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Key words: AMC Condition, Curve Number, Infiltration, Rainfall, Runoff, Theisson polygon.
B. Methodology
Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Curve Number Model
In this model, runoff will be determined as a function of
current soil moisture content, static soil conditions, and
management practices. Runoff is deduced from the water
available to enter the soil prior to infiltration. Fig.4 shows
the methodology adopted for runoff estimation using SCS
curve number method. This method is also called hydrologic
soil cover complex number method. It is based on the
recharge capacity of a watershed. The recharge capacity can
be determined by the antecedent moisture contents and by
the physical characteristics of the watershed. Basically the
curve number is an index that represents the combination of
hydrologic soil group and antecedent moisture conditions.
The SCS prepared an index, which is called as the runoff
Curve Number to represent the combined hydrologic effect
Fig 4: Methodology SCS Curve Number
of soil, land use and land cover, agriculture class, hydrologic
conditions and antecedent soil moisture conditions. These
factors can be accessed from soil survey and the site Determination of Curve Number (CN)
investigations and land use maps, while using the hydrologic The SCS cover complex classification consists of three
model for the design. factors: land use, treatment of practice and hydrologic
condition. There are approximately eight different land use
The specifications of antecedent moisture conditions is often classes that are identified in the tables for estimating curve
a policy decision that suggest the average watershed number. Cultivated land uses are often subdivided by
conditions rather than recognitions of a hydrologic treatment or practices such as contoured or straight row.
conditions at a particular time and places. This separation reflects the different hydrologic runoff
Expressed mathematically as given, potential that is associated with variation in land treatment.
Q F The hydrologic condition reflects the level of land
P Ia S (1) management; it is separated with three classes as poor, fair
and good. Not all of the land use classes are separated by
Where Q is the runoff, P is the precipitation and F is the treatment or condition.
infiltrations and it is the difference between the potential and
accumulated runoff. Ia is begining abstraction, which CN values for different land uses, treatment and hydrologic
represents all the losses before the runoff begins. It include conditions were assigned based on the curve number table.
water retained in surface depressions, water intercepted by Runoff Curve Numbers for (AMC II) hydrologic soil cover
vegetations, and initial infiltrations. This is variable but complex is shown in Table 2.
generally is correlated with soil and land cover parameter; S
is the potential infiltrations after the runoff begins.
Table 2 Runoff Curve Numbers for (AMC II) hydrologic high-water table, soils with a clay layer near the surface, and
soil cover complex shallow soils over nearly impervious material. These soils
Sl Land use Hydrologic Soil Group have a very slow rate of water transmission
No A B C D
1 Agricultural land without 72 81 88 91 Antecedent Moisture Condition (AMCs)
conservation (Kharif) Antecedent Moisture Condition (AMC) refers to the water
2 Double crop 62 71 88 91 content present in the soil at a given time. The AMC value is
3 Agriculture Plantation 45 53 67 72 intended to reflect the effect of infiltration on both the
4 Land with scrub 36 60 73 79 volume and rate of runoff according to the infiltration curve.
5 Land without scrub (Stony 45 66 77 83 The SCS developed three antecedent soil-moisture
waste/rock outcrops) conditions and labeled them as I, II, III. These AMC’s
6 Forest (degraded) 45 66 77 83 correspond to the following soil conditions. Table shows the
7 Forest Plantation 25 55 70 77 AMC’s classification.
8 Grass land/pasture 39 61 74 80
9 Settlement 57 72 81 86 AMC I: Soils are dry but not to the wilting point;
10 Road/railway line 98 98 98 98 satisfactory cultivation has taken place.
11 River/Stream 97 97 97 97
12 Tanks without water 96 96 96 96 AMC II: Average conditions.
13 Tank with water 100 100 100 100 AMC III: Heavy rainfall or light rainfall and low
temperatures have occurred within last 5 days; Saturated
Hydrological Soil Group Classification soils. Table 4 shows the seasonal rainfall units for the AMC
SCS developed a soil classification system that consists of classification and for CN.
four groups, which are identified as A, B, C, and D
according their minimum infiltration rate. The identification The value of CN is shown for AMC II and for a variety of
of the particular SCS soil group at a site can be done by one land uses, soil treatment, or farming practices. The
of the following three ways (i).soil characteristics (ii).county hydrologic condition refers to the state of the vegetation
soil surveys and (iii).minimum infiltration rates. Table 2 growth. The Curve Number values for AMC-I and AMC-III
shows the minimum infiltration rates associated with each can be obtained from AMC-II by the method of
soil group. conservation. The empirical CN1 and CN3 equations for
conservation methods are as follows:
Group A CN 2
Soils in this group have a low runoff potential (high- CN 1 (4)
infiltration rates) even when thoroughly wetted. They consist 2.281 0.01281CN 2
of deep, well to excessively well-drained sands or gravels. CN 2
These soils have a high rate of water transmission. CN 3 (5)
0.427 0.00573CN 2
Group B A weighted runoff was estimated for the watershed as
Soils in this group have moderate infiltration rates when ( A1 * q1 A2 * q 2 .......... An * q n )
thoroughly wetted and consists chiefly of moderately deep to WeightedQ
deep, well-drained to moderately well-drained soils with ( A1 A2 ........... An )
moderately fine to moderately coarse textures. These soils where A1, A2…An are the areas of the watersheds having
have a moderate rate of water transmission. respective runoff q1, q2….qn. The weighted runoff approach
was again extended to quantify the total amount of runoff
Group C from the entire Area.
Soils have slow infiltration rates when thoroughly wetted
and consist chiefly of soils with a layer that impedes the Table 3 Minimum infiltration rates associated with each soil group
downward movement of water, or soils with moderately Minimum Infiltration Rate
Soil Group
fine-to fine texture. These soils have a slow rate of water (mm/hr)
transmission. A 7.62 - 11.43
Group D B 3.81 - 7.62
Soils have a high runoff potential (very slow infiltration C 1.27 - 3.81
rates) when thoroughly wetted. These soils consist chiefly of D 0 - 1.27
clay soils with high swelling potential, soils with a
permanent
IV. CONCLUSION
REFERENCES