Lect 4

Water Resources Engineering (CEB-703)
Flood Routing
Lecture 4 (March 29-31, 2023)
• Routing Methods
• Reservoir Routing
• Channel Routing
Flood Routing CEB-703 – Lecture 4
Flood routing
- process of calculating the passage of flood through
a system
o Channels: channel or streamflow routing
o Reservoir: storage or reservoir routing
- inflow hydrograph to the storage reservoir
corresponds to the hydrograph at the upstream
cross section
- outflow hydrograph from the reservoir corresponds
to the hydrograph at the downstream cross section
2
Flood routing
- process of calculating the passage of flood through
a system
o Channels: channel or streamflow routing
o Reservoir: storage or reservoir routing
- inflow hydrograph to the storage reservoir
corresponds to the hydrograph at the upstream
cross section
- outflow hydrograph from the reservoir corresponds
to the hydrograph at the downstream cross section
3
Flood routing: Applications

- Channel Routing
✓ Change in shape of a hydrograph as it travels down a
channel is studied
✓ To predict flood hydrograph at various sections of
the reach
✓ Information on flood peak attenuation and the
duration of high-water levels obtained by channel
routing is of utmost importance in flood-forecasting
operations and flood-protection works
4
Flood routing: Applications

- Reservoir Routing
✓ Effect of flood entering a reservoir is studied
✓ To predict the variations of reservoir elevation
and outflow discharge with time
✓ Design of the capacity of spillways and other
reservoir outlet structures
✓ Location and sizing the capacity of reservoirs
5
Flood routing: Methods

- Hydrologic routing (continuity equation)
- Hydraulic routing (unsteady flow)
6

- Reservoir routing (steps):
1. Elevation-storage relations for reservoirs
2. Elevation-discharge relations for reservoirs
3. Elevation-storage and elevation-discharge relations
for channel reaches
4. Inflow discharge hydrograph to reservoirs or
channel reaches
5. Storage-indication routing method
6. Continuity equation (Level Pool and Puls Methods)
7

- Channel routing (methods):
a) Muskingum Method
b) Muskingum-Cunge Method
8
- Reservoir routing:
1. Elevation-storage relations for reservoirs -developed from
a contour map or its equivalent of the reservoir area
9
✓ discharge through the principal spillway,
auxiliary spillway, and over the top of the dam
if overtopping is anticipated during the routing
✓ elevation selection should be the same as
those for which the elevation-storage relation
has been developed (previous step) to avoid
interpolation
10
✓ spillway ratings depends on wide variety of
spillway types, combinations of spillways
✓ spillway capacity charts available in other
references (such as Brater and King 1982)
11
3. Elevation-storage and elevation-discharge
relations for channel reaches
✓ floodplain where a road or railroad fill backs
up the water and forces flow to pass through a
restrictive bridge or culvert
✓ requires judgment based on each case’s
physical characteristics, such as history of
flooding in the area that indicates significant
water storage
12
✓ A rule of thumb is that if the volume of storage
is more than 10 percent of the volume of the
inflow hydrograph, the floodplain should be
treated as a reservoir
13
*Area can be determined by applying the channel
reach with known discharge
14
4. Inflow hydrograph (reservoir/channel)
✓ Represents the discharge coming from the
contributing watershed
15
✓ Reservoir storage is closely related to the outflow
rate: storage-discharge relation is used for repeatedly
solving the continuity equation to get outflow
hydrograph.
✓ Reservoir routing method is suited for channel
routings if the channel has certain reservoir-like
characteristics (those with wetlands or other flat
areas in the routing reach with a constriction or
similar control at the foot of the reach)
16
✓ Reservoir routing methods are also suitable
for routing through any stream reach if the
inflow hydrograph rises and falls so slowly that
nearly steady flow occurs and makes storage
in the reach closely related to the outflow rate
17
6. Continuity Equation
✓ The continuity equation used in reservoir routing methods is
that for the conservation of mass: for a given time interval, the
volume of inflow minus the volume of outflow equals the
change in volume of storage
The principal assumption is that the water

in the reservoir is level (level pool routing).
The equation is often written in the simple
form:
18
In most applications of the continuity

equation, the flow and storage variables
The principal assumption is that the are expanded as follows:
water in the reservoir is level (level
pool routing). The equation is often
written in the simple form:
Most reservoir routing methods now in

use differ only in their arrangement of
the routing equation and in their form
of storage-outflow relation. 19
Most reservoir routing methods now in use differ only in their arrangement of the
routing equation and in their form of storage-outflow relation.
20
✓ The storage-indication method uses equation 17–
2 in the form (Modified Pul’s method), a semi-
graphical method:
21
✓ Assumes that inflow and outflow happens at
the same time
Tt /Tp < 0.5
- Where Tp is the time to peak in the inflow
hydrograph
- And
22
✓ Assumes that inflow and outflow happens at
the same time
✓ IF:
Tt /Tp > 0.5
* Split the reach to decrease the L
23
RESERVOIR ROUTING
EXAMPLE: Level Pool Method
The initial storage in the system is 1,000,000 m3, and the initial outflow
is 20 m3/s.
24
RESERVOIR ROUTING
This hydrograph flows into a reservoir whose storage and discharge
characteristics are as presented in Table 1.
25
RESERVOIR ROUTING
H vs. Q and H vs. S
corresponding to the data in
Table 1
26
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 1: Develop the function 2S/Δt + Q vs. Q. Use a Δt of 6 hours, as
suggested by the time interval of the inflow hydrograph
Col 4:
2 x (1x106) / (6h x 3600s)
= 92.59 m3/s
Col 5:
92.59 + 20 = 112.59 m3/s
27
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 1: Develop the function 2S/Δt + Q vs. Q. Use a Δt of 6 hours, as
suggested by the time interval of the inflow hydrograph
28
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 2: Proceed with the routing of the inflow hydrograph by using the
Storage-Indication routing equation sequentially for every time step:
29
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 2 Proceed with the routing of the inflow hydrograph by using the
30
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Interpolate for Col 5 to get the Q:

Q = 21.80 m3/s
31
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 2 Proceed with the routing of the inflow hydrograph by using the
32
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Interpolate for Col 5 to get the Q:

Q = 46.08 m3/s
33
RESERVOIR ROUTING
34
RESERVOIR ROUTING
EXAMPLE: Storage indication method (channel)
The reach has several cross sections
which may be weighted (Table 17–3). To
determine the weights for each cross
section, use the distances between them
compared to the total length of reach
(R1-R2: 1000/10000 = 0.1).
35
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 1: determine the S-O curve
• The bankfull discharge (maximum amount of water
that a river channel can hold before overflowing its
banks) under steady flow conditions is 800 ft3/s,
thus choose flow a bit higher than this (0-10,000
ft3/s)
1
2
4
36
Flood Routing: CEB-703 – Lecture 4
RESERVOIR ROUTING
- Step 1: determine the S-O curve
Cross-section end-area can be found by
running water surface profiles with
constant discharges and displaying the in
the computer output.
1
2
4
37
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Weighted end-area:
R1-R2
(40+27)/2 x 0.1 = 3.4
R2-R2
(27+21)/2 x 0.6 = 14.4
38
RESERVOIR ROUTING
- (Step 1: determine the S-O curve)
Get the weighted sum,
then compute S:
Final S = Areax10,000
43560
39
RESERVOIR ROUTING
- EXAMPLE: Storage indication method (channel)
40
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 2: Determine Tt: : L is 10,000 feet, and for a
bankfull discharge of 800 cubic feet per second, the
end-area is 234 square fee, and the Tp from inflow
hydrograph is 2h:
Thus, Tt /Tp = 0.813/2 = 0.4 (< 0.5 all good)
41
Flood outing CEB-703 – Lecture 4
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 3: Determine time step: (< 0.5 all good)
Choose ᐃt = 0.5 h (same time step with inflow
hydrograph and less than Tt = 0.813 h
42

Step 4: Prepare working curve data
43
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 5: Prepare operation table data
44
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 5: Prepare operation table data
• At time 0.5 hour, take average inflow (col. 3) of
625 and add (S2/∆t) + (O2/2) at time 0.0 (col 4)
add
and subtract outflow at time 0.0 (col 5) to get ave
less
625.
• Interpolating from Table 17–5, at a value of
(S2/∆t) + (O2/2) of 625, outflow is 290.
• Similarly, at time 1.0 hour, take average inflow
(col 3) of 1,875, and add (S2/∆t) + (O2/2) at
time 0.5 (col 4) of 625, and subtract outflow at
time 0.5 (col 5) of 290 to get 2,210. Interpolating
from table 17–5, at a value of (S2/∆t) + (O2/2) of
2,210, outflow is 1,016.
45
RESERVOIR ROUTING
Step 5: Do the routing (Inflow & Outflow graph)
Outflow at Point 4, with bankfull
flow of 800 ft3/s.
1
2
46
RESERVOIR ROUTING
EXAMPLE: Storage indication method (reservoir)
STEP 1:
Hydrograph for the reservoir
spillway should be available
47
RESERVOIR ROUTING
STEP 1:
A stage versus storage relation is
required to flood route a reservoir. The
relation is developed from a contour
map or its equivalent of the reservoir
area. With storage increment computed
as:
ᐃS = 4.82 x 2 = 9.64 acre-ft

48
STEP 1:
• The elevation-discharge relation for a reservoir is
also required to flood route a reservoir, based on
spillway capacity charts available in other
references (Brater and King 1982)
• Table shown here gives the priciipal spillway (PS)
discharge
49
RESERVOIR ROUTING
STEP 2: Select routing interval
Two routing intervals will be needed,
one of 0.5 day for the small changes in
rates occurring in the earlier and later
periods of flow, and one of 0.1 day for
the large changes immediately before
and after the peak discharge
50
STEP 3: Prepare the working curves in table

• Two working curves are needed because two routing time intervals will
be used
• Col 1 and 2: copied from Table 17–10 (PS discharge)
• Col 3 (storage, ft3/s-d): computed from Table 17-9 (elevation-storage
data)
@580, S = 414.46 acre-ft. Get the equivalent ft3/s-d (see eqn below)
S (ft3/s-d) = 414.46*43560/3600/24 = 209
But since there is no spillway discharge, this is zero
@581.2: Interpolate first between 580 and 585 (S = 542.464 acre-ft)
S (ft3/s-d) = 542.464*43560/3600/24 – 209* = 64.5
@582.2: Interpolate first between 580 and 585 (S = 649.134 acre-ft)
S (ft3/s-d) = 649.134*43560/3600/24 – 209 = 118.3
*Subtracting 209 ft3/s-d gives only

the storage available above the
principal spillway elevation
51
STEP 3: Prepare the working

curves in table
• Col 4 = Col 2 /2
• Col 5 = Col 3 / 0.5 days
• Col 7 = Col 3 / 0.1 days
• Col 6 = Col 5 + Col 4
• Col 8 = Col 7 + Col 4
52
RESERVOIR ROUTING
STEP 3: Prepare the working curves in
table
• Plot of Col 2 (discharge) and Col 3
• Line of equal values plotted in Fig.
17–11 represents equal values of
outflow and (S2/∆t + O2/2).
• Ex: Outflow = 400 ft3/s,
(S2/∆t + O2/2) = 400 ft3/s
• Note that the line of equal values
is well to the left of the working
curves; therefore, the routing time
intervals are adequately small 53
RESERVOIR ROUTING
STEP 4: Prepare the operation table
From Fig. 17-11/
From Table 17-8 Table 17-11
add less
54
RESERVOIR ROUTING
STEP 5: Plot your inflow and outflow hydrographs
- Channel routing:
✓ In a very long channel, the entire flood wave also
travels a considerable distance resulting in a
time redistribution and time
✓ In channel, the storage is a function of both
inflow and outflow (in reservoir, the storage is a
function of outflow) --- thus different routing
method needed
56
- Channel routing:
✓ Different types of storage:
(i) Prism Storage – volume if the uniform flow occurred at the
downstream
(ii) Wedge storage – volume formed between the actual water
surface profile and top surface of the prism storage
57
- Channel routing:
✓ Methods
(i) Muskingum Method – assumes that the cross-sectional area
of the flood flow section is directly proportional to the
discharge (sloping water surface)
58
- Channel routing:
✓ Methods
(i) Muskingum Method
59
- Channel routing:
✓ Methods
(i) Muskingum Method
X = 0.0 - 0.5
A value of 0.0 gives maximum
attenuation from the procedure,
and 0.5 provides the minimum
attenuation. The value of X is
difficult to estimate without
stream gage information.
60
- Channel routing:
✓ Methods
(ii) Muskingum-Cunge Method
- Cunge (1969) developed equations to estimate K and X
from hydraulic properties of the reach
- these are based on the linking of the convection
diffusion model and the Muskingum routing equation
- includes one more term in the momentum equation,
thus it is expected to provide more accurate routing
results and be applicable over a wider range of
conditions
61
- Channel routing:
✓ Methods
(ii) Muskingum-Cunge Method
- Cunge (1969) developed equations to estimate K and X
from hydraulic properties of the reach
- these are based on the linking of the convection
diffusion model and the Muskingum routing equation
- includes one more term in the momentum equation,
thus it is expected to provide more accurate routing
results and be applicable over a wider range of
conditions
62
- Channel routing:
✓ Methods
(ii) Muskingum-Cunge Method (using HEC-HMS)
wave speed, c, to flow velocity, v, is: In HEC-1 the cross-sectional flow area and
the wave speed, c, are computed as:
where w is the bottom width, z is the side slope, where α and m are kinematic
and y is the flow depth. Velocity is computed using parameters based on the channel
Manning's formula and the properties of the cross shape
section.
63
- Channel routing:
Muskingum routing (getting
the constants, K and X)
EXAMPLE: The inflow and outflow
hydrographs of a river reach are
tabulated. The Muskingum routing
procedure is used for systems
that have Storage - Discharge
relationships that are hysteretic.
That is, for systems for which the
outflow is not a unique function
of storage. 64
Muskingum routing (getting the constants, K and X)

EXAMPLE: Use these observations to obtain the Muskingum routing
parameters k and x for this river reach. The initial storage in the
system is 715,000 m3. Using graphical method
• Columns 1 & 2 are given.
• Columns 3 & 4 are the average inflow flux (Ii+1
+ Ii)/2 and outflow flux (Oi+1 + Oi)/2,
respectively.
• Column 5 is the cumulative storage in the
system obtained using the continuity equation
below (with Col 3 and 5 multiplied with ᐃt)
Col 3 Col 4 65

system is 715,000 m3. Using graphical method
• Columns 6 - 9 are the values of

the weighted average flux [XI +
(1-X)O] for different values of x.
The graph of Columns 6 - 9 vs.
Column 5 as shown.
• Based on these results, a value of
x = 0.15 is selected. The best
least squares fit to the
corresponding points yields a
value of k = 2.3 h.
66

system is 715,000 m3. Using least squares method
67

68

A = 1255.626164 s
B = 7029.100513 s
k = A+B = 8284.726677 s = 2.3 h
x = A/(A + B) = 0.151559154
69
Muskingum routing (application)

EXAMPLE: Use the Muskingum routing procedure to route the
hydrograph tabulated below through the same river reach of
previous problem. Select a ᐃt = 1 h, as suggested by the inflow
data. However, check that with the selected ᐃt , parameter values
meet restrictions:
x < 0.5 ᐃt /k < 1 - x
For this case: 0.1515 < (0.5) (3600)/8284.73 < 1 - 0.1515 Thus,
OK. Proceed with routing, by obtaining C0, C1, and C2.
70

EXAMPLE: Use the Muskingum routing procedure to route the
hydrograph tabulated below through the same river reach of
previous problem. Select a ᐃt = 1 h, as suggested by the inflow
data.
C0 = 0.06; C1 = 0.35; and C2 = 0.59
71

EXAMPLE:
C0 = 0.061787; C1 = 0.346074; and

C2 = 0.592139
72

EXAMPLE:
73

EXAMPLE:
74
CEB-703 – Lecture 3
Runoff computation (synthesis):

Routine Design of minor to medium works (no major changes
in the infra/system)
• Small to medium catchments:
✓ Only Peak flow required
✓ Examples of projects:
o culverts
o road drainage
o every small bridges
o soil conservation
✓ Suitable Method: Rational Method
75

Design of minor to medium works (major changes in the
infra/system)
• Small to medium catchments:
✓ Hydrograph required
✓ Examples of project: spillway of small dam
✓ Suitable Methods:
o Unit Hydrograph
o Reservoir Routing
76
Design of medium to important works (no major changes in

the infra/system)
• Medium to large catchments:
✓ Hydrograph required
✓ Examples of project: roads and highways
✓ Suitable Methods:
o Unit Hydrograph ARR Project Reports and
o Flood frequency analysis Data (arr-software.org)
o Runoff routing
77
Week 8 (break): Self-review
for Test
Week 9: Test 1
Date: April 12, 2023 (WED)
Time: 6-9 PM
Location: Venue-R&D Center
Lecture room 1
• Pointers for the Test 1 will
provided this week
✓ Topics to be included
in the objective part
✓ Sample problems
78
Water Resources Engineering (CEB-703)
Flood Routing
• Routing Methods
• Reservoir Routing
• Channel Routing

Lect 4

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Lect 4

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Water Resources Engineering (CEB-703)

Flood routing: Applications

Flood routing: Applications

Flood routing: Methods

Flood routing: Methods

Flood routing: Methods

The principal assumption is that the water

In most applications of the continuity

Most reservoir routing methods now in

* Split the reach to decrease the L

Interpolate for Col 5 to get the Q:

Interpolate for Col 5 to get the Q:

Thus, Tt /Tp = 0.813/2 = 0.4 (< 0.5 all good)

EXAMPLE: Storage indication method (channel)

ᐃS = 4.82 x 2 = 9.64 acre-ft

STEP 3: Prepare the working curves in table

*Subtracting 209 ft3/s-d gives only

STEP 3: Prepare the working

Muskingum routing (getting the constants, K and X)

Muskingum routing (getting the constants, K and X)

• Columns 6 - 9 are the values of

Muskingum routing (getting the constants, K and X)

Muskingum routing (getting the constants, K and X)

Muskingum routing (getting the constants, K and X)

k = A+B = 8284.726677 s = 2.3 h

Muskingum routing (application)

x < 0.5 ᐃt /k < 1 - x

Muskingum routing (application)

C0 = 0.06; C1 = 0.35; and C2 = 0.59

Muskingum routing (application)

C0 = 0.061787; C1 = 0.346074; and

Muskingum routing (application)

Muskingum routing (application)

Runoff computation (synthesis):

Runoff computation (synthesis):

Runoff computation (synthesis):

Design of medium to important works (no major changes in

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