Subject: Spatial Analysis for Distributaries – Dividing into Sections for Analysis in WEAP Posted: 4/16/2025 Viewed: 153 times
Hello WEAP community,
I am currently working on a spatial analysis for a water distribution network using the WEAP model and would appreciate your insights. Specifically, I am analyzing distributaries and have been advised to divide each distributary into three sections: Head, Middle, and Tail.
If there is an approach within WEAP for handling this type of division and performing analysis/testing at the tail section, I would happy to hear about it. If not, are there alternative methods or suggestions for carrying out such a spatial analysis effectively using WEAP or any other tools?
Your expertise and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Mr. Doug Chalmers
Subject: Re: Spatial Analysis for Distributaries – Dividing into Sections for Analysis in WEAP Posted: 4/16/2025 Viewed: 146 times
Moazzam,
Are you referring to a river that branches off into multiple tributaries as it flows downstream? If so, the easiest way I could think to do this in WEAP would be to end your river where it starts to branch off and connect a demand node with a very high demand, low priority, and no consumption to the end. Then, send the return flow to the downstream branches and set the return flow routing proportion accordingly.
To add inflow at different points along your stream, you could add a new very small river object which flows into your main river and give it a headflow. Or use more catchment inflows.
Hope this helps!
-Doug
Mr. Moazzam Mushtaq
Subject: Re: Spatial Analysis for Distributaries – Dividing into Sections for Analysis in WEAP Posted: 4/16/2025 Viewed: 136 times
Hi Doug,
Thanks for your suggestions! Just to clarify, instead of tributaries or rivers, I am working with canals. In this case, the flow is generally higher at the upper side of the canal and decreases as we move toward the tail end.
What I want to do is check the flow at the end node of the canal, where the flow is typically lower. I was thinking of a similar approach to what you mentioned with tributaries—perhaps adding a demand node with high demand and low priority near the end of the canal to track this flow reduction.
Could you share your thoughts on this method, or suggest if there’s a better way to model this in WEAP?
Thanks again for your support!
Moazzam
Mr. Doug Chalmers
Subject: Re: Spatial Analysis for Distributaries – Dividing into Sections for Analysis in WEAP Posted: 4/17/2025 Viewed: 125 times
Moazzam,
If your goal is simply to check the flow, then there should be results available at the point after any nodes (pretty much any WEAP object) touch the canal. See the streamflow results and look at All Nodes and Reaches for your diversion object.
If you are trying to model the branching out of flows like a distributary, then my previous response would still apply for a diversion object, which acts similarly to a river. For a diversion object, water would only flow through the object if it is needed to fulfill a downstream demand, or if it is from a return flow (which flows even if it is not needed for a downstream demand. But, I believe that the demand node and return flow solution I provided would work here.
Topic "Spatial Analysis for Distributaries – Dividing into Sections for Analysis in WEAP"
