Analysis of Drainage System in Agusan Pequeno’s Creek using Delineation

A Thesis Proposal Presented to the Faculty of the College of Engineering and

Architecture

Saint Joseph Institute of Technology

Montilla Blvd., Butuan City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Degree of Bachelor of Science in Architecture

Ronald Benedict Gangca Exaure

November 2019
 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, countries such as the Philippines experienced abnormal calamities

that wreak havoc and fear to its people; we have earthquakes, forest fires, and heavy

storms that cause casualties. One of the most common disasters is Typhoon, which

causes floods.

Flood is a dangerous calamity to be encountered by people, and it destroys a

lot of important things and precious persons in people's life. But the continuous studies

being conduct by the researchers help people to prevent and prepare for upcoming

disasters, especially floods. One of the studies is Delineation; it is a geoprocessing

analysis; this was done to fill sinks and generate flow direction data, flow

accumulation, streams, stream segments, and watersheds. Such data are then used to

create a vector representation from selected points of catchment and drainage lines,

which can then used in network analysis using contour line information. These

typically drawn on topographic maps; contour lines are equivalent elevation lines, so

the same elevation is at any point along a given contour line. It helps to easily identify

the flow of the water and where you want it to reach.

Despite the study, people still suffer the casualties of the flood, due to lack of

knowledge and preparedness of the people, Floods is very troublesome, since we don’t

know where it begins and where it is headed since water flows can get through to

mostly any infrastructures and objects it passes through.

Statement of the Problem

Floods have been a major problem during heavy rainfall, especially to below sea level

areas. Definitely, prevention is better than cure. Flood immediately destroys important things,

such as crops, business, houses, building etc. But more importantly the life of the people being

affected. The immediate effect of this events are loss of incomes and supplies for the people,

loss of family, friends and love ones.

Delineation is one of the studies that can determine the flow of water during floods,

and helps control the damage to minimum or much better none. by using this method we can

determine the possible flow of water and control where its headed.

This study aims to answer the main problem:

 How to determine the passage of run off in Agusan Pequeno’s Creek?

Sub Problems

On the completion of this thesis, the researcher aims to answer the following sub

problems:

1) What is the streamline patterns of Agusan Pequeno’s Creek?

2) Where is the highest and lowest level of land in Butuan?

3) How long will the passage of run off ?

Significance of the Study

A Delineation process that will enable the best route for the run off to flow, minimizing

and securing the people of Butuan from the damage and danger of flood during calamities.

This will ensure the result of success in bringing the damage of flood from 90% to 10-2%.

This will help the city to grow and build much better drainage system with accurate data for

the drainage system’s route.

This study’s information can be also use to implement water quality protection and

restoration actions that will lead the water of Butuan to be alot more cleaner and safe for the

people to consume, since this study use the latest method of Delineation, it will be more

accurate and precise. With this study the local watershed will benefit since the data gathered

can be used to control the water flow and use the it for filtration and water treatment. This

study will also helps the Agusan Pequeno’s creek to gather more water and might be able to

build a water system on the said creek that will benefit the local people near Agusan Pequeno’s

creek.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study focuses on the gathering of the necessary data using Delineation that will

help to identify the accurate passage of run off inside the city going to Agusan Pequeno’s

creek. The project will include the analyzation of the run off that will be examine with

precision to deliver accurate results.

The researchers will undergo a site visit to the destination of the run off for further

investigation, in order to form a good analysis of the delineation’s starting point. This will help

the process of Delineation to start.

However, the following are the limiting factors of the research:

A. The total amount of cost to conduct the research.

B. The software to be used during the research.

C. The tools to be used to conduct the research.

 Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

This sub-chapter includes the ideas, finished thesis, articles, methodologies and other

related studies for the topic. Those that were included in this sub-chapter may help familiarize

details that are similar and relevant to the present study.

Methods

The remote sensing technology used in this analysis involves a digital elevation model

(DEM) generated from aerial light detection and ranging (LiDAR). GIS tools are then used to

convert the DEM into a series of layers, including flow direction, flow accumulation and

watershed delineation. This approach was chosen due to the availability of the necessary data

set and to demonstrate the viability of this methodology for smaller scale situations. Older

methods of DEM generation and watershed delineation (manual delineation) were completed

with a visual assessment of topographic maps, now considered slow and inefficient (Bera,

2014). Although these methods can be accurate, an automated or semi-automated GIS

approach is faster and more accessible to small and large-scale land managers as the data and

tools needed are now widely available to most land management agencies. (Christopher

Watson, 2016)
 These are the methods that can be used in acquiring the data needed for delineation,

the information given is defer to the method used. As this methods are widely available to

most land management agencies, this will served as a ways of acquiring data of delineation

through different methods.

Flow Direction

The direction of surface runoff flow is calculated using the Flow Direction tool. Flow

direction is needed to create the drainage network. This step calculates which direction each

cell flows by creating a 3x3 grid around each cell. The lowest value surrounding the cell

determines the flow direction. A numerical value is then assigned to the cell based on the flow

direction. This value has no meaning other than the direction of flow and is used only because

ArcGIS software requires numeric values for raster data. (Christopher Watson, 2016)

Flow Direction is important as it serve as the direction of the surface runoff flow, that

will be later use in acquiring the data needed to finish delineation.

Flow Accumulation

Creating the flow accumulation layer is the next step in the process. Using the flow

direction raster, the Flow Accumulation tool calculates how many upstream cells are flowing

through each cell. Each cell is given a value corresponding to the total number of upstream

cells. The resulting layer is a grid with the highest value cells creating a network of drainage

channels, or streams, and cells with a value of “0” representing ridges. (Christopher Watson,

2016)

Flow accumulation is needed to identify the numbers of upstream that will later on

affects the calculation of delineation.

Deriving runoff characteristic

When delineating watersheds or defining stream networks, you proceed through a

series of steps. Some steps are required, while others are optional depending on the

characteristics of the input data. Flow across a surface will always be in the steepest down-

slope direction. Once the direction of flow out of each cell is known, it is possible to determine

which and how many cells flow into any given cell. This information can be used to define

watershed boundaries and stream networks. (https://pro.arcgis.com/)

Deriving runoff characteristic will help to hasten the defining of boundaries and stream

networks.

Hydrologic Analysis

Although floods are natural phenomena, their impact is often aggravated, if not actually

caused, by man's activities and occupation of floodplains. Urbanization of a floodplain

drastically alters the flood characteristics of a stream by increasing the percentage of rainfall

that becomes runoff and moving that runoff into drainage channels more rapidly. Flood flows

are therefore quicker to peak and peak higher for the same amount of rainfall in an urban basin.

One of the most rapidly urbanizing cities in the United States is the city of Houston, Texas; a

city which also has one of the nation's most severe flood problems. In 1979 alone, Houston

suffered $4 million in property damages as a direct result of flooding. Consequently, this

research addresses the effects of urbanization on flooding by focusing on the Brays Bayou
watershed, a basin which has experienced an enormous increase in development in the past

ten years and is also one of the most frequently flooded areas in Houston. By modeling the

watershed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' HEC1-1 computer model, the following

conclusions were reached: 1) Peak discharges are significantly increased as a result of

urbanization; 2) The Brays Bayou channel can be expected to carry less than a 5-year design

storm uniformly spread over the entire watershed; 3) The HEC-1 kinematic wave technique

for modeling discharge is a valid simulation method when applied to a large urban watershed;

the effects of storage due to backwater effects during large storms, however, must be simulated

using a storage routing method in conjunction with the kinematic wave overland flow

simulation. ( Juchs, Martha Ferrero, 1985)

Limitation of automatic watershed delineation tools

The Sabarmati river basin, India, which joins the Gulf of Khambhat, has been chosen

to demonstrate the limitation of various automatic watershed delineation tools. The basin area

of the river has been delineated using CARTOSAT 1 (20 m), ASTER V2 (30 m) and SRTM

(90 m) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) with ArcGIS Hydrology, ArcHydro and ArcSWAT

automatic watershed delineation tools. Delineation of Sabarmati river using ASTER V2 (30)

DEM by ArcSWAT automatic watershed delineation tool produced the best results with an

error of only 0.75%, as compared to the area reported in India WRIS. The SRTM DEM

performed consistently better than other two DEMs in case of all three automatic watershed

delineation tools and produced only 2.99% average error. ArcSWAT automatic watershed

delineator is the most accurate watershed delineation tool in comparison to other two tools and

produced a lowest average error of 1.57%. ArcGIS Hydrology tool, using all the DEMs,

produced an average error of 11.55%, which is the highest amongst all of the three tools. In
general, the automatic delineated stream network fails to join the main river and some area of

the watershed is always left out. (Litan Kumar Ray, 2018)

Runoff Estimation

One of the prime global issues in the field of hydrological science is water scarcity and

its degrading quality. In this paper, geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing

techniques are applied over a study of granite watershed area of ∼200 km2 with semi-arid

climatic conditions for estimating surface runoff using a modified soil conservation service

curve number method and subsequent site selection for water harvesting structures such as

check dams and percolation ponds to enhance recharge of groundwater. Further, some of the

sites selected for appropriate construction of recharge structures through analytic hierarchy

process were investigated for site efficacy. All the recharge sites selected were found feasible

and appropriately suitable. This study demonstrates the capability of GIS and its application

for the construction of water harvesting structures over semi-arid areas. (Andrade Rolland,

2012)

Delineating runoff processes and critical runoff source

The identification of runoff contributing areas would provide the ideal focal points for

water quality monitoring and Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation. The

objective of this study was to use a field‐scale approach to delineate critical runoff source areas

and to determine the runoff mechanisms in a pasture hillslope of the Ozark Highlands in the

USA. Three adjacent hillslope plots located at the Savoy Experimental Watershed, north‐west

Arkansas, were bermed to isolate runoff. Each plot was equipped with paired subsurface

saturation and surface runoff sensors, shallow groundwater wells, H‐flumes and rain gauges

to quantify runoff mechanisms and rainfall characteristics at continuous 5‐minute intervals.

The spatial extent of runoff source areas was determined by incorporating sensor data into a

geographic information‐based system and performing geostatistical computations (inverse

distance weighting method). Results indicate that both infiltration excess runoff and saturation

excess runoff mechanisms occur to varying extents (0–58% for infiltration excess and 0–26%

for saturation excess) across the plots. Rainfall events that occurred 1–5 January 2005 are used

to illustrate the spatial and temporal dynamics of the critical runoff source areas. The

methodology presented can serve as a framework upon which critical runoff source areas can

be identified and managed for water quality protection in other watersheds. (M.D. Leh, I.

Chaubey, J. Murdoch, J. V. Brahana, B. E. Haggard, 2008)

A Framework to Delineate Precipitation‐Runoff Regimes

Snowpack accumulation/ablation affects the runoff response to precipitation by

modulating the water flux reaching the surface. Previous studies mostly focused on “rain‐on‐

snow” events. Over the western United States, PAS events account for 50–90% of all the

precipitation events. Compared to the broad spatial distribution of snow accumulation‐type

PAS events, snowmelting‐type PAS events are limited to coastal high‐elevation areas.

Atmospheric rivers, a key driver of heavy precipitation in the region, account for only 2% of

the PAS events, but they trigger significant snowmelt, accounting for 20% and 11% of light

and heavy snowmelting events, respectively. (Xiaodong Chen, Zhuoran Duan, L. Ruby Leung,

Mark Wigmosta, 2019)

Delineating Source Areas for Runoff in Depressional Landscapes

A digital terrain analysis of the Huron River watershed, using a new spatial analytic

procedure, suggests that many areas do not contribute surface runoff directly to the Huron

River. These areas are depressions and internally drained valleys of glacial origin.

Understanding gained from this analysis should significantly improve the design of lumped-

parameter hydrologic models of undulatory glacial terrains. The analysis also shows that man-

made drainage features can greatly increase runoff by connecting parts of the watershed that

were previously topographically isolated. Consequently, the current use of contemporary

subbasin divides is an inaccurate means of calculating surface runoff in southeast Michigan,

because of the incorporation of areas that are not directly contributing runoff to the main river

system. For example, 63.1% of the Huron River watershed is unconnected. An example is

presented for Mallets Creek, showing how the new procedure can automate definitions of

overland flow planes and catchments in a hydrological model. This model is then used to

evaluate the sensitivity of runoff to the introduction of storm sewers that change the potential

contributing source area. Results suggest that anthropogenic drainage features have doubled

the effective size of Mallets Creek watershed. (Paul L.Richards, Andrew J.Brenner, 2004)
 Chapter 3

Research Methodology

This chapter shall discuss the method of research design, research setting, data

gathering procedures, analysis of data, experimental procedure, experimental apparatus and

the statistical tool to be used in the study.

Research Design

For this study, the descriptive research method was utilized.

Descriptive research is defined as a research method that describes the characteristics

of the population or phenomenon that is being studied. This methodology focuses more on the

“what” of the research subject rather than the “why” of the research subject.

In other words, descriptive research primarily focuses on describing the nature of

a demographic segment, without focusing on “why” a certain phenomenon occurs. In other

words, it “describes” the subject of the research, without covering “why” it happens. Since this

study only aims in gathering data without influencing the subject in any way.

Research Setting

The study was conducted in P-7, CCF, Doongan, Butuan City. This place is where the

accumulate runoff inside the city of Butuan flows through Agusan Pequeno’s Creek.
Research Instruments

Weir - A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow

characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. There

are many designs of weir, but commonly water flows freely over the top of the weir crest

before cascading down to a lower level.s

Parshall Flume - The Parshall flume is an open channel flow metering device that was

developed to measure the flow of surface waters and irrigation flows. The Parshall flume is a

fixed hydraulic structure. It is used to measure volumetric flow rate in industrial discharges,

municipal sewer lines, and influent/effluent flows in wastewater treatment plants. The Parshall

flume accelerates flow through a contraction of both the parallel sidewalls and a drop in the

floor at the flume throat. Under free-flow conditions the depth of water at specified location

upstream of the flume throat can be converted to a rate of flow. Some states specify the use of

Parshall flumes, by law, for certain situations (commonly water rights).

Orifice Plate - An orifice plate is a device used for measuring flow rate, for reducing pressure

or for restricting flow (in the latter two cases it is often called a restriction plate). Either a

volumetric or mass flow rate may be determined, depending on the calculation associated with

the orifice plate. It uses the same principle as a Venturi nozzle, namely Bernoulli's

principle which states that there is a relationship between the pressure of the fluid and the

velocity of the fluid. When the velocity increases, the pressure decreases and vice versa.
Data Gathering Procedures

The researcher gather data facts from a government agency and were provided with

formal letter of request. The letters were sent to the people in-charge of the authorized agency

in order to formally ask permission to gather those information needed to promote progress of

the study. Such agency is the National Irrigation Administration with there knowledge on

runoff estimation and practices used in the study.

The researcher gather data from the National Irrigation Administration, Butuan City

and went to the office to hand the letter of request and ask permission on gathering data such

as the tools and map of the whole city of Butuan including topographic map that will be used

in the determining the flow of the runoff.

Simultaneously, while gathering information, the researcher coordinated with National

Irrigation Administration to used the software and tools needed to conduct the survey.

Analysis of Data

The data from National Irrigation Administration that contains the amount of

accumulated runoff, the path of the runoff and the length of the runoff starting from the center

of Butuan to Agusan Pequeno’s Creek. The survey takes 3 results to carefully determined the

best possible path for the accumulated runoff.

The results from the surveys were compared. From this comparison, we were able to

determined the best possible solution for the drainage of runoff.