Watershed Delineation and estimation of Morphometric Parameters

Andrés Felipe Campaña Castillo- T00041053

Ramiro Tercero de la Espriella Atencia- T00041610
Alana Elein Castellar del Valle- T00041774

Watershed: Gaspari et al, 2009 says in their book “Elementos metodológicos

para el manejo de cuencas hidrográficas” a definition about what is:

“A Watershed is an integral morphological unit, defined in a territory where

the surface waters converges to a main channel or natural unit delimited by
the existence of divisor of waters, which flows to the sea through a network of
main channels”

Gaspari, F. J., Rodríguez Vagaría, A. M., Senisterra, G., Delgado, M. I., &
Besteiro, S. (2013). Elementos metodológicos para el manejo de cuencas
hidrográficas. Argentina, South America:

Based in their exit point, the watersheds are qualified in two groups:

Endorheic: The point where the water tends to flow is the inner limits of the
watershed; the water is retained there and can’t flow to another water bodies.

Figure 1. Illustration of an Endorheic watershed

Source: http://aprendiendogeografiaescolar.blogspot.com.co/2016/02/cuenca-
hidrografica.html
This watershed is located between the limits of two South American nations,
Peru and Bolivia, the main unit is the Titicaca Lake because the most part of
the flows drains to it.

Exorheic: In other hand, opposite to the Endorheic; the water is this type of
watersheds drains to a point in their limits or out of this.

Figure 2. Exorheic Watershed example

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Riodelaplatabasinmap.png

This is the watershed of the “Rio de la Plata” that involves 5 countries

(Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay), in the image the area of
the watershed is in a dark green color to differentiate it from; this is the second
biggest watershed of the world behind to the respective watershed of the
Amazons River. As can be viewed all the flows drains to a main channel (“Rio
de la Plata”) and this drains to a point in the limits of the watershed, the
Atlantic Ocean.
Morphometric Parameters

Gasparri et al says something about the importance and relevance of this

parameters:

“The analysis of the morphometric and functional characteristics of a

watershed through the morphological parameters, relief and drainage
network, is basic in the hydrologic modeling to determine the movement and
capitation of the rainfall water”

Gaspari, F. J., Rodríguez Vagaría, A. M., Senisterra, G., Delgado, M. I., &
Besteiro, S. (2013). Elementos metodológicos para el manejo de cuencas
hidrográficas. Argentina, South America:

There is a parameter called Concentration time that shows the time that a goat
of surface flow spends to incorporate to the exit channel, from the most far
hydraulical point to exit drainage point of the watershed. In this case the
Kirpich’s formula will be used, it was proposed by Kirpich in the year if 1940:
0,77
0,871∗L
t c =0,06628
( Sm0,5 )
Formula 1. Kirpich’s concentration time Formula

Where the concentration time is in hours, “L” is the length of the main
channel in kilometers and “Sm” is the average slope in m/m.

Also, the technical Release 55 (TR-55) created by the USDA (United States
Department of Agriculture” gives another way to calculate the concentration
time that is a bit difference to others, in this case a variable called travel time
takes place:
L
T t=
3600 V

Formula 2. SCS Travel Time Formula

Where L is the length (ft.); V the average velocity (ft./s) and 3600 is to
convert seconds to hours, the units of this formula are in the English units
system, the travel time is in hours.
Finally, the concentration time is the addition of each value of travel time to
subsequent flows.
T c =∑ T ti=T t 1 +¿ T t 2 +T t 3+ …+T tn ¿

Formula 3. SCS Formula of time of concentration

Where “n” is the number of flows evaluated

Source:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1044171.pdf

ONLY THE RESUM IS NOT COMPLETE, USE THE FORMULA

BELOW

Ubication of the Watershed

The watershed object of study is the corresponding to “Ciudadela Bonanza”, a
complex of houses near the population of Turbaco in the department of
Bolivar, Colombia.

Figure 3. “Ciudadela Bonanza” and Turbaco

Source: Google Earth

It is approximately 10 kilometers away from Cartagena, 1,2 kilometers from

Turbaco and 7,5 kilometers from Arjona. It has a strategic ubication near to
two important municipals of Bolivar and of the department’s capital
Cartagena, it his home of a great amount of people.
 Figure 4. “Ciudadela Bonanza” and the UTB

Source: Google Earth

Note: The articles and books that were used in this technical inform were
found in the data base of the “Universidad de Cartagena”.

THE NOTE HAS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL WORK

Executive Abstract

The estimation of the composite (pondered) curve number and the

concentration time of a watershed gives important information about the
characteristics and how are distributed the land uses in their inner limits.

Also the morphometric parameters help to the designers and the people in
general to predict the way of the water flows and the problems that the
watershed can affront in terms of their results. It is important that to know this
parameters is needed to make some measurements and take make more
detailed analysis of the composition of the watershed.