Flood Risk Mapping and Protection Scheme of the Entella River – Italy
Protecting the waterfront neighborhoods from devastating floods
- Location: Chiavari, Genoa, Italy
- Date: 2002 – 2015
- Client: Province of Genoa
- Project Type: Flood risk reduction
Improving fluvial defenses with integrated modeling and planning
The coastal city of Chiavari has historically been subject to flooding at the mouth of the Entella River, with more recent flood events causing considerable socio-economical losses. The Province of Genoa in response to this mounting flooding risk commissioned Hydro Nova to investigate flood risk in this area and design a flood protection scheme.
Our expert flood team used flood predictive modelling to map future flood risk of the area and determine measures for long-term flood resilience. The project promises to help shield the communities of the lower Entella River from devastating floods in the future. To date, Genoa Province has completed several projects of the plan. We continue to provide design and construction supervision of flood control projects over a long-term service.
Services Provided
Flood prediction tool
For prediction of flood events in the lower Entella River, we built a 2-dimensional hydraulic finite element model, which included river characteristics, geomorphology, transportation network, urban topography and climate change data. This tool was supported by a detailed topographic analysis, and enable a powerful hydraulic analysis to predict flood volumes and velocities.
Risk assessment and mapping
Using our flood prediction tool, our team simulated and mapped the extent and severity of multiple flood events, showing the extent of future flooding in the streets of Chiavari and upstream areas of town of Lavanga. Our inundation maps represented areas in the floodplain where risk of flood damage was highest and furthermore indicated optimal hydraulic flow patterns that were useful for us to site and design suitable flood defense and control projects.
Flood protection scheme
Our prediction and assessment of flood risk allowed Hydro Nova to design and plan a list of interventions and infrastructure projects that can defend the area from devastation in the event of significant flash floods, such as storm water control, infiltration, drainage and retention. Our engineering team provides continuous support to Genoa in designing and supervising the construction of these projects.
