Canopy and Surface Methods within HEC-HMS

Hydrologic Engineering Center 1

 Losses within HEC-HMS
Interception /
Canopy Storage
Evapotranspiration

Surface /
Losses Depression Storage

Excess
Precipitation
Infiltration /
Soil Storage

Hydrologic Engineering Center 2

 Objectives
• Provide an overview of the available canopy and
surface methods within HEC-HMS
• Supply commonly used parameter values
• Discuss factors that affect canopy and surface losses

Hydrologic Engineering Center 3

 Canopy Interception
• Vegetation can intercept
precipitation and reduce
the amount of that arrives
at the ground surface
• Vegetation can also extract
water from the soil in a
process called
transpiration
• Evaporation and
transpiration are often
combined and referred to
as evapotranspiration

Hydrologic Engineering Center 4

 Available Canopy Methods
• Dynamic Canopy
• Gridded Simple
Canopy
• Simple Canopy

Hydrologic Engineering Center 5

 Common Canopy Storage Values
• Zinke (1967) gives the Canopy Description Storage (in)
following canopy
interception depths:
General Vegetation 0.05

• These values must be Grasses and

0.08
Deciduous Trees
calibrated and
validated! Coniferous Trees 0.1

Hydrologic Engineering Center 6

 Surface / Depression Storage
• Surficial depressions
can temporarily store
water
– Puddles
– Rough areas
• Captured precipitation
empties over time due
to infiltration and/or
evapotranspiration

Hydrologic Engineering Center 7

 Available Surface Methods
• Gridded Simple
Surface
• Simple Surface

Hydrologic Engineering Center 8

 Common Depression Storage Values
• Bennet (1998) gives the
Surface Description Storage (in)
following surface depression
depths:
Steep, smooth slopes 0.04

• These values must be Most areas with

0.125 – 0.250
calibrated and validated! impervious surface

Most areas with

0.25 – 0.50
pervious surface

Flat agricultural land

with conservation 2.0
tillage

Hydrologic Engineering Center 9

Hydrologic Engineering Center 10
 Factors that Affect Canopy Interception and
Surface / Depression Storage
• Storm character
– Duration
– Intensity
– Precipitation form
• Time of year
• Vegetation
– Type
– Density
• Catchment slope
• Drought Blue River Lake, Sep 2020
• Wildfire

Hydrologic Engineering Center 11

 Review
• Three canopy and two surface methods are
available within HEC-HMS
• In general, canopy and surface losses are small
• Multiple phenomena can affect the amount of
canopy and surface losses
• Next lecture will focus on infiltration methods
within HEC-HMS

Hydrologic Engineering Center 12