HYDROLOGIC ROUTING

FLOW ROUTING

Q
t

Procedure to
determine the flow
hydrograph at a point
on a watershed from a
known hydrograph
upstream
As the hydrograph
travels, it
attenuates
gets delayed

t
Q

t
Q
t
2

WHY ROUTE FLOWS?

Account for changes in flow hydrograph as a flood wave passes

downstream
This helps in

Accounting for storages

Studying the attenuation of flood peaks
3

TYPES OF FLOW ROUTING

Lumped/hydrologic
Flow is calculated as a function of time alone at a particular
location
Governed by continuity equation and flow/storage
relationship
Distributed/hydraulic
Flow is calculated as a function of space and time
throughout the system
Governed by continuity and momentum equations

LUMPED FLOW ROUTING

1.

Three types
Level pool method (Modified Puls)
Storage is nonlinear function of Q
2. Muskingum method
Storage is linear function of I and Q
3. Series of reservoir models
Storage is linear function of Q and its time derivatives

ROUTING APPLICATIONS

DURING HURRICANE FLOYD, THE FLOODPLAIN IN ROCKY

MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA WAS INUNDATED DUE TO A
RISE IN RIVER STAGE.
AS WE SEE HERE, ONCE THE STAGE RISES ABOVE
THE BANKS, THE RIVER MAY SPREAD HORIZONTALLY
ACROSS THE FLOODPLAIN.
AS THE CHANNEL CROSSSECTION AREA BECOMES
LARGER, MORE WATER CAN FLOW PAST THAT POINT.
AT THE SAME TIME, SINCE MORE WATER IS FLOWING
INTO THIS SECTION OF RIVER THAN IS LEAVING, MORE
WATER IS TEMPORARILY STORED IN THE FLOODPLAIN
AREA.

ROUTING APPLICATIONS
Routing is most often used to predict flood peaks, water
volume, and the timing of the flow.
.

Another use of routing is to demonstrate how a

reservoir or flood detention basin will affect the volume of
water downstream resulting from a storm.

Reservoirs temporarily store the discharge

from a flood.
Because the peak outflow is lower than the
peak inflow, the reservoir releases the volume of
water more slowly than would have happened
naturally.
Thus a reservoir can reduce, or attenuate,
the peak discharge, and delay, or lag, the timing
of the flood peak.