Simulation comparisons were made between quasi-steady flow and unsteady flow formulations for a typical flood in Cho-Shui Creek, Taiwan. Fixed- or mobile-bed conditions are discussed separately. In the fixed-bed simulation, the only difference between quasi-steady and unsteady simulation with similar time increment is the time lag of flood peak. In mobile bed simulations, the hydraulic parameters between upstream and downstream tend to become more uniform and the elevation of flood peak decreases because of local erosion. Attenuation of flood peak is negligible due to flow characteristics in Taiwan such as steep slope and short travel distance. Quasi-steady flow simulation comes out with the same levee heights compared with the unsteady one. Effect of tide at the downstream on the design of a dike is also discussed.