Smart Flood Control
We help municipalities, utilities, and developers reduce flood risks and boost climate resilience through intelligent, remotely operated water infrastructure.
The team has developed a watershed-scale flood control strategy that enables adaptive water releases from wetlands, detention ponds, and reservoirs ahead of rainfall events. This is achieved by retrofitting existing storage systems with remotely operated gates and siphons, all managed through a centralized decision support system.
A modular hardware/software platform supports the remote control of thousands of structures using cellular, radio, or satellite connectivity. A lab demonstration of remote siphon operation can be viewed here.
Wetland Characteristics and Flood Reduction
The team is assessing how wetland size, volume, and location affect flood mitigation across watersheds. Case studies include the flood-prone Cypress Creek and San Jacinto–Galveston Bay watersheds in Harris County, Texas.
Typical hourly gridded precipitation used as input to our DSS
The numbers in the image indicate the percentage area of the subbasin that has been used as wetlands for flood control (Case study: Cypress Creek, Texas)
The numbers in the land cover image represent the land use class defined according to the USGS land cover institute (Case study: Cypress Creek, Texas).
Water depths that can be sustained with existing terrain in Cypress Creek watershed, Texas
Towards Real-Time Flood Control
The team has developed a real-time Decision Support System (DSS) to optimize water releases from wetlands, detention ponds, and reservoirs in advance of rainfall events—maximizing storage capacity and minimizing flood risk.
This system integrates retrofitted infrastructure (e.g., gates and siphons) with hydrologic and hydraulic models (HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS) and genetic algorithm optimization. Automated data exchange is handled via HEC-DSS files.
A modular hardware/software platform supports remote operation of thousands of control structures using 4G cellular connectivity, with optional support for radio, wireless, or satellite links. A lab demonstration of remote siphon control can be viewed here.
Schematic of our DSS for optimal and remote operation of siphons/gates at storage systems for flood control
Interface of the genetic algorithm (GA) optimization for optimal flow releases from wetlands in Cypress Creek, Texas
Typical result of our DSS displaying schedule of optimal water releases from a managed wetland for mitigating floods
Schematic of the remote operation, communication and control of a network of storage systems for flood control
Schematic of our integrated DSS, control software, communication, and siphon hardware
Schematic of connection between PLC, sensors, and power
A programming logic controller used in one of our experimental tests
Array of programming logic controllers (PLC) used in one of our experimental tests
Water jet at the outlet of the actuated gate in one of our experimental tests
Interface of our software for the remote operation of a network of sliding gates and siphons in wetlands, detention ponds and reservoirs
Interface of our software for the remote operation of a network of sliding gates and siphons displaying the status of the sensors in siphons and gates
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