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Lecture 6: Synthetic unit hydrograph

 Synthetic Unit Hydrograph

• In India, only a small number of streams are gauged (i.e., stream flows due
to single and multiple storms, are measured)

• There are many drainage basins (catchments) for which no stream flow
records are available and unit hydrographs may be required for such basins

• In such cases, hydrographs may be synthesized directly from other

catchments, which are hydrologically and meteorologically homogeneous,
or indirectly from other catchments through the application of empirical
relationship

• Methods for synthesizing hydrographs for ungauged areas have been

developed from time to time by Bernard, Clark, McCarthy and Snyder. The
best known approach is due to Snyder (1938)

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Snyder’s method
• Snyder (1938) was the to develop a synthetic UH based on a study of
watersheds in the Appalachian Highlands. In basins ranging from 10 –
10,000 mi.2

Snyder relations are

tp = Ct(LLC)0.3
where
tp= basin lag (hr)
L= length of the main stream from the outlet to the divide (mi)
Lc = length along the main stream to a point nearest the watershed
centroid (mi)
Ct= Coefficient usually ranging from 1.8 to 2.2

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Snyder’s method Contd…

Qp = 640 CpA/tp
where
Qp = peak discharge of the UH (cfs)
A = Drainage area (mi2)
Cp = storage coefficient ranging from 0.4 to
0.8, where larger values of cp are associated
with smaller values of Ct
Tb = 3+tp/8
where Tb is the time base of hydrograph
Note: For small watershed the above eq.
should be replaced by multiplying tp by the
value varies from 3-5
• The above 3 equations define points for a
UH produced by an excess rainfall of
duration D= tp/5.5 Snyder’s hydrograph parameter

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Example Problem

Use Snyder’s method to develop a UH for the area of 100mi2 described below.
Sketch the appropriate shape. What duration rainfall does this correspond to?
Ct = 1.8, L= 18mi,
Cp = 0.6, Lc= 10mi

Calculate tp Calculate Qp
tp = Ct(LLC)0.3 Qp= 640(cp)(A)/tp
= 1.8(18·10) 0.3 hr, = 640(0.6)(100)/8.6
= 8.6 hr
= 4465 cfs

Duration of rainfall
Since this is a small watershed,
D= tp/5.5 hr
Tb ≈4tp = 4(8.6)
= 8.6/5.5 hr
= 34.4 hr
= 1.6 hr
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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Example Problem Contd…

5000

Qp W 75 = 440(QP/A)-1.08
W 50 = 770(QP/A)-1.08
4000 (widths are distributed 1/3 before Qp
and 2/3 after)

W 75
3000
Q (cfs)

W 50 Area drawn to represent 1

2000
in. of runoff over the
watershed

1000

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Time (hr)

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

SCS (Soil Conservation Service) Unit Hydrograph

• Unit = 1 inch of runoff (not rainfall) in 1

hour tp

• Can be scaled to other depths and times

• Based on unit hydrographs from many

watersheds

• The earliest method assumed a

Qp
hydrograph as a simple triangle, with
rainfall duration D, time of rise TR (hr),
time of fall B. and peak flow Qp (cfs).
TR B

SCS triangular UH

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

SCS Unit Hydrograph Contd…

• The volume of direct runoff is

Q pTR Qp B 2vol
Vol = + or Qp =
2 2 TR + B
where B is given by

B = 1.67TR
Therefore runoff eq. becomes, for 1 in. of rainfall excess,

0.75vol 0.75(640) A(1.008)

Qp = = Qp =
TR TR
484 A
Qp =
TR
where
A= area of basin (sq mi)
TR = time of rise (hr)

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

SCS Unit Hydrograph Contd…

• Time of rise TR is given by

D
TR = + tp
2
where
D= rainfall duration (hr)
tp= lag time from centroid of rainfall to QP

Lag time is given by

0.7
 1000 
L
0.8
 − 9  where
tp =  CN  L= length to divide (ft)
19000y 0.5 Y= average watershed slope (in present)
CN= curve number for various soil/land use

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

SCS Unit Hydrograph Contd…

Runoff curve number for different land use (source: Woo-Sung et al.,1998)

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Example Problem

Use the SCS method to develop a UH for the area of 10 mi2 described below.
Use rainfall duration of D = 2 hr
Ct = 1.8, L= 5mi,
Cp = 0.6, Lc= 2mi
The watershed consist CN = 78 and the average slope in the watershed is
100 ft/mi. Sketch the resulting SCS triangular hydrograph .

Solution 0.7
Find tp by the eq.  1000 
L
0.8
 − 9 
tp =  CN 
19000y 0.5
Convert L= 5mi, or (5*5280 ft/mi) = 26400 ft.
Slope is 100 ft/mi, so y = (100ft/mi) (1mi/5280 ft)(100%) = 1.9%
Substituting these values in eq. of tp, we get tp = 3.36 hr

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Example Problem Contd…

Find TR using eq. D

TR = + tp
2
Given rainfall duration is 2 hr, TR = 4.36 hr, the rise of the hydrograph
Then find Qp using the eq, given A= 10 mi2
484 A
Qp = . Hence Qp = 1.110 cfs
TR
To complete the graph, it is also necessary to know the time of fall B. The
volume is known to be 1 in. of direct runoff over the watershed.
So, Vol. = (10mi2) (5280ft/mi)2 (ac/43560ft2) (1 in.) = 6400 ac-in
Hence from eq. Q pTR Qp B
Vol = +
2 2
B = 7.17 hr

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Synthetic unit hydrograph

Example Problem Contd…

1200

1000

800
Q (cfs)

600

Qp= 1110 (cfs)

400

200

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

TR=4.36 (hr) Time (hr) B=7.17 (hr)

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Exercise problems

1. The stream flows due to three successive storms of 2.9, 4.9 and 3.9 cm of 6
hours duration each on a basin are given below. The area of the basin is 118.8
km2 . Assuming a constant base flow of 20 cumec, derive a 6-hour unit
hydrograph for the basin. An average storm loss of 0.15 cm/hr can be assumed
(Hint :- Use UH convolution method)

Time (hr) 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33

Flow 20 50 92 140 199 202 204 144 84 45 29 20

(cumec)

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Exercise problems Contd…

2. The ordinates of a 4-hour unit hydrograph for a particular basin are given
below. Derive the ordinates of (i) the S-curve hydrograph, and (ii) the 2-hour
unit hydrograph, and plot them, area of the basin is 630 km2

Time (hr) Discharge (cumec)

Time (hr) Discharge (cumec)
0 0
14 70
2 25
16 30
4 100
18 20
6 160
20 6
8 190
22 1.5
10 170
24 0
12 110

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Exercise problems Contd…

3. The following are the ordinates of the 9-hour unit hydrograph for the entire
catchment of the river Damodar up to Tenughat dam site: and the catchment
characteristics are , A = 4480 km2, L = 318 km, Lca = 198 km. Derive a 3-hour
unit hydrograph for the catchment area of river Damodar up to the head of
Tenughat reservoir, given the catchment characteristics as, A = 3780km2, L =
284 km, Lca = 184km. Use Snyder’s approach with necessary modifications for
the shape of the hydrograph.

Time (hr) 0 9 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90

Flow 0 69 1000 210 118 74 46 26 13 4 0

(cumec)

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 Highlights in the Module

 This module presents the concept of Rainfall-Runoff analysis, or the

conversion of precipitation to runoff or streamflow, which is a central
problem of engineering hydrology.

 Gross rainfall must be adjusted for losses to infiltration, evaporation and

depression storage to obtain rainfall excess, which equals Direct Runoff
(DRO).

 The concept of the Unit hydrograph allows for the conversion of rainfall
excess into a basin hydrograph, through lagging procedure called
hydrograph convolution.

 The concept of synthetic hydrograph allows the construction of hydrograph,

where no streamflow data are available for the particular catchment.

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