Project Description
As a subconsultant to TetraTech, Inc., JE Fuller provided pre and post-development hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of the proposed Sky Ranch Solar Site in Valencia County, NM. The proposed solar site consisted of 1,890 acres of existing rangeland between the Cities of Las Lunas and Belen, along the west side of Interstate 25. The study included the development of existing conditions hydrology, requiring the delineation of the contributing watersheds, parameterization of each watersheds loss and transform potential based upon existing soils, vegetation, and land use data, and definition of design rainfall events including the 10-, 25-, and 100-year, 24-hour events. The information collected and calculated for the contributing watersheds was incorporated into a rainfall-runoff model developed using the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) HEC-HMS software, Version 4.7.1. The discharge data from this hydrologic analysis were employed in developing a hydraulic model using the USACE’s HECRAS Software, Version 5.0.7. The hydraulic analysis employed a combination of 1- and 2-dimensional modeling to determine the maximum inundation extents, flood depths, and velocities for the design storms identified above. This information was provided to the project team for the solar facility design. Based upon the original modeling effort and the proposed facility design, updated models were completed to simulate the peak discharges, inundation extents, and velocities associated with the post-development condition of the site. Alterations to loss parameters and roughness coefficients with the hydrologic and hydraulic models were used to reflect the changed condition and land use for the area of the solar site. The resulting HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS models were used to size drainage infrastructure, including culvert and low water crossings at significant flowpaths, evaluate scour, and establish erosion hazard envelopes for the major drainages within the project site.
Services Provided:
- Pre and Post Development H&H Analysis
- Watershed Delineation & Parameterization
- HEC-HMS Modeling
- HEC-RAS Modeling
- Infrastructure Sizing & Design Support
- Collaboration & Design Integration
Location
Velencia County, NM
Client
NextEra Energy Resources