The hydraulic resistance of groynes is an important factor in the determination of design flood water levels on rivers and the assessment of how much these levels are lowered by modifying the groynes. In standard one- or two-dimensional numerical hydrodynamic models for flood risk management, groynes are commonly represented as subgrid features with a local energy loss according to a weir formula. We tested this representation by using a two-dimensional horizontal mesh at various groyne submergence degrees by comparing the results with those of flume experiments. We also compared the results with simulations using different 2D and 3D approaches on finer grids that incorporate groynes in the bed topography. In one of the two tested 3D models, complete Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations were solved. The second tested 3D model was constructed simpler by assuming hydrostatic pressure distribution in the vertical direction. We employed Delft3D software in construction and execution of all models. One of the 3D models did predict the hydraulic resistance at low submergence better than the standard model, but it slightly underestimated the resistance at higher submergences. Despite differences in flow characteristics, weirs and groynes were found to produce similar flow resistances for the same height and boundary conditions. Simulations of groyne modifications showed that hydraulic resistance decreased nonlinearly with groyne lowering and streamlining.

Historically, the Magdalena river has been important for inland transportation in Colombia. However, the Magdalena river has ceded its importance as a mode of transportation to the road over the last decades. This is largely due to the difficulty to navigate the river