Continuous Simulation Model for the Wansbeck Catchment and Analysis of the Flood Risk Estimation

The town of Morpeth which lies in the Wansbeck catchment experienced a catastrophic flood on the 6th September 2008 which has resulted in this research. Occurrence of similar catastrophic floods around the world has increased the interest of the scientific community in using an alternative method i.e. continuous simulation to estimate flood risk. This method is completely different from current standard methodology [e.g. Flood Estimation Handbook (FEH)] in the UK for estimating flood risk.So this study has examined the methodology used to develop a continuous simulation approach for the Wansbeck catchment and then made the model for upstream storage (near Mitford Hall and Font Ford Lodge) to reduce flood risk in the town of Morpeth. A previous study of the catchment has investigated the possibility of utilizing Lightwater storage to reduce flood risks to the town. The approach was to use data from 100 years of rainfall and to simulate the rainfall-runoff model to obtain the most significant flood. Then unsteady 1D hydraulic river model with and without Lightwater storage was modelled.