Consultants present Flow2D modeling, screening for managed recharge in Wilcox Basin

Consultants for Cochise County presented a county-funded hydrology and recharge screening study that used Flow2D modeling and a GIS suitability analysis to target sites for managed aquifer recharge in the Wilcox Basin. The presentations were given during a Flood Control District work session Tuesday in the Board of Supervisors chamber in Bisbee.

The consultants said the modeling covered about 1,700 square miles and used a cascading approach of 13 linked submodels. "We broke that 1,700 square miles into 13 individual models that run on their own, and we broke the whole 1,700 square mile area into 40 by 40 foot grids," said Sai Miller, an engineer with JE Fuller, describing the spatial resolution used for flood‑flow and depth outputs. The project is funded, the county said, by a WIPA grant for $187,000 and Flood Control District funds of $112,000.

County and consultant speakers said the Flow2D runs simulated a 100‑year, 24‑hour type‑2 storm and produced depth and velocity rasters and flood hydrographs for each 40‑by‑40‑foot cell. Miller noted that the model is computationally intensive — a full run of the cascaded models took…