Flood-inundation maps for an 8.9-mile reach of the South Fork Little River at Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Dataset Identification:
Resource Abstract:
Digital flood-inundation maps for an 8.9-mile reach of South Fork Little River at Hopkinsville, Kentucky, were created by
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Hopkinsville Community Development Services. The inundation
maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at <i><a href="http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/">http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/</a></i>
depict estimates of the areal extent and depth of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (stages) at the USGS streamgage
at South Fork Little River at Highway 68 By-Pass at Hopkinsville, Kentucky (station no. 03437495). Current conditions for
the USGS streamgage may be obtained online at the USGS National Water Information System site ( <i><a href="http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/inventory?agency_code=USGS&site_no=03437495">http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/inventory?agency_code=USGS&site_no=03437495</a></i>).
In addition, the information has been provided to the National Weather Service (NWS) for incorporation into their Advanced
Hydrologic Prediction Service flood warning system ( <i><a href="http://water.weather.gov/ahps/">http://water.weather.gov/ahps/</a></i>).
The NWS forecasts flood hydrographs at many places that are often co-located at USGS streamgages. The forecasted peak-stage
information, also available on the Internet, may be used in conjunction with the maps developed in this study to show predicted
areas of flood inundation. In this study, flood profiles were computed for the South Fork Little River reach by using HEC-RAS,
a one-dimensional step-backwater model developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The hydraulic model was calibrated by
using the most current (2012) stage-discharge relation at the South Fork Little River at Highway 68 By-Pass at Hopkinsville,
Kentucky, streamgage and measurements collected during recent flood events. The calibrated model was then used to calculate
13 water-surface profiles for a sequence of flood stages, most at 1-foot intervals, referenced to the streamgage datum and
ranging from a stage near bank full to the estimated elevation of the 1.0-percent annual exceedance probability flood at the
streamgage. To delineate the flooded area at each interval flood stage, the simulated water-surface profiles were combined
with a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the study area by using Geographic Information System (GIS) software. The DEM consisted
of bare-earth elevations within the study area and was derived from a Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) dataset having a
3.28-foot horizontal resolution. These flood-inundation maps, along with online information regarding current stages from
USGS streamgage and forecasted stages from the NWS, provide emergency management and local residents with critical information
for flood response activities such as evacuations, road closures, and post-flood recovery efforts.
Citation
Title Flood-inundation maps for an 8.9-mile reach of the South Fork Little River at Hopkinsville, Kentucky