Suncook River Watershed Model – Potential Rehabilitation Designs of 10 State-Owned Dams

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Dam Bureau selected Weston & Sampson to develop a detailed hydrologic and hydraulic model of the Suncook River watershed, a large watershed in central New Hampshire.

Developed in the Army Corps of Engineers’ HEC-HMS software, the team used the model to identify design flows for the NHDES to support evaluation of the hydraulic accuracy and potential rehabilitation designs of 10 state-owned dams.

Our team developed the model based on data from field investigations, dam design drawings, NHDES Dam Bureau files, and publicly available data like LiDAR and aerial imagery. We visited 39 sites in the field to collect outlet dimensions and elevations to incorporate into the model. The model consists of 40 dams or other impounding structures, 4 bridges and culverts, 24 river reaches, and 44 subcatchments. This model will also be used to support dam breach analyses, the development of Emergency Action Plans (EAPs), and a risk-based approach to prioritization of the state’s rehabilitation and improvement of their extensive inventory of dams in the Suncook River watershed.

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