AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010

Education Curriculum Student Workbook

Unit 4: Environmental Design

Lesson

Watershed Analysis
Overview
In this lesson, you learn about how Civil 3D is used to analyze surface water runoff in a
watershed. Hydrologic analysis begins with a close inspection of the terrain surface. A
watershed is the total area of land that contributes surface runoff to a particular point of
interest. A defined surface in Civil 3D may or may not entirely contain a watershed. Using the
Watershed Analysis and Water Drop tools can help determine where surface water flows on
the surface. Along with other factors such as soil type, slope, and land cover, the area of a
watershed is necessary to calculate surface runoff flow rate.

Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

Describe the different types of watersheds delineated by Civil 3D.

Use watershed analysis to delineate watershed boundaries.

Create surface water runoff paths.

Exercises
The following exercises are provided in a step-by-step format in this lesson:
1. Delineate Watersheds
2. Visualize Runoff Paths

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About the Hydrologic Cycle

The hydrologic cycle is the ongoing process in which water is evaporated from oceans, lakes,
streams, and rivers and then redistributed to the surface of the earth in the form of
precipitation. When precipitation, such as rain or snow, falls on the land surface, it encounters a
number of different fates. A portion of the precipitation returns to the atmosphere as water
vapor, or evaporates. Some of this water vapor is consumed by trees and other plant matter,
and is eventually passed back to the atmosphere through their leaves in a process is called
transpiration. Some precipitation infiltrates into the earth's soil and may be stored there as
groundwater or it may continue flowing through the soil until it reaches a stream or river.
Finally, some precipitation becomes surface runoff and enters our streams, rivers, and lakes.
Civil and environmental engineers study the behavior of surface runoff to learn more about
floods, droughts, and water pollution. Humans can greatly impact surface runoff patterns by
altering the way land is used. When studying surface runoff, the basic hydrologic unit is the
watershed.

About Watersheds
A watershed is an area that contributes surface water runoff to a particular point of interest,
also called an outlet point. Any precipitation that falls within this area, and does not evaporate,
transpire, or infiltrate, will run overland and eventually pass this outlet point. Because any point
may be designated as a point of interest, the number of possible watersheds is infinite.
However, logical points are typically designated as outlet points, such as the confluence of a
tributary with a main stream or, in a developed area, where two storm sewers join.
Delineation, or outlining, of the area which drains to a particular outlet point is of particular
importance, because the volume of surface runoff is directly proportional to the drainage area.
Civil 3D automatically analyzes a surface based on the triangles of the TIN to determine the
outline of watersheds on the surface. This analysis is performed using the Analysis tab of the
Surface Properties of any surface.
There can be several different types of watersheds present on a surface based on the type of
drain target of the watershed. A drain target is the location where the water flow either stops
or leaves the surface. Water that flows along an area or across a surface triangle eventually
flows off the surface, or it reaches a point from which there is no downhill direction. For each
drain target in a surface, Civil 3D determines the region of the surface that drains to that target.
This region is called the watershed for that drain target.
The types of watersheds analyzed by Civil 3D include those listed in the following table.

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Watershed

Description

Boundary Point

If the downhill end of a channel edge is on the surface boundary, then water
flowing through that channel continues off the surface. The boundary point
is the lowest end of the channel.

Boundary Segment

If an edge on the surface boundary belongs to a triangle that slopes down

toward that edge, then water flows off the surface all along that edge. A
boundary segment is a connected sequence of such edges.

Depression

If a point is at a lower elevation than all its neighboring TIN points, then
when water flows to it, it has no downhill place to go. Similarly, a connected
set of points that are at the same elevation and all of whose neighbors are
at a higher elevation, is a single drain target. A depression is any such set of
points.

Flat Area

A flat area watershed is a flat area, from which water could flow down to
more than one drain target. It also includes the parts of the surface that
drain to that flat area. A flat area is a connected set of triangles all of whose
vertices have the same elevation. Flat areas abut parts of the surface that
slope downhill.

Multi-Drain

One type of ambiguous watershed is called a multi-drain or split channel

watershed.

Multi-Drain Notch

A multi-drain notch watershed occurs where there is a flat edge between

two points on a surface.

The following illustration displays several boundary segment watersheds.

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These watersheds are segregated because some of the edge triangles are sloped in towards the
surface and not towards the edge. Turning on the triangles of the surfaces along with the slope
arrows clarifies this in the following illustration along the border between watershed ID 22 and
24. Note that the slope arrows are drawn along the line of the slope of the face of the TIN
triangle.

About Flow Paths

A particular path that a water drop takes for surface runoff is determined by the slope of the
individual faces of the surface. Analyzing either an existing surface or a design surface for runoff
flow paths is an important step in determining how to handle stormwater at the site.
In general, you click a location on the surface as the start of the travel path for a drop of water.
The algorithm traces a line parallel to the slope of the 3D face of the TIN triangle where you
clicked until the line intersects another triangle. At that point, the path is turned to parallel the

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slope of the intersected triangle. This process continues until an endpoint is reached, which can
be the edge of the surface, or a low point or depression.
The following illustration displays the original starting point for the water drop as a red X
marker, with the subsequent path as a blue polyline until it reaches the edge of the surface.
Notice the changes in slope as the path intersects the next triangle.

Key Terms
Hydrologic Cycle

The ongoing process in which water is cycled through precipitation,

runoff, infiltration, evaporation, and transpiration.

Watershed

A watershed is the total area of land that contributes surface runoff to a

particular point of interest.

Drain Target

A drain target is the location where the water flow either stops or
leaves the surface

Runoff Water
Path

The particular path that a water drop takes for surface runoff. The path
is determined by the slope of the individual faces of the surface.

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Exercise 1: Delineate
Watersheds
In this exercise, you modify a surface style
and perform a watershed analysis in order
to delineate watersheds and visualize
drainage patterns.
At the end of this exercise, the drawing
displays as shown.

6. Expand the Surface property group.

Change the Surface Watershed Label
Style to Watershed.
For this exercise open \I_WatershedsEX1.dwg (M_Watersheds-EX1.dwg).

Configure a Surface Style

1. In Toolspace, on the Settings tab,
expand the Surface, Surface Styles.
Right-click Border Only. Click Copy.
2. On the Information tab, for Name, enter
Watersheds.
3. On the Watersheds tab, in the
Watershed Properties table, expand the
Depression Watershed property group.
Change Use Hatching to True.
4. Click Hatch Pattern. Click

5. In the Hatch Properties dialog box:

7. On the Display tab, in the Component

Display table, click next to the Slope
Arrows and the Watershed to turn on
display of these components. Click OK.

Perform a Watershed Analysis

8. In Toolspace, on the Prospector tab,
expand the Surfaces collection. Rightclick the Existing Ground surface. Click
Surface Properties.

For Pattern, select AR-SAND.

For Scale, select 15.

9. In the Surface Properties dialog box, on

the Information tab, for Surface Style,
select Watersheds.

Click OK.

10. On the Analysis tab:

Unit 4 Lesson 2: Watershed Analysis

For Analysis Type, select

Watersheds.
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Select the Merge Adjacent Boundary

Watersheds check box.

Note the list of watersheds in the Item

View area.

15. Right-click a watershed in the Item View

area. Click Zoom To.

Click Run Analysis

The watersheds are analyzed and listed in

the Details table.
11. Click the Watershed Type Display button
.
12. Turn off the Boundary point and
Boundary segment watershed types.
Click OK twice.
13. Inspect the watersheds displayed in the
drawing.

You can also add a table to the drawing

that lists all of the watersheds.
16. On the Annotate tab, Labels & Tables
panel, click Tables > Add Surface Legend
Table.
17. At the prompt to specify the table type,
enter W for Watersheds. Press ENTER.
18. At the prompt for Behavior, enter D for
Dynamic. Press ENTER.
19. Click a location in the drawing where
you want to place the upper-left corner
of the table.
20. The legend table is displayed in the
drawing.

14. In Prospector, in the Existing Ground

surface, click the Watersheds collection.
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Extract Watershed Boundaries

You can use the watershed analysis data
to create polygons and an associated
hatch of the watersheds.
21. In the drawing, click the surface to
select it.
22. On the contextual ribbon, Surface Tools
panel, click Extract Objects.
23. In the Extract Objects from Surface <Existing Ground> dialog box, clear all
check boxes except for Watersheds.
Click OK.
24. Press ESC.

26. Enter list. Press ENTER.

The text window opens to display the
attributes of the object.
27. Press ESC. Press F2.
28. Close the drawing. Do not save the
changes.

25. Click to select a watershed boundary

polyline or hatch.

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Exercise 2: Visualize Runoff

Paths
In this exercise, you use the Water Drop
tool to visualize runoff paths in the
watersheds.
At the end of this exercise, the drawing
displays as shown.

3. At the Select point prompt, click several

locations in the drawing in the specified
area, which is a boundary segment
watershed (blue polygon). Press ENTER
when finished.

For this exercise, open \I_WatershedsEX2.dwg (M_Watersheds-EX2.dwg).

Visualize Runoff Paths

The Water Drop tool is a good way to
visualize flow paths and to inspect a
surface for possible problems.
1. On the Analyze tab, Ground Data panel,
click Water Drop.
2. In the Water Drop dialog box, set the
values as shown. Click OK.

Markers are created where you clicked,

and a polyline shows the surface water
runoff path across the surface. Boundary
segment watersheds have multiple
locations where the low point is at the
edge of the surface, meaning that water
will continue to flow off the edge, past the
known terrain information.
4. Click one of the polylines. Enter list.

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The text box displays information about

the polyline.
5. Press ESC. Press F2.
6. In Prospector, expand Surfaces and the
Existing Ground surface. Click the
Watersheds collection.
7. In the Item View window, right-click
watershed ID 50. Click Zoom To.
This is a depression watershed. Note that
the numbering may be different in the
metric drawing. Zoom to a depression
watershed.
8. On the Analyze tab, Ground Data panel,
click Water Drop.
9. In the Water Drop dialog box, use the
previous settings. Click OK.
10. At the Select point prompt, click several
locations in the drawing in watershed
50. Press ENTER when finished.

13. Review the slope arrow directions and

compare them to the water drop
polylines.
Sometimes it is good practice to also view
the triangles.
14. In Prospector, right-click Existing
Ground. Click Edit Surface Style.
15. In the Display tab, click to make the
Triangles visible. Click OK.

11. In Prospector, right-click Existing

Ground. Click Edit Surface Style.
12. In the Display tab, click to make the
Slope Arrows visible. Click OK.
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It is more difficult to see the watershed

outline, but clearer to see how the
direction of the water drop path and the
slope arrows are derived.

17. Close the drawing. Do not save the

changes.

16. Repeat these steps on different

watersheds, including a multi-drain
watershed.

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Assessment
Challenge Exercise
Instructors provide a master or challenge exercise for students to do based on this lesson.

Questions
1. What is a watershed?
2. Define a depression-type of watershed.
3. What is a flow path, also known as runoff water path?
4. What are some major factors that are related to surface runoff flow rate?

Answers
1. A watershed is an area that contributes surface water runoff to a particular point of interest,
also called an outlet point.
2. If a point is at a lower elevation than all its neighboring TIN points, then when water flows
to it, it has no downhill place to go. Similarly, a connected set of points that are at the same
elevation and all of whose neighbors are at a higher elevation, is a single drain target. A
depression is any such set of points.
3. A flow path is the particular path that a water drop takes for surface runoff. The path is
determined by the slope of the individual 3D triangle faces of the surface.
4. Watershed area, land cover, slope, and soil type are all important when calculating surface
runoff rate.

Lesson Summary
In this lesson, you learned about the concepts of watershed analysis and how to use Civil 3D to
perform basic analysis. You used the Watershed Analysis tool for an existing surface to
delineate watersheds, extracted the boundaries as closed polygons, and inserted a watershed
legend table. You used the Water Drop tool along with slope arrows and triangles to visualize
the surface water runoff patterns on a surface.

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