Development of a flood-inundation map library and precipitation-runoff modeling for the Clear Fork Mohican River in and near Bellville, Ohio

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, led hydrologic and hydraulic analyses within the Clear Fork Mohican River Basin in and near Bellville, Ohio. The analyses included the development of digital flood-inundation maps for an approximately 2.5-mile reach of the Clear Fork Mohican River and the development of a precipitation-runoff model for a portion of the Clear Fork Mohican River Basin.

Data collection for the study involved the installation and operation of 2 streamgages (Clear Fork Mohican River at Bellville, Ohio, and Cedar Fork above Bellville, Ohio); 1 lake-level gage (Clear Fork Reservoir near Lexington, Ohio); 2 precipitation gages (Clear Fork Reservoir near Lexington, Ohio, and Rain Gage at Cedar Fork above Bellville, Ohio); and 12 submersible pressure transducers on Clear Fork Mohican River and 4 of its tributaries. Data collection also included field surveys of hydraulic structures and channel cross sections.

Flood profiles were computed for the 2.5-mile reach of the Clear Fork Mohican River by means of a one-dimensional step-backwater model. The model was calibrated to 16 measured events and to a portion (stages 9 to 11 feet) of the current stage-streamflow relation at the USGS streamgage Clear Fork Mohican River at Bellville, Ohio, and to stage recorded at a submersible pressure transducer site near the downstream study limit. After calibration the step-backwater model was used to compute nine flood profiles for stages ranging from 9 to 17 feet. The flood profiles were then used in combination with a digital elevation model to delineate the area that would be inundated at each stage.

A precipitation-runoff model was developed and calibrated using data from the streamgage, precipitation gage, and 11 submersible pressure transducers. The modeling included data during 10 runoff events that were used for model calibration and validation, with focus on 6 events. The Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficients for six peak streamflow events ranged from 0.459 to 0.851.

The models produced by this study can be used to assess possible flood mitigation options and define flood hazard areas that could contribute to the protection of life and property. The availability of flood-inundation maps, internet information from USGS streamgages, and forecasted stages from the National Weather Service could provide emergency management personnel and residents with information on forecasting floods, appropriate flood response activities, and post-flood recovery efforts.