CE 4502

RUNOFF G ENERATION
Riddhi Singh
Email: riddhi@iith.ac.in
Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Saturated_ground_due_heavy_rainfall_in_Wagga_Wagga.jpg

Lecture 6

Today we will learn about

Runoff generation:
conceptualization

Estimating ______
__________
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RUNOFF GENERATION
CONCEPTUALIZATION

There are many __________ through which water may reach the river
channel.

Generally runoff generation is conceptualized using two models: Hortonian

Overland Flow model and Saturation Overland Flow model
Image: http://www.hydrosconsult.eu/s/cc_images/cache_5828534.jpg

___________ overland flow occurs when rainfall intensity (i) exceeds the
infiltration capacity (f) of the soil.

i>f

i-f
Applicable to:
1. _______ surfaces in urban areas
2. Natural surfaces with ____ soil
layers and low infiltration capacity
in semiarid and arid areas.
3. Entire catchment

Rainfall excess i f
Horton considered surface runoff to take the form of a sheet flow whose depth might be
measured in fractions of an inch.

Image: http://geography.unt.edu/~williams/geog_3350/examreviews/exam2images/hydrol1.gif

overland flow is produced when subsurface flow saturates the

soil near the bottom of a slope and overland flow then occurs as rain falls
onto the saturated soil.

Applicable to:
1. ________ surfaces in humid
regions
2. ________ of hill slopes and near
stream banks

_________________ are the area of the watershed actually contributing to the stream at
any time. It expands during rainfall and contracts thereafter.
Image: http://ks.water.usgs.gov/pubs/reports/wrir.99-4242.fig02.gif (left)
http://soilandwater.bee.cornell.edu/research/VSA/processes/im_fig2.jpg (right)

A streamflow ______________ is a graph showing the flow

rate as a function of time at a given location on a stream

A _________ is an integral expression of the physiographic and climatic characteristics that

govern the relations between rainfall and runoff of a particular drainage basin (Chow, 1959)
Image: http://www.xmswiki.com/w/images/2/2a/GSDAImage077.png (left)
http://blackpoolsixthasgeography.pbworks.com/f/1265744759/Storm%20Hydrograph.png (right)

Hydrographs tell the story of the catchment

Image: http://www.xmswiki.com/w/images/2/2a/GSDAImage077.png (left)

http://water.usgs.gov/edu/graphics/wcsnowmeltchart.gif (right)

Baseflow separation: the separation of the _______ runoff from

baseflow
Inflection point

A. Straight line method

B. Fixed base length method
C. Variable slope method
Image: http://www.engineeringexcelspreadsheets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Hydrograph-Example.jpg

RUNOFF GENERATION
_____________________
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__________ or effective rainfall is that rainfall which is neither retained on the

land surface nor infiltrated into the soil. After flowing across the watershed,
excel rainfall becomes _________ runoff.

The graph of excess rainfall vs. time is called the _____________________ hyetograph (ERH).
The difference between observed total rainfall and excess rainfall is termed __________________.
Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Saturated_ground_due_heavy_rainfall_in_Wagga_Wagga.jpg

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Losses = infiltration + interception + surface storage + evaporation

Assessing rainfall excess is the first step towards estimating streamflow.

Image: http://echo2.epfl.ch/VICAIRE/mod_1a/chapt_1/pictures/fig1.3.gif

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Depending on whether streamflow data is available or not,

rainfall excess can be estimated in two ways:

1. Streamflow is available: index method

2. Streamflow is not available: infiltration equations, or by SCS method

Image: http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/saleh-alhassoun/CE4251/chapter1.files/image004.gif

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1. The index is that constant rate of abstractions that will yield an

excess rainfall hyetograph (ERH) with a total depth equal to the depth
of the direct runoff over the watershed.

Rainfall [in]

Initial
abstraction
Rainfall excess
index
Losses

rd Rm t
m 1

1.
2.
3.
4.

Pick a time interval, t

Judge the number of intervals, M of rainfall that actually contribute to direct runoff
Subtract t from the observed rainfall in each interval
Adjust the values of and M as necessary so that the depths of direct runoff and
excess rainfall are equal (equation above)
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2a. Abstraction using infiltration equations: is estimated by determining

the ponding time and infiltration under a variable intensity rainfall

Rainfall [in]

Initial
abstraction

Continuing
abstraction
Rainfall excess
index

Derivation are based on the following principles:

1. In absence of ponding, cumulative infiltration is calculated from cumulative rainfall
2. The potential infiltration rate at a given time is calculated from cumulative
infiltration at that time
3. Ponding has occurred when the potential infiltration rate is less than or equal to
rainfall intensity
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Precipitation rate

2b. SCS method for estimating abstractions: developed by the Soil

Conservation Service (1972) for determining rainfall excess using information
of soil type, vegetation, and antecedent moisture conditions

Pe
Ia

Fa
Time

Fa is the water retained

S is the maximum retention potential
Pe is the excess precipitation
P is the total precipitation
Ia is the initial abstraction
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Through experiments, the data for P and Pe was plotted for many watersheds
and the SCS curves were found. To standardize the curves, a dimensionless
curve number CN is defined such as:

1000
S
10
CN

Curve number lie between 0 and 100

Curve number of 100 for impervious surfaces
For each soil type (A,B,C, and D) and land use type, a different
curve number exists
Image: http://www.professorpatel.com/uploads/7/6/5/6/7656897/7766438.jpg?606

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Corrections can be made for antecedent moisture conditions: for dry (AMC
I) or wet (AMC III) conditions, equivalent curve numbers are calculated by:

AMC group

Total 5 day antecedent rainfall (in)

Dormant Season

Growing Season

Less than 0.5

Less than 1.4

II

0.5 to 1.1

1.4 to 2.1

III

Over 1.1

Over 2.1

4.2CN ( II )
10 0.058CN ( II )
23CN ( II )
CN (II I )
10 0.13CN ( II )
CN ( I )

Table 5.5.1 in Chow et al. (2010)

Image: http://www.professorpatel.com/uploads/7/6/5/6/7656897/7766438.jpg?606

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Curve numbers depend on soil type

Group

Soil type
High infiltration rates. Deep sand, deep
loess, aggregated soils

Moderate infiltration rates. Shallow loess,

sandy loam

Slow infiltration rates. Clay loams, shallow

sandy loam, soils low in organic content,
and soils usually high in clay.

Very slow infiltration rates. Soils that swell

significantly when wet, heavy plastic clays,
and certain saline soils

Increasing curve numbers

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And land use

Table 5.5.2 in Chow et al. (2010)

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Reading assignment:
Section 5.7 Travel time
Section 5.8 Stream networks
In Chow et al. 2010

WATERSHED CONCEPTS
TRAVEL TIME, STREAM NETWORKS

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