Surface Runoff

Components of stream flow

• When a storm occurs, a portion of rainfall
infiltrates into the ground and some portion
may evaporate.

• The rest flows as a thin sheet of water over

the land surface which is termed as overland
flow.
• If there is a relatively impermeable stratum in
the subsoil, the infiltrating water moves
laterally in the surface soil and joins the
stream flow, which is termed as underflow
(subsurface flow) or interflow.

• If there is no impending layer in the subsoil

the infiltrating water percolates into the
ground as deep seepage and builds up the
ground water table (GWT or phreatic surface).
• Low soil permeability favours overland flow.

• While all the three types of flow contribute to

the stream flow, it is the overland flow, which
reaches first the stream channel, the interflow
being slower reaches after a few hours and the
ground water flow being the slowest reaches
the stream channel after some days.

• The term direct runoff is used to include the

overland flow and the interflow.
• The direct runoff results from the occurrence
of an immediately preceding storm while the
ground water contribution, which takes days
or months to reach the stream, in all
probability has no direct relation with the
immediately preceding storm.
• The ground water flow into the stream would
have continued even if there had been no
storm immediately preceding.

• It is for this reason it is termed as base flow in

hydrograph analysis.
Disposal of rain water
 Factors affecting runoff

The various factors, which affect the runoff from a drainage

basin depend upon the following characteristics.

• Storm characteristics- type or nature of storm and season,

intensity, duration, areal extent (distribution), frequency,
antecedent precipitation, direction of storm movement.

• Meteorological characteristics – temperature, humidity, wind

velocity, pressure variation
• Basin characteristics – size, shape, slope, altitude
(elevation), topography, geology (type of soil), land
use /vegetation, orientation, type of drainage net,
proximity to ocean and mountain ranges.

• Storage characteristics – depressions, pools and

ponds/ lakes, streams, channels, check dams (in
gullies), upstream reservoir/or tanks, flood plains,
swamps, ground water storage in pervious deposits
(aquifers)
 Isochrones
The lines joining all the points in a basin of some key
time elements in a storm, such as beginning of
precipitation, which show the time contours and
represent lines of equal travel time are called
isochrones.

They are helpful in deriving hydrographs.

Isochrones
 Estimation of Runoff:

• Runoff is that balance of rain water, which flows or

runs over the natural ground surface after losses by
evaporation, interception and infiltration.

• The yield of a catchment (usually means annual

yield) is the net quantity of water available for
storage, after all losses, for the purposes of water
resources utilization and planning, like irrigation,
water supply, etc.
• Maximum flood discharge: it is the discharge
in times of flooding of the catchment area,
i.e., when the intensity of rainfall is greatest
and the condition of the catchment regarding
humidity is also favourable for an appreciable
runoff.
The runoff from a rainfall may be estimated by
the following methods:
– Rational method

– Curve number method

– Infiltration method

– Overland flow hydrograph

– Unit hydrograph method

 Unit hydrograph method

• Unit hydrograph approach:

– Q = P * unit hydrograph

• Defined as temporal distribution of

runoff resulting from a unit depth
(i.e., 1 cm) of rainfall excess
occurring over a given duration (i.e.,
24 hrs)
• Default DUH is average shape of a
large number of watersheds
 Rational method:
• A rational approach is to obtain the yield of a
catchment by assuming a suitable runoff
coefficient.
Yield = CAP
Where A = area of catchment
P = precipitation
C = runoff coefficient
• The value of the runoff coefficient C varies
depending upon the soil type, vegetation, geology
etc. and the following table may be taken as a guide.

Type of catchment Value of C

Rocky and impermeable 0.8 – 1.0

Slightly permeable, bare 0.6 – 0.8

Cultivated or covered with 0.4 – 0.6

vegetation
Cultivated absorbent soil 0.3 – 0.4

Sandy soil 0.2 – 0.3

Heavy forest 0.1 – 0.2

• In the rational method, the drainage area is
divided into a number of sub-areas and with the
known times of concentration for different
subareas the runoff contribution from each area
is determined.
• The choice of the value of the runoff coefficient
C for the different sub areas is an important
factor in the runoff computation by this
method.

• The method of dividing the area into different

zones by drawing lines of time contour, i.e.,
isochrones, is illustrated in the following
example.
 Example:
• A 4-hour rain of average intensity 1cm/hr falls
over the fern leaf type catchment as shown in the
fig.

• The time of concentration from the lines AA, BB,

CC and DD are 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours, respectively,
to the site 0 where the discharge measurements
are made.
• The values of the runoff coefficient C are 0.5,
0.6 and 0.7 for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd hours of
rainfall respectively and attains a constant
value of 0.8 after 3hours.

• Determine the discharge at site 0.

Time of concentration method
Solution: the discharge computations are
made in the table below:
Subarea Time from beginning of storm (hr)
(zone) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
contributing
runoff (ha)

I 20 20 20 20
II 30 30 30 30
III 50 50 50 50
IV 40 40 40 40 -
Discharge at 0.5(20*104)* 0.6(20*104)1 0.7(20*104)* 0.8(20*104)1 - - - -
0 from sub- 1/100 /100 1/100 /100 0.8(30*104)1 - - -
areas + + + /100 0.8(50*104)1 - -
Q = CAP 0.5(30*104)1 0.6(30*104)1 0.7(30*104)1 + /100 0.8(40*104)1 -
/100 /100 /100 0.7(50*104)1 + /100
+ + /100 0.7(40*104)1
0.5(50*104)1 0.6(50*104)1 + /100
/100 /100 0.6(40*104)1
+ /100
0.5(40*104)1
/100

Discharge at 1000 2700 5700 8700 8300 6800 3200

0 Q(m3/hr)
 Runoff curve number method
The basic relationships used to develop the curve number runoff
prediction technique are described here as background for
subsequent discussion.

The technique originates with the assumption that the following

relationship describes the water balance of the storm event

F/S = Q/Pe

Where F is the actual retention on the watershed, Q is the actual

direct storm runoff, S is the potential maximum retention, and P is the
potential maximum runoff
 Definition of the
components
• Rainfall (P) separated into:
– Rainfall excess (Q)
– Initial abstraction (Ia) – interception, infiltration, and
depression storage
– Retention (F) – proportion retained, infiltrated

• Basic assumption:

• CN is a function of S, the potential maximum

retention
• → Runoff equation in inches:
 Curve number, CN
• CN range 0-100
– 0 = no runoff
– 100 = complete runoff
• Function of:
– Hydrologic soil group
– Cover type
– Treatment practice
– Hydrologic condition
– Impervious area
– ARC – antecedent runoff/moisture condition
• Can be adjusted for ARCI(AMCI) and ARCIII (AMCIII)
 Estimating S
• The difficult part of applying this method to a
watershed is the estimation of the
watershed’s potential maximum retention, S
• SCS developed a concept of dimensionless
curve number, CN, to aid in the estimation of
S.
• CN is related to S as: S = (1000/CN) -10, s, p
and Q in inches
• S = (2540/CN) – 25.4, S, p, Q in cm
• CN ranges from 0 to 100
 Determine CN
• The Soil Conservation Service has classified over 8,500
soil series into four hydrologic groups according to
their infiltration characteristics, and the proper group
is determined for the soil series found.

• The hydrologic groups have been designated as A, B,

C, and D.

• Group A is composed of soils considered to have a

low runoff potential.
• These soils have a high infiltration rate even when
thoroughly wetted.
• Group B soils have a moderate infiltration rate
when thoroughly wetted,

• while group C soils are those which have slow

infiltration rates when thoroughly wetted.

• Group D soils are those which are considered to

have a high potential for runoff, since they have
very slow infiltration rates when thoroughly
wetted.
TABLE 1
Curve Numbers for Antecedent Soil Moisture Condition II
Hydrologic Soil Group
Land Use Description A B C D
Commercial, row houses and townhouses 80 85 90 95
Fallow, poor condition 77 86 91 94
Cultivated with conventional tillage 72 81 88 91
Cultivated with conservation tillage 62 71 78 81
Lawns, poor condition 58 74 82 86
Lawns, good condition 39 61 74 80
Pasture or range, poor condition 68 79 86 89
Pasture or range, good condition 39 61 74 80
Meadow 30 58 71 78
Pavement and roofs 100 100 100 100
Woods or forest thin stand, poor cover 45 66 77 83
Woods or forest, good cover 25 55 70 77
Farmsteads 59 74 82 86
Residential quarter-acre lot, poor condition 73 83 88 91
Residential quarter-acre lot, good condition 61 75 83 87
Residential half-acre lot, poor condition 67 80 86 89
Residential half-acre lot, good condition 53 70 80 85
Residential 2-acre lot, poor condition 63 77 84 87
Residential 2-acre lot, good condition 47 66 77 81
Roads 74 84 90 92
TABLE 2
Adjustments to Runoff Curve Number (CN) for Dry
or Wet Antecedent Soil Moisture Conditions

Factors to Convert Curve Number

for AMC II to AMC I or AMC III
Curve Number (AMC II) AMC I (dry) AMC III (wet)
10 0.40 2.22
20 0.45 1.85
30 0.50 1.67
40 0.55 1.50
50 0.62 1.40
60 0.67 1.30
70 0.73 1.21
80 0.79 1.14
90 0.87 1.07
100 1.00 1.00
 Example:
Kebede’s house is just downstream of a
16188m2 watershed that presently has mature
forest on top of a Crosby soil(type C).

He is worried that the new townhouse

development will increase the amount of water
flowing in the river by his house.

Using a 5.08cm storm determine the increase

in water volume that will flow by Kebede’s
house due to the development.
 2540
S  25.4
CN
Step 1--Calculate S numbers
-Crosby soil is Type C
-CN (AMC II) mature forest is 70
-CN (AMC II) townhouses is 90

-Convert to AMC III-worst case scenario

-CN 70*1.21=84.7
-CN 90*1.07=96.3
-S (forest) = 4.6
-S (townhouses) = 0.98
 (P  0.2S) 2
Q
(P  0.8 S)
• Step 2-Calculate Q (excess runoff)

– P = 5.08cm rainfall

– Q(forest) = 1.98cm

– Q(townhouses) = 4.1cm
• Step 3- Calculate volume

• Area= 16188m2

• Excess rainfalls= 1.98cm (forest) = 0.0198m

• Excess rainfalls= 4.1cm (townh) = 0.041m

• Volume (forest)= 16188m2*0.0198m=320.5m3

• Volume (townh)= 16188m2*0.041m=663.71m3

• Volume of runoff will increase by more than 100%