will be used to support dam breach analyses, the development of EAPs, and a risk-based approach to prioritization of the dam rehabilitation and improvements in the Suncook River watershed.