inph - career episode 1

Carrer Episode #1 Eng. Bruno Serafini Sobral

a) INTRODUCTION

PROJECT TITLE

FLOOD MINIMIZATION PROJECTS IN THE STATE OF ESPÍRIT O SANTO - BRAZIL

CITIES OF ALEGRE, JERONIMO MONTEIRO, GOVERNADOR LINDENBERG, FUNDÃO, JOÃO NEIVA, IBATIBA, AFONSO CLÁUDIO, MARECHAL FLORIANO, CASTELO, APIACÁ AND BOM JESUS DO NORTE.

PROJECT PERIOD

Start: 01/06/2012 End: 30/11/2013

LOCATION: Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

PROJECT TEAM

INPH Team

Eng. Domênico Accetta [email protected]

Eng. Paulo César da Silva Freire [email protected]

Phys. Luiz Casaroli [email protected]

LaDISan-UFF Team

Eng. Dario de Andrade Prata Filho (Msc.) [email protected]

Eng. Bruno Serafini Sobral [email protected]

Eng. André Luiz Moreira Conceição [email protected]

Eng. Monique de Faria Marins (Msc.) [email protected]

1.1) I was invited to participate in this project along with other two fellow Environmental Engineers by Professor Dario Prata, who was my Drainage teacher at the University. The challenge presented was to create a new methodology in order to correctly analyze the behavior of main rivers crossing urban areas of eleven cities in the State of Espirito Santo – Brazil. This was a pioneering project in determining flood reduction quotas at the university so the team had to formulate and create the whole process based on the most up to date technology available in scientific papers and engineering books, which included field studies procedures, handling topography and rainfall data and river software modeling.


b) BACKGROUND

1.2) The nature of the project was to obtain better understanding of the flood events that repeatedly occur in the eleven cities studied.

1.3) The main objective was to assess the behavior of different water courses in eleven municipalities located in Espírito Santo (Brazil) through mathematical modeling (HEC-RAS 4.1.0), simulating different water levels and flows associated with recurrent events while observing the boundary conditions according to the available database and collected field data. After collecting the data it was processed in order to provide hydraulic information regarding the water courses in its current conditions, as found by the project team at the time of the data gathering.

1.4) The team of professionals participating in this study was composed of two Civil Engineers, three Environmental Engineers, one Physicist, one Topographer and two assistants. The project was made possible by the partnership developed between the Brazilian National Institute of Waterways Research (INPH) and the Drainage and Environmental Sanitation Laboratory of Universidade Federal Fluminense (LaDISan-UFF).

1.5) The Government of Espirito Santo State participated in the project as the main client, through the Roads Estate Department (DER-ES). This department counted on experienced engineering professionals, most senior Civil Engineers specialized in road construction, to revise all the work made by the team. The DER engineers are registered on the Regional Council of Engineering of Espirito Santo, and are required to follow and enforce the national engineering standards.


Project Structure Chart

c) PERSONAL ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES

1.6) The project was developed following the same procedures in all the cities where it took place. First, the whole project team travelled to the city in order to instruct the topography team on the needed data and how to obtain it. The topography team would then stay for about 15 to 20 days in the city, gathering topographical data that would later be shared with the rest of the team. After receiving the topography data, the team would analyze it and check for errors, making the necessary adjustments when needed. All the provided data would then be inputted into the mathematical models along with other information such as flow, Manning´s coefficient and contraction/expansion coefficients, thus allowing the team to better understand the behavior of the rivers and analyze their longitudinal profiles.

1.7) I was part of the team as an Environmental Engineer. I used mathematical results

of the rivers in current conditions, to test different hydraulic solutions to the streams aiming at the reduction of floods in the watersheds. The hydraulic solutions proposed were based on dredging the streams with different geometric

Eng. Domênico Accetta

INPH - Director

Eng. Paulo César

FreireResearch Coordinator

Eng. Dario Prata

Project Coordinator

Eng. Bruno Serafini

SobralEnvironmental Engineer

Eng. André Luiz

MoreiraEnvironmental Engineer

Eng. Monique de Faria

MarinsEnvironmental Engineer

Phys. Luiz Casaroli

Supervision Assitant


sections and materials while analyzing the conditions to build in-stream flood damping reservoirs. When the dredging of the reservoirs proved to be insufficient as a single solution the team would analyze the results based on the combination of different solutions.

1.8) Individual reports containing all the analyzed data, results and the best solution

for each stream were produced by the LaDISan-UFF team. These reports provided the foundation for decision-making by the Government of Espírito Santo regarding flood reduction in the eleven municipalities where the study took place.

MAIN ACTIVITIES DEVELOPED

1.9) I instructed the topography team on how to obtain hydrological and topographical data, photographs and other information regarding flood events in the cities contemplated by the project, focusing on the hydrological and hydrographical characterization of the different watersheds.

1.10) I was part of the field team that verified stream flow conditions for the most important water bodies and hydraulic structures. In addition, I participated in the field studies for the recognition of river basins regarding its use, occupation, type of vegetation cover, and specific morphological characteristics of each watercourse. I used field visits also to record flood marks on the buildings near the streams and to calibrate the mathematical model.

1.11) I was responsible for developing the hydrological studies based on the collected rainfall data to determine the precipitation regime of the municipalities using intensity-duration-frequency curves when needed. These studies determined the maximum flow of the watersheds based on different time periods such as 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years.

1.12) I was the head engineer for the mathematical modeling and the interventions proposed by the team. Since I was the most experienced with river modeling analysis on the team, Professor Dario Prata assigned me as head engineer for mathematical modeling. I was responsible not only for modeling but also for reviewing all the information inputted to the mathematical models.

1.13) I analyzed the results obtained and performed the calibration of the mathematical models in order to have the most accurate possible model in every situation. It was also my responsibility to analyze the influence of hydraulic works in the fluvial dynamics of the studied river sections, as well as to compare the flood marks to the water heights registered on the field studies.

1.14) I also was responsible for formatting the final reports and all its data in a presentable document containing the recommendations for minimizing flood events.


RELATION BETWEEN THE PROJECT AND THE APPLICANT´S BACHELOR DEGREE

1.15) Even though I served this specific project as an Environmental Engineer, as a graduated Environmental and Agricultural Engineer I was able to study subjects in different areas of natural sciences and engineering, which are listed below accompanied by short description of the course and how it is related to the project:

� Topography VII and IX – These two courses focused on how to correctly identify and register elevation points and represent them on blue prints using the geographical position system (GPS). It was important for me to learn the techniques correctly in order to proper instruct the topography team on the field and obtain from it the best topographical information available.

� Transport Phenomena and Hydraulics II and III – These two courses focused on instructing the student to deal with transport phenomena and hydraulic problems relating to fluid dynamic, pipe flow and heat transfer. Its relevance to the project was verified by me while measuring energy loss on the hydraulic structures such as bridges and culverts along the river streams, especially when applying contraction and expansion factors on the mathematical models.

� Hydrology – This course emphasis was on instructing the student on the main hydrology laws as well as providing general knowledge on water resources and stormwater effluent captation projects. It was directly applied by me to the project here described, especially to the hydrological studies and overall analysis of the collected rainfall data.

� Soil-Water-Atmosphere Systems – This course aimed to prepare the student for the correct understanding of the relations between the soil, the water and the atmosphere. It presented the concept of evapotranspiration which was largely applied by me to the project, while analyzing the collected rainfall data and soil humidity conditions in the watersheds covered by the project.

� Hydraulic Works – This discipline focused on presenting to the students different types of dams, dykes and other hydraulic structures, as well as instructing the students on the most common hydraulic works projects and their construction methods. The knowledge gathered during this course was very helpful while projecting the in-stream flood damping reservoirs.

� Drainage – This course presented principles and theories of drainage. Information regarding materials, equipment, design, construction, operation, maintenance of surface and underground drainage systems were very important to properly design and propose macrodrainage solutions to the municipalities.

� Sanitation in Small Communities – The sanitation discipline emphasis was on instructing the student in conceptual and methodological knowledge used to develop solutions for sanitation issues in small communities. The knowledge acquired from this study can be used both in small and large cities in Brazil.


� Management of Water Resources – This discipline aimed to instruct the student on the methods and processes applied to water resources management and the environment. It also focused on presenting the main water management problems, classifying priorities of use and how that impacts the socioeconomic development in a watershed. As one of the most important indicators in a watershed, water quality and availability is a main issue in all types of environmental reports such as Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Environmental Impact Reports (EIR). The information passed out during class was later applied to the project while trying to equate the socioeconomic demand for water and its availability on the watershed.

d) SUMMARY

1.16) The project was very successful in achieving its goals. The team proved to be very efficient on providing solutions to flood reductions in the cities studied. The reports were lauded by the Government of Espirito Santo and were used in decision making processes. The interaction between the professionals involved on the project was excellent, based on ethical conduct respecting the strengths and difficulties of each professional. The field trips provided an unforgettable experience for the whole team and my role as head engineer contributed to mathematical modeling and ensured reliability of the models.

I hereby certify that the above statements are true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

inph - career episode 1

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