Precipitation-driven Flood-inundation Mapping Of The Little Blue River At Grandview, Missouri
Abstract
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the City of Grandview, Missouri, assessed flooding of the Little Blue River at Grandview resulting from varying precipitation magnitudes and durations and expected land-cover changes. The precipitation scenarios were used to develop a library of flood-inundation maps that included a 3.5-mile reach of the Little Blue River and tributaries within and adjacent to the city.
A hydrologic model of the upper Little Blue River Basin and a hydraulic model of a selected study reach of the Little Blue River and tributaries were constructed to assess streamflow magnitudes associated with simulated precipitation amounts and the resulting flood-inundation conditions. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC–HMS; version 4.4.1) was used to simulate the amount of streamflow produced from a range of rain events. The Hydrologic Engineering Center-River Analysis System (HEC–RAS; version 5.0.7) was then used to construct a steady-state hydraulic model to map resulting areas of flood inundation.
Both models were calibrated to the May 28, 2020, high-flow event that produced a peak streamflow approximating a 10-percent annual exceedance probability (10-year flood-frequency recurrence interval) at the Little Blue River at Grandview streamgage (USGS station 06893750). The calibrated HEC–HMS model was used to simulate streamflows from design rainfall events of 1- to 8-hour durations and ranging from a 100- to 0.2-percent annual exceedance probability. Flood-inundation maps were produced for USGS streamflow stages of 17.0 feet (ft), or near bankfull, to 23.0 ft, or a stage exceeding the 0.2-percent annual exceedance interval flood, using the HEC–RAS model. The consequence of each precipitation duration-frequency value was represented by a 1-ft increment inundation map based on the generated peak streamflow from that rainfall event and the corresponding stage at the reference USGS streamgage.
Four scenarios were developed with the HEC–HMS hydrologic model: (1) current (2016) land cover, normal antecedent soil-moisture conditions; (2) current land cover, wet antecedent soil-moisture conditions; (3) future land cover, normal antecedent soil-moisture conditions; and (4) future land cover, wet antecedent soil-moisture conditions. The future land-cover condition was estimated based on anticipated development in the basin. All precipitation scenarios were input into each of the four land-cover antecedent moisture conditions and then assigned to a resulting flood-inundation map based on the generated peak flow and corresponding stage at the reference streamgage.
Recommended Citation
D. Heimann et al., "Precipitation-driven Flood-inundation Mapping Of The Little Blue River At Grandview, Missouri," Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5068, U.S. Geological Survey, Jan 2021.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20215068
Department(s)
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Publication Status
Public Domain
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2328-0328
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 U.S. Geological Survey, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2021
Comments
Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report.
Recommended Citation: Heimann, D.C., Voss, J.D., and Rydlund, P.H., Jr., 2021, Precipitation-driven flood-inundation mapping of the Little Blue River at Grandview, Missouri (ver. 1.1, January 2022): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2021–5068, 19 p., https://doi.org/ 10.3133/ sir20215068.
Associated Data for this Publication: Heimann, D.C., and Voss, J.D., 2021, Archive of hydrologic models used to generate flood peaks based on selected precipitation durations and recurrence intervals for the Little Blue River Basin, Grandview, Missouri: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9G68JQQ.
U.S. Geological Survey, 2020, USGS water data for the Nation: U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN.
Voss, J.D., and Heimann, D.C., 2021, Geospatial data and hydraulic-model archive for evaluation of flood-inundation maps developed for a reach of the Little Blue River at Grandview, Missouri: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9JLOM4K.
Acknowledgements: The authors wish to acknowledge funding provided by the City of Grandview, Missouri, for this study along with the continued support from the City of Grandview in funding the U.S. Geological Survey streamgage, Little Blue River at Grandview, Mo., and two precipitation only gages within the upper Little Blue River study basin.