The Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model (HELP-D)

The "Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance" (HELP) model was developed since 1982 by Paul Schroeder (U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi) and several coauthors for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). HELP version 1 was released in 1984, version 2 in 1988 and version 3 in 1994 (Schroeder et al. 1994a,b). Current original version is HELP 3.07 which is a DOS-program.

The HELP model is a "quasi-two-dimensional" layer model for estimating the water balance of open and closed landfills and especially of bottom liner systems and cover systems. Primary purpose is the comparison of design alternatives as judged by the water balance for the climate of the particular site. HELP models several hydrologic processes using a one-day time step. Vertical and lateral processes are combined, but a two-dimensional flow actually is not modeled. Required input data are daily values of precipitation, air temperature and solar radiation of 1 to 100 complete calendar years, parameters to calculate evapotranspiration, data of soil and material properties, and data of the layer design and the site. The only vegetation considered are grasses, alternatively the soil may be bare. The layer profile must be constant during a simulation run. However, since HELP 3.80 D soil and material properties and the vegetation parameters can be changed within a simulation run, and since HELP 3.50 D the model estimates the evapotranspiration of shrubs and trees more realistically.

For ease of use HELP incorporates a data base with default soil data and the weather generator WGEN (Richardson & Wright 1984) together with a data base with parameters to calculate evapotranspiration and to generate daily weather data for locations in the USA and in Germany.

HELP 3.07 was investigated in an extensive validation study for German climate, and the model's databases were adapted for application in Germany (Berger 1998). An accompanying working group of the German Geotechnical Society released the GDA-recommendation E 2-30 "Modeling the water balance of surface cover systems for landfills" (available only in German). 

In the following years enhanced versions  of HELP-D were released (chronological overview).

The current version HELP 3.95 D comprises the following main features:

• Windows user interface, executable in Windows 10 and 11.
• Online help texts in English and in German.
• User's guide in English and in German.
• A project manager gives an overview of the simulation runs in a chosen directory.
• Main preferences can be saved for the particular Windows user account.
• The simulation maybe performed with the model version HELP 3.95 D as well as with the current original version HELP 3.07. HELP 3.07 was primarily integrated for users in the USA.
• Daily weather data can be synthetically generated with the integrated weather generator WGen with the same parameters for the same locations in the USA as in HELP 3.07 and additionally for selected locations in Germany.
• The same parameters for calculating evapotranspriation can be imported from a database for the same locations in the USA as in HELP 3.07 and additionally for selected locations in Germany.
• Files of Visual HELP (Version 2.2) with evapotranspiration parameters and daily weather data can be imported.
• The same soil properties for US-american soil textures and further material can be read in from a database as in HELP 3.07 and additionally properties of German soil textures.
• With the model HELP 3.95 D the aging of landfill profiles can be simulated in a basic manner by providing the program with parameters for layer and vegetation properties. However, the aging is not modelled, and the layer sequence in a simulation run must be constant.
• The model HELP 3.95 D outputs daily, monthly and yearly results as tables in separate text (ASCII) files that can be easily postprocessed in spreadsheet and in graphics programs.

In the zip file RCRA Comparison Nashville TN (USA) and Hamburg (Germany).zip you find output files and a comparison of modeling results of the RCRA example from the original version HELP 3.07 calculated especially with HELP 3.07 and HELP 3.95 D; furthermore, some figures illustrating the user interface of HELP 3.95 D are included; see the file ReadMe.pdf in the zip file.

Scope of delivery

HELP 3.95 D is only available electronically by download or by e-mail (about 10 MB). HELP 3.95 D comprises the program with online-help texts in English and in German and the following electronic documents in English as PDF:

• Berger, K. & Schroeder, P.R., 2013: The Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model. User's Guide for HELP-D (Version 3.95 D). 6th, revised edition for HELP 3.95 D. Institute of Soil Science, University of Hamburg, Germany, 74 pp.
• Berger, K., 2012: The Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model. Engineering Documentation for HELP 3.95 D - Enhancements beyond HELP 3.07 -. Institute of Soil Science, University of Hamburg, Germany, 10 pp.
• Schroeder, P.R. et al., 1994: The Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model. Engineering Documentation for Version 3. EPA/600/R-94/168b, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio, x + 116 pp.

Hardware and software requirements

HELP 3.95 D is executable in Windows 7 and 8 (32-Bit and 64-Bit, except maybe the starter editions), Windows 10 (tests performed in Windows 10 Pro 64-bit), Windows XP and probably (not tested) Vista. The user interface of HELP 3.95 D uses the Microsoft .NET framework 4 which is automatically installed with HELP if it is not on the computer. However, an internet connection is required for downloading the framework! (On computers with Windows 7 the .NET framework 4 is already installed. On computers with Windows 8 or 10 HELP 3.95 D uses the preinstalled .NET framework 4.n. If your computer does not have an internet connection you can download a standalone installer of the .NET framework 4 from another computer with an internet connection from the Microsoft web site.)

There are no further particular hardware or software requirements. The recommended screen resolution is 1100 x 800 pixels or larger. (If your screen resolution is smaller you have to scroll in some input masks.)

I am offering support for registered HELP-D users, preferably by e-mail(klaus.berger"AT"uni-hamburg.de?subject=Support request HELP-D). If you encounter problems, unexpected results or errors please have a detailed description with you.

• Berger, K., 1998: Validierung und Anpassung des Simulationsmodells HELP zur Berechnung des Wasserhaushalts von Deponien für deutsche Verhältnisse [Validation and Adaptation of the Simulation Model HELP for Calculating the Water Balance of Landfills for German Conditions]. Umweltbundesamt, Fachgebiet III 3.6 (PT AWAS des BMBF), Berlin, 569 pp. (in German, out of print)
• Berger, K., 2000: Validation of the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model for Simulating the Water Balance of Cover Systems. Environmental Geology 39 (11), pp. 1261-1274
• Berger, K., 2002: Potential and Limitations of Applying HELP Model for Surface Covers. Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management, Vol. 6, No. 3, July 2002, pp. 192-203
• Berger, K.U., 2015: On the current state of the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) model. Waste Management, 38, 201-209, doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2015.01.013.
• Berger, K., 2022: On the new Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) model version 4 for the water balance simulation of landfill liner systems. Detritus. 18, S. 70-76, doi: 10.31025/2611-4135/2022.15163
• Berger, K., Schroeder, P.R., 2013: The Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model. Version HELP 3.95 D. Institute of Soil Science, University of Hamburg, Germany
  Program with online-help texts and the following electronic documents as PDF:
  
  • Berger, K., Schroeder, P.R., 2013: The Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model. User's Guide for HELP-D (Version 3.95 D). 6th, revised edition for HELP 3.95 D, 74 pp.
  • Berger, K., 2012: The Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model. Engineering Documentation for HELP 3.95 D - Enhancements beyond HELP 3.07 -. 10 pp.
  • Schroeder, P.R. et al., 1994: The Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model. Engineering Documentation for Version 3. EPA/600/R-94/168b, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio, x + 116 pp.
• GDA-Empfehlung E 2-30, 2003: Modellierung des Wasserhaushalts der Oberflächenabdichtungssysteme von Deponien. Current version (in German)
• Melchior, S., Sokollek, V., Berger, K., Vielhaber, B., Steinert, B., 2010: Results from 18 Years of In Situ Performance Testing of Landfill Cover Systems in Germany. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 136 (8), ASCE, 518-523
• Richardson, C.W. & Wright, D.A., 1984: WGEN: A model for generating daily weather variables. ARS-8, USDA Agricultural Research Service, 83 pp.
• Schroeder, P.R. et al., 1994a,b: The Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) Model. 2 Volumes: (a) User's Guide for Version 3; (b) Engineering Documentation for Version 3; EPA/600/R-94/168a,b; US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio