Today’s Agenda

 Stormwater and Stormwater Runoff

 Factors Effecting Stormwater Flow
 Calculation of Stormwater Runoff
 Rational Method
 Hydrograph Method

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 1

 Stormwater Runoff
Stormwater
Originates during precipitation events and
snow/ ice melt
S tormwater can infiltrate, be held on a
surface, evaporate or runoff

Stormwater Runoff
Part of rainfall that flows over ground
Created upon rainfall over roads, driveways, parking lots, rooftops
and other paved surfaces

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 2

 Stormwater Runoff

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 5

Source: New Jersey Best Management Practices Manual, February 2004? “Fundamentals of Urban Road Management”
 Stormwater Runoff
Stormwater Runoff as Source of Water Pollution
 Manmade impervious structures don’t allow rain to infiltrate
 Stormwater runoff mixes up with pollutants produced due to
human activities
 Disposal of pollutants impairs receiving waters

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 6

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, D-C-”Protecting Water Quality from Urban Water Runoff
 Quantity of Stormwater
Factors Affecting Stormwater Flow
Catchment area
Slope of Catchment area
Porosity of soil
Intensity of rainfall
Duration of rainfall
Initial state of catchment area with respect to wetness
Obstructions in the flow of water e.g. trees, fields, etc.

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 5

 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Generally two methods:
1. Rational Method
 Limited to small drainage areas
 Applicable to impervious areas
 Provides peak discharge value (not time series of flow)

2. Hydrograph Method
 Used for large catchment areas
 Time distribution of flow (graph between discharge and time)

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 6

 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Rational Method:
Rational Formula
Q = (C x I x A)/Z
Where,
English System
Q = Peak rate of Stormwater runoff (cfs)
C = Runoff coefficient
I = Average intensity of rainfall (in/hr) A =
Watershed area (acres)
Z = Conversion factor = 1

Metric System
Q = Peak rate of Stormwater runoff (m3/s)
C = Runoff coefficient
I = Average intensity of rainfall (mm/hr)
A = Watershed area (hectares) (Note: 1 Hectare= 2.47 Acres) Z =
Conversion factor = 360

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 7

 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Rational Method:
Runoff Coefficient (C):
 Runoff to rainfall ratio
 Ranges from zero to one
 Interaction of many complex factors i.e. infiltration, soil types,
surface type, slope etc.
 Varies w.r.t. prior wetting and seasonal conditions
 Where drainage area is composed of subareas with different runoff
coefficients, a composite coefficient is used
For example consider a house
Roof subarea= C1, A1
Lawn subarea= C2, A2
Road subarea= C3, A3

C= [(C1)(A1) + (C2)(A2) + (C3)(A3)]/ (A1 + A2 + A3)

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 8

 Runoff Coefficient (C)
Runoff Coefficients In Practice

* Value= Recommended Value

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 9
Source: Composite Runoff Coefficient, “http://www.utdallas.edu/~brikowi/Teaching/Applied_Modeling/SurfaceWater/LectureNotes/Rational_Method/
Composite_Runoff_Coefficien.html)”
 Runoff Coefficient (C)
Runoff Coefficient w.r.t. Surface Type

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 10

Source: Composite Runoff Coefficient, “http://www.utdallas.edu/~brikowi/Teaching/Applied_Modeling/SurfaceWater/LectureNotes/Rational_Method/
Composite_Runoff_Coefficien.html)”
 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Rational Method:
Average Intensity of Rainfall (I):
 Usually varies over storm duration
 Function of;
 Geographic location
 Return period
 Storm duration
 Calculated using hydrological data (Hyetographs)
 Instantaneous intensities plotted against time
 Area under the curve = total amount of precipitation
 Average intensity = Total Precipitation (in) / Total Time
(hr)

Department of Civil Engineeri ng, MUST 13

Source: Presentation Stormwater and Urban Runoff, http://slideplayer.com/slide/5888029/
 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Rational Method:
Average Intensity of Rainfall (I):
 From Theories of P robability Maximum Frequency
curve is selected
 Plotting of IDF (intensity-duration-frequency) Curves
 Intensity = Average rate of precipitation (rainfall quantity/ time)
 Duration = Conventional Time (storm duration)

Department of Civil Engineering, MUS T 14

Source: Presentation Stormwater and Urban Runoff, http://slideplayer.com/slide/5888029/
 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Rational Method:
 Plotting of IDF
Curves:
Curves can also be
plotted
mathematically
I = A/ (t + B)
Where;
t = Critical duration of storm
A a n dB = C o n s t a n t sd e t e r m i n e d by m e a s u r i n g
storm water runoff at Gauging Stations

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 15

 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Rational Method:
Water Shed Area (A)
 Drainage area that drains to a particular point along a stream
 Measured in horizontal plans using a Planimeter
or GIS (Geographic information system)
 Accurately determined by topographic maps or field surveys
 Drainage area information should also include information used in other
components of Rational Equation i.e.
 Land Use – Present and predicted future
 Characteristics of soil
 General magnitude of ground slopes
affecting time of concentration

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 16

Source: wikipedia.com
 Planimeter
A planimeter, also known as a platometer, is a measuring
instrument used to determine the area of an arbitrary two-
dimensional shape.
 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Rational Method:
Inlet Time (Ti)
 Time required for storm water to flow over the ground surface from the far-most point
(hydraulically) of the catchment area to the sewer inlet
 Inlet time ranges from 5 – 15 minutes
 In complex conditions, kinematic wave equation is recommended

Ti = 6.9L0.6 n0.6 I0.4 S-0.3

Where,
Ti= Inlet time in minutes
L = Travelled Length (m)
n = Manning’s roughness coefficient
I = Rainfall intensity (mm/hr)
S = Slope of catchment (m/m)

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 16

 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Rational Method:
Flow Time (Tf)
 Time taken by storm water to flow within sewer up to the point under
consideration (normally outlet point)
Tf = Length of Sewer/ Velocity of Water
Time of Concentration (Tc )
 Time taken by runoff to travel from the most hydraulically distant point in
the catchment to the point under consideration (normally outlet point)

Tc = T i + T f
Critical Duration of Rainfall
 Duration of rainfall that produces maximum runoff
 Equals to time of concentration (Tc)
Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 17
 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Rational Method:
Assumptions:
 The rate of runoff resulting from any constant rainfall intensity is maximum
when duration of rainfall equals time of concentration (critical duration of
rainfall)
 Frequency of peak discharge is same as the frequency of the rainfall intensity
 The rainfall intensity is uniformly distributed over the entire area
 The fraction of rainfall that becomes runoff is independent of rainfall volume

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 18

 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Rational Method:
Limitations:
 The assumption of constant rainfall intensities for
large catchments is invalid
 Rainfall intensities usually vary during a storm
 Frequency of peak discharge depends on;
 Rainfall frequencies
 Antecedent moisture conditions in the catchment
 The response characteristics of the drainage system
 Constant coefficient assumption is reasonable only for
impervious areas only
runoff
 Inability to accommodate presence of storage in the drainage area

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 19

 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Hydrograph Method:
 Graphical representation of time versus discharge at a particular point in
a stream or channel which drains the watershed
 Time distribution of flow
 Overcomes some limitations of Rational method
 Doesn’t only provide value of Peak flow but also accounts for time distribution of
flow
 Can be used for large catchment areas

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 20

 Estimation of Stormwater Quantity
Hydrograph Method:

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 22

Source: Unit Hydrograph Theory, “https://www.meted.ucar.edu”
 Questions ???

Department of Civil Engineering, MUST 23