Runoff

Dr. Rallapalli Srinivas, Department of Civil Engineering

Engineering Hydrology, CE F321
 Learning
outcome
• Runoff processes and
characteristics
• Rainfall-runoff relationships
• Soil Conservation Services-
Curve number method
• Flow duration and flow
mass curve
• Introduction to drought
management and water
harvesting
 Runoff process
• Runoff means the draining or flowing off of precipitation
from a catchment area through a surface channel
• In a catchment, when there is precipitation, first
evapotranspiration, initial loss, infiltration and detention
storage requirements are satisfied before commencement of
runoff
• Excess precipitation moves over the land surfaces to reach
smaller channels (overland flow)
• Laminar regime
• Ultimately reaches the catchment outlet
• Surface runoff: Overland flow + flow through channels
reaching the catchment outlet
Runoff processes
• Interflow or through flow or subsurface flow or
quick return flow: Part of precipitation that infilters
moves laterally through upper crusts of the soil and
returns to the surface at some location. Also known
as prompt flow or delayed interflow depending on
delay between infiltration and outflow
• Ground water runoff: Infiltration leads to deep
percolation and groundwater storage in the soil,
which follows long path and ultimately reaches the
surface with large time lag
Runoff processes
• Direct runoff: Enters stream immediately after
rainfall (Surface runoff + prompt interflow +
rainfall on the surface of the stream). Also referred
as storm runoff
• Base flow: Delayed flow that reaches a stream
essentially as groundwater flow
• Natural flow: Stream flow in its natural condition
without human intervention
Runoff processes
Numerical
Solution
Solution
Hydrograph
• Plot of discharge in the stream against time
I. Annual hydrographs
II. Monthly hydrographs
III. Seasonal hydrographs
IV. Flood hydrographs
• Water year of India: June 1st to May 31st
• Water year in USA: Oct 1st to Sept 30th
Runoff characteristics
Perennial stream Intermittent stream

Ephemeral stream
 Runoff characteristics
• Flow characteristics of the stream depends upon:
1. Rainfall characteristics, such as magnitude, intensity, distribution
according to time and space and its variability
2. Catchment characteristics such as soil, land use/land cover, slope,
geology, shape and slope
3. Climate factors which influence evapotranspiration
Catchment characteristics
• Catchment also known as drainage basin, watershed etc.
• Physical characteristics such as area, shape, slope, and
drainage channel pattern play major role in affecting
surface runoff and shape of the runoff hydrograph from a
catchment due to a storm
• Quantitative geomorphology: Study of catchment
characteristics
• Geomorphology is the study of landforms, their processes,
form and sediments at the surface of the Earth (and
sometimes on other planets). Study includes looking at
landscapes to work out how the earth surface processes,
such as air, water and ice, can mould the landscape.
 Catchment characteristics
• Area of catchment
• Stream order: Reflects pattern of branches that unite to form
the trunk stream
• Stream density: Ratio of number of streams of all orders to
area of the basin
• Drainage density: Ratio of total length of all orders within a
basin to its area
• Relief: Difference in elevation (m) between catchment outlet
and highest point on the basin perimeter
• Slope
• Length
• Shape
Runoff volume
• The total quantity of surface water that can be
expected in a given period from a stream at the
outlet of its catchment is known as yield of the
catchment

• Dependable value such as 75% dependable annual

yield
Rainfall runoff relationships
• Correlation if R is runoff and P is precipitation
Numerical
Empirical equations and tables
• Strange’s tables
• Khosla’s formula
Strange’s table
Khosla’s formula
SCS-CN method for estimating runoff volume
SCS-CN method for estimating runoff volume
Curve number
Soil groups
Soil groups
 Other notes
• Silt: Fine sand, clay, or other material carried by running
water and deposited as a sediment, especially in a channel
• Loess: Windblown dust and silt blanket the land. This
layer of fine, mineral-rich material. Predominantly silt-
sized sediment
• Aggregation: Arrangement of primary soil particles (sand,
silt, clay) around soil organic matter and through particle
associations
• Loam: Soil consisting of a friable mixture of varying
proportions of clay, silt, and sand. Holds plenty of
moisture but also drains well so that sufficient air can
reach the roots
Antecedent moisture content
Important tables
Important tables
Important tables
SCS-CN
SCS-CN
SCS-CN
Numerical
Flow mass curve
• Plot between cumulative discharge volume vs time
• Slope gives rate of flow at that instant
• Also known as Rippl’s mass curve
• If two points M and N are connected by a straight
line, the slope of line represents average flow rate
that can be maintained between tm and tn
Calculation of storage volume
Mass curve properties
• Mass curve continuously rises as it shows
cumulative inflow
• If there is no inflow during certain period, the mass
curve will be horizontal during that period
• The mass curve will rise very sharply during the
period of high flood.
• The steepness of the mass curve shows the rate of
inflow at that time interval.
Demand curve
• It is a plot between cumulative demand with time.
• Demand curve representing a uniform rate of
demand is a straight line.
• Demand curve may be curved also indicating
variable rate of demand.
 Calculation of storage volume
• Consider a reservoir on the stream whose mass curve is
plotted
• Reservoir is assumed to be full at the beginning of a dry
period (inflow rate is less than demand or withdrawal rate)
• Therefore, the maximum amount of water drawn from the
storage is the cumulative difference between supply and
demand volumes from the beginning of the dry season
• Thus, storage required is
Calculation of storage volume
Numerical

Work out the same example without the usage of mass curve?
 Yield: Amount of water that can be supplied from
a reservoir in a specified interval of time. For
example, if 75, 000 cm3/year is supplied from a
reservoir in one year, its yield is 75, 000 cm3/year.

Safe yield/ firm yield: Maximum quantity of water

Storage that can be guaranteed during a critical dry
period is known as safe yield.
capacity and
yield Secondary yield: Quantity of water available in
excess of safe yield during the periods of high
flood.

Average yield: Arithmetic average of the safe

yield and the secondary yield over a long period
of time.
Numerical
• The monthly runoff volumes in Mm3 for a period of
24 months recorded at a stream gauging site are 3,
6, 16, 30, 18, 15, 8, 6, 4, 3, 1, 2, 5, 17, 28, 20, 15,
12, 7, 5, 4, 3 and 2. Determine size of the reservoir
proposed at the gauging site if it is to maintain an
assured supply of 8.33 Mm3 per month. The water
year may be taken as June to May. Use mass curve
and also without using mass curve, calculate the
size of the reservoir.
Numerical
• Table gives the monthly inflows during the critical
low water period at the site of a proposed dam, the
corresponding monthly evaporations and
precipitations at a nearby station, and the estimated
monthly demand for water. Prior water rights
require the release of full natural flow or 10 ha per
month, whichever is least. Assume 30 percent of the
rainfall on the land area to be flooded by the
reservoir has reached the stream in the past. Using a
net increased pool area of 500 ha, find the useful
storage. Use pan coefficient of 0.72.
Month Inflow (ha m) Pan evaporation (cm) Precipitation (cm) Demand
(ha-m)
Jan 8.6 2.2 0.8 14.5
Feb 2.2 2.3 1.2 15.8
Mar 1.8 3.1 0 16.2
Apr 0 8.6 0 16.8
May 0 12.8 0 17.5
June 13.5 15.6 4.8 18
July 280.6 12.3 12.2 18
Aug 510.2 10.6 18.6 17
Sept 136 10.0 8.6 16.5
Oct 52.5 8.2 1.5 16
Nov 20.6 5.8 0 15.8
Dec 12.3 3.0 0 15
THANK YOU
Q&A