Republic of the Philippines

NEGROS ORIENTAL STATE UNIVERSITY

Kagawasan Ave., Dumaguete City
Negros Oriental, Philippines
College of Engineering and Architecture
Main Campus I and II

CE 524 – SEWERAGE AND SEWAGE DISPODSAL

CHAPTER 4
“QUANTITY OF URBAN STORMFLOW”

REPORTERS:
Kidlat, Presy Lord A.
Revelegia, David Lex

2nd Semester
TTH 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
SY 2018-2019

Instructor:
Dr. Irismay T. Jumawan
 CHAPTER IV: Quantity of Urban Stormflow

I. The Rational Method for Calculation of Peak Storm Water Runoff

The Rational Method is used to calculate the peak surface runoff rate for design of storm water
management structures, like storm drains, storm sewers, and storm detention facilities. Values for
the runoff coefficient, drainage area, time of concentration and design return period are needed.
The Rational Method is widely used to estimate the peak surface runoff rate for design of
drainage structures, such as a length of storm sewer, a storm water inlet, or a storm water
detention pond. The Rational Method is most suitable for small urban watersheds that don't have
storage such as ponds or swamps. It is best for areas less than 200 acres.

a. Rational Method Equation

𝑸 = 𝒌 ∗ 𝑪𝒊 𝑨
Where:
Q = peak flow (cfs or m3/s)
k – Conversion factor equal to 1.008 (English Units) or .0028 (metric).
Ci = runoff coefficient to reflect the ratio of rainfall to surface runoff
i = rainfall intensity (in/hr, mm/hr)
A = drainage area (acres or hectares)

In order to calculate a value for peak runoff rate for a given drainage area, values are
needed for the three parameters, A, C, and i.

b. Drainage Area, A

Figure 1. Urban Drainage Area Map

 The drainage area, A, is often determined from a map which includes the drainage area of
interest. It may be necessary to first determine the boundaries of the drainage area using a
contour map. Once the boundaries are known, the area can be determined using the map
scale. A map with a drainage area outlined is shown in Figure 1.

c. The Runoff Coefficient, C

The runoff coefficient is the fraction of rainfall striking the drainage area that becomes
runoff from that drainage area.

Two types of Drainage Area Surface:

A) Impervious surfaces - are solid surfaces that don’t allow water to penetrate, forcing it
to run off. Example are those surfaces found in urban and suburban landscapes such as
roads, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks and roofs.

B) Pervious surface - is a surface that allows the percolation of water into the underlying
soil. Pervious surfaces include grass, mulched groundcover, planted areas, vegetated
roofs, etc.

For Effective Runoff Coefficient for a composite drainage area

Where: Ce= effective runoff coefficient

Ci= runoff coefficient for the type of surface with an area A
 Table 1: Runoff coefficient of different type of surfaces
For various Surfaces C
Type of Surfaces
Watertight roofs 0.70-0.95
Asphalt-paved streets 0.85-0.90
Concrete-paved streets 0.80-0.95
Pave driveways and walks 0.15-0.30

Lawns, sandy soil

Flat, 2% slope 0.05-0.10
Average, 2-7% slope 0.10-0.15
Steep, > 7% slope 0.15-0.20
For various Areas
Downtown Area 0.70-0.95
Neighborhood Area 0.50-0.70
Residential (Urban)
Single-Family 0.30-0.50
Multi-units, detached 0.40-0.60
Multi-units, attached 0.60-0.75
Residential (Suburban) 0.25-0.40
Apartment dwelling areas 0.50-0.70
Industrial
Light 0.50-0.80
Heavy 0.60-0.90
Park, cemeteries 0.10-0.25
Playground 0.20-0.35
Railroad Yards 0.20-0.40
Unimproved Areas 0.10-0.30

d. Rainfall Intensity, i
The rainfall intensity is the average rainfall rate in in./hr. for a specific rainfall duration
and a selected frequency. The duration is assumed to be equal to the time of
concentration.

Where: t = rainfall duration in hours

T = frequency in years

e. Time of Concentration, tc
The time of concentration doesn’t appear directly in the Rational Method equation. It is
needed, however, for determination of the design rainfall intensity to use in the Rational
Method equation. For a given watershed, the time of concentration is the time required
for rainfall landing on the farthest point of the watershed to reach the watershed outlet.
Two methods in estimating the tc:
 Kerby-Kirpich Method
 Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
 Kerby-Kirpich Method
The Kerby-Kirpich approach produces time of concentration estimates consistent with
watershed time values independently derived from real-world storms and runoff
hydrographs. The total time of concentration is obtained by adding the overland flow
time (Kerby) and the channel flow time (Kirpich):
Where:
tov = overland flow time
tch = channel flow time

The Kerby-Kirpich method for estimating tc is applicable to watersheds ranging from

0.25 square miles to 150 square miles, main channel lengths between 1 and 50 miles, and
main channel slopes between 0.002 and 0.02 (ft/ft).

 Kerby Method

For small watersheds where overland flow is an important component of overall

travel time, the Kerby method can be used. The Kerby equation is:

Where:

tov = overland flow time of concentration, in minutes

K = a unit’s conversion coefficient, in which K = 0.828 for traditional units and
K = 1.44 for SI units
L = the overland-flow length, in feet or meters as dictated by K
N = a dimensionless retardance coefficient
S = the dimensionless slope of terrain conveying the overland flow

Table 2: Kerby Equation Retardance Coefficient Values

Generalized terrain description Dimensionless retardance coefficient (N)

Pavement 0.02
Smooth, bare, packed soil 0.10
Poor grass, cultivated row crops, or
0.20
moderately rough packed surfaces
Pasture, average grass 0.40
Deciduous forest 0.60
Dense grass, coniferous forest, or deciduous
0.80
forest with deep litter
 Kirpich Method

For channel-flow component of runoff, the Kirpich equation is:

Where:
tch = the time of concentration, in minutes
K = a unit’s conversion coefficient, in which K = 0.0078 for traditional units and K
= 0.0195 for SI units
L = the channel flow length, in feet or meters as dictated by K
S = the dimensionless main-channel slope

 Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Method

The NRCS method for estimating tc is applicable for small watersheds, in which the
majority of flow is overland flow such that timing of the peak flow is not significantly
affected by the contribution flow routed through underground storm drain systems.
With the NRCS method:

Where:
tsh = sheet flow travel time
tsc = shallow concentrated flow travel time
tch = channel flow travel time

Sheet flow travel time is computed as:

Where:
tsh = sheet flow travel time (hr.)
nol = overland flow roughness coefficient
Lsh = sheet flow length (ft) (100 ft. maximum)
P2 = 2-year, 24-h rainfall depth (in.)
Ssh = sheet flow slope (ft/ft)
 Table 3: Overland Flow Roughness Coefficients for Use in NRCS Method in
Calculating Sheet Flow Travel Time (NRCS 1986)
Surface description nol
Smooth surfaces (concrete, asphalt, gravel, or bare soil) 0.011
Fallow (no residue) 0.05
Cultivated soils: Residue % 0.06
Residue cover > 20% 0.17
Grass: Short grass prairie 0.15
Dense grasses 0.24
Bermuda 0.41
Range (natural): 0.13
Woods: Light underbrush 0.40
Dense underbrush 0.80

Shallow concentrated flow travel time is computed as:

Where:
tsc = shallow concentrated flow time (hr.)
Lsc = shallow concentrated flow length (ft)
K = 16.13 for unpaved surface, 20.32 for paved surface
Ssc = shallow concentrated flow slope (ft/ft)

Channel flow travel time is computed by dividing the channel distance by the flow rate
obtained from Manning’s equation. This can be written as:

Where:
tch = channel flow time (hr.)
Lch = channel flow length (ft)
Sch = channel flow slope (ft/ft)
n = Manning’s roughness coefficient
R = channel hydraulic radius (ft), and is equal to a/pw, where: a = cross sectional area (ft2)
and pw = wetted perimeter (ft), consider the uniform flow velocity based on bank-full
flow conditions. This assumption avoids the significant iteration associated with other
methods that employ rainfall intensity or discharges (because rainfall intensity and
discharge are dependent on time of concentration).
Time of concentration for Urban sewers
Time of concentration is the time required for the required for the maximum runoff rate to
develop (i.e. when rainfall has continued for a period sufficient to permit flow from the remotest
part of the drainage area to reach point under consideration

For Urban Sewers

Tc= ti + tf
Where:
Tc = time of concentration
Ti =inlet time (remotest)
Tf = conduit flow time = L/V

At manhole A
tCA= ti
At manhole B
tCB = ti + TfAB

conduit flow time, tf = can be estimated from the hydraulic properties of the sewer

Characteristics Ti(minutes)
A) Densely developed areas 5
B) Flat well-developed districts 10-15
C) Flat residential districts with widely spaced 20-30
street inlets
II. Limitations of Rational Method in calculating runoff

Computation of runoff depends on many factors like the ground permeability, rainfall duration,
rainfall pattern, catchment area characteristics etc. Rational Method is a means to find out the
maximum discharge suitable for design purpose.
One of the basic assumptions of the rational formula is that the rainfall intensity must be constant
for an interval at least equal to the time of concentration. For long duration of rainfall, this
assumption may not hold true. Moreover, the runoff coefficient in Rational Method is difficult to
be determined accurately and it depends on many factors like moisture condition of soils, rainfall
intensity and duration, degree of soil compaction, vegetation etc.

Use of the rational method includes the following assumptions and limitations:
 The method is applicable if t for the drainage area is less than the duration of peak
c

rainfall intensity.
 The calculated runoff is directly proportional to the rainfall intensity.
 The frequency of occurrence for the peak discharge is the same as the frequency of the
rainfall producing that event.
 Rainfall is distributed uniformly over the drainage area.
 The rational method does not account for storage in the drainage area. Available storage
is assumed to be filled.

The above assumptions and limitations are the reason the rational method is limited to watersheds
200 acres or smaller.
Problem 1
Determine the effective runoff coefficient for an area of 0.20 km2 of which 3000m2 is covered by building
(C= 0.83), 5000m2 by paved driveways (C = 0.78) and 2000m2 by Portland cement streets (C= 0.88).
The remaining area is flat, heavy soil covered by lawn grass (C=0.15).

Given:
Surface Area (m2) C
Building 3,000 0.83
Paved driveways 5,000 0.78
Streets 2,000 0.88
Lawn grass 19,000 0.15
AT=200000

Determine: Effective Runoff Coefficient, Ce

∑𝑁
𝑖=1 𝐶𝑖𝐴𝑖
𝐶𝑒 =
∑𝑁
𝑖=1 𝐴𝑖

𝐴1 𝐶1 + 𝐴2 𝐶2 + 𝐴3 𝐶3 + 𝐴4 𝐶4
𝐶𝑒 =
𝐴1 + 𝐴2 + 𝐴3 + 𝐴4
3000(0.83) + 5000(0.78) + 2000 ( 0.88) + 190000 ( 0.15)
=
200000
Ce = 0.183

Problem 2
Determine the storm flow for the outfall sewers as well as for each of the sewer line from the watershed
described in the accompanying figure. Assume the following: a runoff coefficient of 0.30 for the entire
area and a flowing full velocity of 0.75m/s in the sewers. Use a 5-yr return period of frequency of the
rainfall intensity,i.
Convert A1, A2, and A3 (km2) to ha Peak Flow,
𝑄𝑝2 = 0.0028(0.30)(130.01)(1.6
𝐴1 = 0.016 𝑘𝑚2 = 1.6 ℎ𝑎
+ 3.2)
𝐴2 = 0.032 𝑘𝑚2 = 3.2 ℎ𝑎 = 0.524 𝑚3 /𝑠

𝐴3 = 0.024 𝑘𝑚2 = 2.4 ℎ𝑎

A) MH-1 C) MH-3/ Outfall sewer

Peak Flow, Qp= 0.0028CiA Time of concentration

Time of concentration, tc
Tc=ti1= 5 mins For Ai:
300
𝑡𝑐3 = 5 +
Rainfall intensity, i 0.75(60)
100.821(5)0.237 = 11.67 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠
𝑖= 1.057
5
(60 + 1) For A2:
147.641 180
= 𝑡𝑐3 = 5 + = 9.0 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠
1.088 0.75(60)
= 135.664 𝑚𝑚/ℎ𝑟
For A3: tc3 = 8 mins
Peak flow,
𝑄𝑝1 = 0.0028(0.30)(135.664)(1.6) Use tc2 = 11.67 mins
= 0.182 𝑚3 /𝑠
Rainfall intensity
B) MH-2
100.821(5)0.237
Time of Concentration 𝑖=
11.67
( 60 +1)1.057
For Ai: = 122.35𝑚𝑚/ℎ𝑟
120
𝑡𝑐2 = 5 + = 7.67 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠 Peak Flow,
0.75(60)
For A2: 𝑡𝑐3 = 5 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑄𝑝3 = 0.0028(0.30)(122.35)(1.6
+ 3.2 + 2.4)
Use 𝑡𝑐2 = 7.67 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠 = 0.739 𝑚3 /𝑠

Rainfall intensity, i
100.821(5)0.237
𝑖= 1.057
7.67
( 60 + 1)
= 130.01 𝑚𝑚/ℎ𝑟
 References
https://www.hydrocad.net/rainfall/faqs.htm
https://www.lmnoeng.com/Hydrology/TimeConc.php
http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/hyd/rational_method.htm
https://www.lmnoeng.com/Hydrology/rational.php
http://drdbthompson.net/writings/rational.pdf
https://www.brighthubengineering.com/hydraulics-civil-engineering/60842-the-rational-method-for-
calculation-of-peak-storm-water-runoff-rate/
http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/hyd/time_of_concentration.htm#i1108420
https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/GeoEnvironmental/Docs_Hydraulics_Manual/Hydraulics-07-F.pdf
https://www.xmswiki.com/wiki/WMS:Rational_Method_Equation
https://www.engineeringcivil.com/what-are-the-limitations-of-rational-method-in-calculating-runoff.html