ENV4107 Water Resources Engineering 2011

RORB Worked Example

1. Overview
This material is provided to assist in familiarisation with the RORB runoff routing model. This is
required as part of Assignment 2. It includes some background on the RORB model (Section 2) and a
worked example based on the South Creek catchment located near Sydney, NSW (Section 3).

2. RORB background
The more popular computer-based runoff routing models include RORB, WBNM and RAFTS. Each
of these simulate lag and attenuation of rainfall excess using conceptual non-linear storages where the
storage-discharge relationship is given by:

where S is the volume in storage, Q is the outflow discharge and m is an exponent which reflects
the degree of non-linearity of the catchment response. A linear catchment (m=1) implies that, for
example, a doubling of the rainfall rate will produce a twofold increase in the runoff rate. For most
catchments the exponent is in the order of 0.8. For stream and reservoir routing, m values of up to 1.5
are common. In the WBNM model the storage-discharge relationship is represented by:

where from which the non-linearity exponent m is also in the order of 0.8 (as 1-
0.23=0.77). The RAFTS model uses:

where such that the default value of m is 0.715.

RORB is an event-based, spatially-distributed routing model which estimates hydrographs. RORB is

an acronym for RunOff Routing on Burroughs -the model being initially developed on a Burroughs
computer. For runoff routing, the hydrographs are derived from known rainfall hyetographs however
the model can also perform stream and reservoir routing based on known inflow hydrographs.

For runoff routing, the catchment is split into sub-areas and rainfall is assumed to enter each sub-area
at its centroid. A loss model converts the rainfall into rainfall excess which is then routed through the
sub-area (the sub-area is treated as a conceptual storage to lag and attenuate the rainfall excess) along
a flow path known as a reach to a stream junction, where the hydrograph is stored until those from all
tributaries above the junction are also routed to the same point. The contributing hydrographs are then
added and the process continued to the catchment outlet. The model operates on a user-defined time
step. For modelling stream and reservoir routing, catchment subdivision is not required but the
process is similar. Most practical situations involve a combination of runoff routing, stream routing
and reservoir routing.

Conceptual storages are known as Storages in RORB whereas ’real’ storages (i.e. reservoirs) are
called Special Storages.

The model output is not particularly sensitive to the degree of catchment subdivision. The
recommended number of sub-areas ranges from five (5), for catchments up to 0.1 km2, to twenty (20),

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for catchments up to 1000 km2.

The RORB routing parameter k is made up of two components:

where kc is specific to the overall catchment and kri s the relative delay time defined by:

where F is a factor dependent on the type of reach (lined, natural, excavated, drowned etc.), Li is the
reach length for sub-area i (i.e. length of flow path from centroid of sub-area to outlet of sub-area) and
dav is the area-weighted average length of flow path from the sub-area centroid to the catchment outlet
given by:

where Ai is the area of sub-area i, di is the length of flow path from the centroid of sub-area i to the
catchment outlet and A is the total catchment area. For stream and reservoir routing dav is not
applicable and is set to unity in the model.

The given rainfall hyetograph is converted into a rainfall excess hyetograph with a loss model. In
RORB, the initial-continuing (IL-CL) or the initial-proportional (IL-PL) loss model (a runoff
coefficient is used in RORB) may be applied. Either model may be suitable for rural catchments but
for urban or partly urban catchments the IL-PL model is preferred.

Data for the RORB model are read from an ASCII text file. There are three types of input file
available:

1. catchment file (*.cat) -this contains the control vector and sub-area sizes,
2. storm file (*.stm) -containing pluviograph(s) and observed hydrograph(s) information, and
3. data file (*.dat) -as above but with all data in a single file (compatible with earlier versions of
RORB).

The catchment file describes the physical structure of the catchment to the model. The control vector
provides specific instructions to the model using various numerical codes, samples of which are
defined in Table 1.

Table 1: Sample control codes for the RORB model

Code Instruction
1 input sub-area rainfall excess and route through next reach
2 add sub-area rainfall excess to current hydrograph and route through next reach
3 store running hydrograph
4 add stored hydrograph to running hydrograph
5 route running hydrograph through next reach
6 route running hydrograph through existing reservoir
7 print modelled hydrograph at this point (no measured hydrograph exists)
7.1 print modelled hydrograph at this point and compare with measured hydrograph
8 translate hydrograph in time
9 point of channel inflow or outflow
0 end of control vector

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The size and percentage impervious of each sub-area follows the control vector in the catchment file.

The storm file contains the measured rainfall hyetograph(s), the model run type (i.e. FIT, TEST or
DESIGN -for calibration, validation and predictive modes respectively), measured outflow
hydrograph(s) (if any) and sub-area association with the rainfall hyetographs (i.e. spatial distribution
of rainfall). Loss model parameters and the main RORB parameters (kc and m) are defined
interactively during program execution. Both graphical and textual outputs are provided.

Calibration of model parameters kc and m is usually carried out by systematically varying the
parameter values so as to achieve a best visual fit between the modelled and the observed
hydrographs. Some guidance is provided in the literature as follows:

1. To fit the start of the rise of the hydrograph vary the IL so that the modelled and observed
hydrographs start at the same time. This may also affect the magnitude and timing of the peak
discharge because the CL or PL will change automatically in a FIT or TEST run so as to
produce the same volume of runoff.
2. Parameters kc and m are unique to the catchment and its subdivision. The value of kc is
dependent on the value of m, hence a change in m must usually be accompanied by a change
in kc. This is reflected in the default value of kc given by:

Equation 1

where Qp is the measured peak discharge in m3/s and A is the total catchment area in km2.
The software also provides alternative empirical generalised estimates for various regions
within Australia.
3. A reduction in m(usually accompanied by an increase in kc ) delays the start of the rise and the
tail of the recession of the hydrograph and advances the peak in time.
4. A reduction in kc increases the peak and advances it in time.
5. On some catchments where the lower reaches are very flat, the shape of the hydrograph can
often be reproduced but not the timing. In these cases a simple translation of the hydrograph
in time (control code 8 -lag only, no attenuation) can be used to improve the fit.
6. For multi-peaked hydrographs, improved fitting may be achieved by discretising the rainfall
into multiple bursts, although a prior estimate of the proportion of runoff issuing from each
rainfall burst is required. This has the effect of allowing the loss parameters to vary with time
-e.g. with two rainfall bursts leading to a two-peaked hydrograph, the IL (on a dry catchment)
for the first burst will be significantly greater than the IL for the second burst.
7. Note that the IL and CL/PL are not parameters of the model to be used in later applications.
They are characteristics of the storm influenced by the antecedent moisture condition of the
catchment.
Guidance on suitable parameter values for model applications on ungauged catchments for various
regions of Australia is provided in the literature and with the software. For coastal areas of south east
Queensland for example, the regionalised relationships include that of Weeks:

where A is the total catchment area in km2 and m=0.8.

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3. South Creek Worked Example

The South Creek catchment defined in RORB User Manual (Section 10.4) will be used as an example
of model calibration and application. The task here is to calibrate the model to the runoff event of
01/03/1956 and then use the model to design a detention basin whose purpose is to attenuate the
design flood discharge resulting from a proposed urbanisation in the lower parts of the catchment. The
design objective is not necessarily a specific reduction in the peak outflow from the proposed basin,
but rather a maximum surcharge water level limit within the storage itself, for a design standard of 10
year ARI.

Calibration
A scaled plan or map of the catchment under existing (pre-urbanised) conditions is given as Figure
10.3(a) in the User Manual. The catchment boundary upstream of the gauging station at Mulgoa
Road could be defined by examination of topographic maps of the area. There are two pluviographs
with rainfall hyetograph data in the vicinity -one at Badgery’s Creek north of the catchment outlet and
another at Narellan in the southern part of the catchment. The location of South Creek and its
tributaries is also drawn on the map.

Using a topographic map perhaps as an underlay, sub-areas A to F (a total of six for the 89.7 km2
catchment) have been defined and the boundaries are drawn as dashed lines on the catchment plan.
These boundaries would be aligned normal to the contours of the topographic map. Note that the
downstream end of many of the sub-areas coincide with stream junctions. The size of each sub-area
may have been determined using a planimeter (a device for measuring area) or squared paper
underlay, or alternatively, a Geographic Information System (GIS) could be used for this purpose if
the topographic data were in electronic format. Online mapping tools (such as on MapConnect) can
also be used to determine the size of each sub-area.

The centroids of sub-areas A to F have been determined by visual estimate (most GIS can do this
using numerical integration techniques) and these are marked on the plan. Note that all of the centroid
locations are on a stream. Depending on the distribution of the user-defined sub-areas this will not
always be the case, and the additional length of flow path from the centroid to the nearest stream
downslope of the centroid must be included in the reach lengths to be defined in the data file.
Conceptual storages are numbered 1 to 8 and represent reaches over which the program will route the
rainfall excess hyetographs and/or hydrographs en route to the outlet.

You should now run the software on your computer and follow the steps outlined in this worked
example. Using the main menu, load the sample data file sckfit.dat using File -Open -Data file.
The software uses a simple Windows compatible editor to display the file contents. The line and
column numbers are shown on the bottom left of screen.

The required sequence of presentation of the data is explained in Section 5.3 of the RORB User
Manual. This sequencing must be strictly followed when preparing a new data file. Both catchment
and rainfall (storm) information is contained within a .dat file, consistent with the original RORB
format. It is generally more flexible in managing the files if the catchment and storm information is
compiled in separate files (.catg or .cat and .stm respectively).

Line 1 of sckfit.dat reflects item 0.1 in User Manual Table 5.2 being a string of not more than 68
characters identifying the catchment. Item 0.2 is given in the second line of the data file -in this case
all reaches are type 1 (natural condition). Note that the readable data in each line terminate with a
comma, hence comments may be added after the comma to assist the modeller in preparing and
debugging the data file. These comments are not read by the program.

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Line 3 reflects item 0.3 (control code) which in this case is code 1 meaning that sub-area rainfall
excess(for sub-area A) is to be input at this point and routed through the next downstream reach. From
User Manual Table 5.2, a control code of 1 requires a skip to item 1.1. At item 1.1 another skip is
required to item 1.3 since the reach type flag in this case is not equal to zero. Item 1.3 requires the
reach length below the previous sub-area input -in this case the reach is represented in the catchment
plan as conceptual storage 1 and the length of flow path from sub-area A input to the next point of
inflow (either as a rainfall hyetograph or as a hydrograph) is 4.7 km to the junction with sub-areas B
and C outflow. As all reaches were previously defined as Type 1, control skips to item 1.5 and a -99 is
inserted at the end of line 3 in the data file signifying the end of the reach data. From item 1.5 control
reverts back to item 0.3.

Line 4 of sckfit.dat shows a control code 3 which instructs the program to store the hydrograph
issuing from sub-area A at this point. The associated skip is to item 0.3 in User Manual Table 5.2.
On the next line the rainfall excess from sub-area B is input at its centroid and routed 4.1 km to the
same stream junction. A control code 3 adds this current hydrograph to that previously stored (i.e.
adds the hydrographs from sub-areas A and B at the stream junction) and stores the sum of the two
hydrographs.

The rainfall excess from sub-area C is input on the next line and routed 3.2 km to the same junction.
Another control code 4 adds this hydrograph to the sum of the two hydrographs previously stored. At
this point in sckfit.dat (end of line 9) the outflow hydrograph has been formulated to the junction of
the stream issuing from sub-areas A, B and C.

Control code 5 on line 10 of sckfit.dat instructs the program to route the current hydrograph (route
only -no rainfall excess is to be input) to the next point of interest downstream -in this case a stream
distance of 2.1 km to the centroid of sub-area D. Control code 2 on the next line inputs the rainfall
excess from sub-area D and adds it to the current hydrograph and routes the resultant hydrograph a
distance of 2.6 km to the junction with sub-area E outflow. The process of inputting rainfall excess,
adding, storing and routing hydrographs continues to the catchment outlet. On line 17 of the file is a
control code 7.1 which instructs the package to print the modelled hydrograph at this point (i.e. at the
catchment outlet) and to compare the modelled against the measured hydrograph. Code 0 on the next
line marks the end of the control vector and prompts a skip to item 6.0 in User Manual Table 5.2.
Since there are sub-areas (there would be none if the model was being used for reservoir or stream
routing only), control skips to Item 6.1, which requires that the sizes of sub-areas A to F be specified
at this point in the data file. For this catchment the measured size of sub-areas A to F is 21.8, 16.9,
13.7, 12.7, 9.8 and 14.8 km2 respectively.

Line 21 of sckfit.dat refers to item 6.3 -in this instance there are no impervious areas (i.e. all sub-
areas are pervious) in the catchment and a zero in entered.

The next line of the data file shows the storm data commencing with item 7.1 in User Manual Table
5.2. The first line is a storm identification string of not greater than 68 characters (’200 hours, 1
March 1956’). Item 7.2 requires that the next line of the data file contain the word FIT, TEST or
DESIGN -in this case it is a FIT run as required for calibration. Item 7.3 indicates that the next line
may be preceded by a comment line with the character ’C’ in the first column. Line 25 of sckfit.dat
indicates the time increment to be used in calculations (2 hours), the number of time increments for
which calculations are to be made (in this case 36 increments or 72 hours), the number of separate
rainfall bursts (2), the number of pluviographs available (two -Badgery’s Creek and Narellan) and a
flag indicating the spatial distribution of rainfall (1 here, indicating rainfall is not uniform across the
catchment), in accordance with items 7.3 to 7.8 in User Manual Table 5.2. The start and finish times
of each rainfall burst are shown on the next line (these are in terms of the predefined time increments -
not hours or minutes) -the first burst commences at time zero and ceases after 11 time increments (i.e.
22 hours), the second commences at 19 increments (38 hours) and ceases at 21 increments (42 hours)
elapsed time. Note that the model was previously instructed to undertake calculations for 72 hours -

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i.e. for 30 hours after the cessation of rainfall.

Line 28 of sckfit.dat refers to item 8.1 and identifies the first pluviograph as that from Narellan
station. Items 8.2 and 8.3 require the depth of rainfall (mm) in each time increment (2 hours) for each
burst for the first pluviograph. Burst 1 occurs between time increments 0 and 11 and burst 2 occurs
between increments 19 and 21, hence there should be a total of (11-0) + (21-19) = 13 comma
separated rainfall values on line 29. The sequence is repeated for the Badgery’s Creek rainfall station
as per item 8.5.

Items 8.7, 8.8 and 8.9 require the total depth of rainfall on each of sub-areas A to F for each burst.
These may be estimated from the totals recorded at Badgery’s Creek and Narellan stations by spatial
interpolation techniques. In this case, the total rainfall for sub-areas A to F during the first rainfall
burst is estimated at 74 mm, 79 mm, 77 mm, 86 mm, 83 mm and 99 mm respectively. For the second
burst the totals were 26 mm, 28 mm, 33 mm, 33 mm, 31 mm and 23 mm respectively. Item 8.10
prompts for the pluviograph identifier, the temporal pattern of which will be used to disaggregate the
rainfall totals for each sub-area into depth per time increment. In this case, for the first rainfall burst,
the temporal pattern for pluviograph 2 (Badgery’s Creek) will be used to disaggregate the total 74 mm
rainfall estimated for sub-area A, the pattern for pluviograph 2 will also be used to disaggregate the
total 79 mm for sub-area B, and so on. As indicated in the commentary, the temporal pattern for
pluviograph 1 was considered unreliable for the first rainfall burst hence all sub-areas will use the
temporal pattern of pluviograph 2 for the first burst. For the second burst, sub-areas A to D will use
the pattern of pluviograph 1 and sub-areas E and F will use that of pluviograph 2 -this is the more
usual situation where the pattern for the pluviometer in nearest proximity to the centroid of the sub-
area is used to disaggregate the estimated total rainfall for that sub-area.

The measured hydrograph information follows according to item 9.1 of User Manual Table 5.2.
The hydrograph recorded at the Mulgoa Road gauging station (catchment outlet) spans from time zero
to 35 time increments (i.e. 0 -70 hours) so there is a total of 35 intervals and hence 36 hydrograph
ordinates to be defined. In accordance with item 9.5 these are in units of m3/s.

The last line (43) of sckfit.dat indicates the estimated ratio of runoff for the first and second rainfall
bursts. In this case the volume of runoff due to the first rainfall burst is times that of the
second.

Now run the model using the Exit menu. The Run Specification window should appear as shown in
Figure 1. As this example uses an IL-CL loss model, check the appropriate button box on the right
hand side and click the OK box.

The Parameter Specification window next appears. Click the ?? box for assistance with an estimate of
the kc parameter. There are two options presented -the default value of 20.84 calculated from Equation
1 and a range of generalised regional estimates including that of Weeks described previously. Adopt
the default RORB value of 20.84 by checking the appropriate box. The catchment is assumed to be in
an initially wet condition hence the IL for both rainfall bursts is input as zero. For FIT runs, the CL is
calculated automatically to match the volume of runoff for each burst. Click the Run Model -Text box.
The editor window appears showing the output in textual form. The Information Detail box in Figure
1 was set to the highest level (hydrographs and all input data) before running the model and this is
reflected in the amount of detail presented in the output. The Data Checks section simply echoes the
information read from the input file sckfit.dat. There were no errors in the input file as highlighted in
line 36 of the output (Data check completed). Since a RORB input file must be created specifically for
individual catchments, this data echo facility is particularly useful for debugging purposes.

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Figure 1: RORB Run Specification window for South Creek fit example

The program firstly calculates the depth of rainfall for sub-areas A to F for each time step using the
temporal pattern defined in the input file. For the first burst the temporal pattern at Narellan is used
for all sub-areas while that for both rainfall stations are used for the second burst based on proximity
to the centroid of the sub-areas. The total rainfall recorded at Narellan was 80.1 mm, 58.2 mm in the
first and 21.9 mm in the second burst. For Badgery’s Creek the total rainfall was 143.0 mm with
114.4 mm and 28.6 mm in each burst respectively. The totals for each burst for each sub-area as
shown on lines 32 -33 of sckfit.dat are spatially interpolated values based on these burst totals and
perhaps other rainfall stations in the vicinity of the catchment. For example, sub-area A centroid is the
closest to the Narellan gauge so the total rainfall of 74 mm specified in the input file for sub-area A
for the first burst would be in between that recorded at Narellan (58.2 mm) and Badgery’s Creek
(114.4 mm), but closer to that recorded at Narellan. Similarly for sub-area F, the total rainfall of 99
mm specified in sckfit.dat is in between 58.2 mm and 114.4 mm, but closer to 114.4 mm.

The next section of the output (line 132) shows that total volume of runoff calculated from the area
under the observed hydrograph at Mulgoa Road. The total volume passing the gauging station was
7930 ML, 5650 ML due to the first and 2270 ML as a result of the second rainfall burst, in accordance
with the ratio defined in the input file, i.e. .

Lines 148 -160 of the output provide an echo of the control vector followed by the sub-area
dimensions, including size in km2 and stream distance from each centroid to the outlet (km). The area-
weighted average of these distances (dav) is about 12.1 km.

The results of rainfall excess calculations are shown on line 219 of the output. For the first burst, the
total rainfall for every sub-area is disaggregated according to the temporal pattern for pluviometer 2
(Badgery’s Creek). For the second burst, the temporal pattern for the closest pluviometer (1 or 2) is
used for each sub-area.

The catchment was assumed to be in an initially wet condition hence the IL for both bursts was input

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as zero. The CL was calculated as 0.92 mm/h for the first burst, being determined on the basis of
reproducing the same volume of runoff as calculated from the area under the measured hydrograph
and the predefined runoff ratios for bursts 1 and 2 in sckfit.dat. The rainfall excess hyetograph as
calculated from the IL-CL parameters for the first burst is shown on line 244. The sub-area rainfall
and rainfall excess hyetographs follow, the calculated CL for the second burst being 1.37 mm/h.

The modelled and observed hydrographs and goodness of fit statistics are shown from line 310 of the
output. This output can be displayed graphically using the Plot menu. This plot may be saved in
various graphics formats for inclusion in a document, such as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: RORB modelled and observed hydrographs for South Creek example (kc=20.8, m=0.8)

It can be seen in Figure 2 that while the shape of the modelled approximates that of the observed
hydrograph (i.e. both are dual-peaked) the modelled peak discharges are too small. A decrease in kc
will increase the peak discharge and advance it in time. Re-running the model with kc =16 provides a
reasonably good visual fit to the hydrograph as a whole, although the time of the first peak is now
slightly earlier but that of the second (smaller) peak is quite acceptable. Figure 3 refers.

The relative error in peak discharge and in the timing of the peak discharge is -0.8% and -7.7%
respectively, which would be acceptable for most subsequent model applications. The modelled
hydrograph has a significant mismatch only on the rise of the first burst, but there would be little
scope for any further refinement without jeopardising the fit elsewhere. Differences in shape between
the measured and modelled hydrographs are provided in summary form in terms of volume of runoff
(in this case zero since the program determines the IL or PL such that the total volume is the same for
a FIT run), the average absolute error between the ordinates of the two hydrographs, the time to the
centroid of each hydrograph, the lag between the centroid of the rainfall excess hyetograph and the
centroid of the two hydrographs and the lag between hydrograph peaks.

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Figure 3: RORB modelled and observed hydrographs for South Creek example (kc=16, m=0.8)

Since there are no data provided for a validation (TEST) run, the calibrated model is now applied in
predictive (DESIGN) mode.

Application
The catchment structure following urbanisation is shown in Figure 10.3(b) in RORB User Manual.
There are no changes to the structure upstream of the junction of the streams issuing from sub-areas
A, B and C. Just below this junction a detention basin is to be designed to attenuate the flow before it
enters the area of new development encompassing sub-areas D, E and F. Stream improvements along
reaches 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 will include straightening and lining of some the stream channels and a
storage reservoir is now located at the end of reach 5 and there is an existing detention basin at the
end of reach 6. It is presumed that these existing reservoirs were commissioned some time after the
calibration event of 01/03/1956, otherwise they would have been included in the calibration run. Sub-
areas D, E and F will now be partly impervious as a result of the urban development.

The input in this case consists of two components -a catchment file and generated storm files. Each
storm file is compiled at run time and comprises design rainfall intensities calculated by RORB using
the Australian Rainfall and Runoff (AR&R) algebraic method with associated areal reduction factors
and design temporal patterns.

Within the RORB environment, open the catchment file sckdes.cat and study it in conjunction with
User Manual Table 5.2. The reach type flag (item 0.2) on the second line is now zero indicating that
the catchment has a mixture of reach types. There are no changes to the structure above the junction
of sub-areas A, B and C and hence no changes in the relevant lines of the data file.

The new detention basin (Special Storage) is to be located just below this junction so the basin details
must follow the code 4 -i.e. junction inflows must be added upstream of the new detention basin.
Code 16.1 signifies that a detention basin is to be designed interactively (code #.1) and that the inflow
and outflow hydrographs for the basin will be printed at this point (code 16 in contrast to code 6). The
skip for code 16.1 is to item 2.1, the string identifying the proposed detention basin in shown on line
11 of sckdes.cat. A storage-discharge or a head-discharge relationship is obviously required to design
the storage and the options available in RORB are outlined in User Manual Table 2.4.

In this example flag 2 on line 13 implies that a head-discharge relationship using weir and pipe flow
formulae will be provided. The skip for item 2.2 is to item 2.7. Immediately after the flag 2 on line 13
is the weir discharge coefficient of 1.9 -i.e. C = 1.9 in the weir equation , the entrance loss

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coefficient for the outlet pipe through the weir (0.5), and the sum of the minor loss coefficients for the
pipe itself -in this case zero indicating that the through pipe will have no valves or fittings. The model
calculates pipe discharge under both inlet and outlet control with the most restrictive mechanism
adopted as the governing control. Friction losses (under outlet control) are calculated with the Darcy-
Weisbach and Colebrook-White equations with ε = 0.15 mm for concrete pipe. Pipe exit losses are
presumed negligible or if significant may be included with the pipe minor losses. The skip for item
2.9 is to item 2.17 which terminates the data line.

Item 2.18 follows and this defines the depth-storage relationship required in design. This may be
provided in the form of a table (of water level versus volume in storage) or as an empirical equation.
In this case flag 2 implies that the depth-storage relationship will be provided in the form of an
equation, where the skip in User Manual Table 5.2 is to item 2.22. For this storage the parameters a, b
and H0 in the depth-storage relationship S = a(H-H0)b are given as 3780, 3 and 65.0, which means, for
example, that the storage is empty when the storage level is RL 65.0 m and the volume in storage is
241.9 ML when the storage level is RL 69.0 m. The crest level and length of weir, invert level, length,
slope and diameter of through pipe are entered at the interactive stage. Below the proposed detention
basin (reach 4) the stream is to be straightened and will be excavated but not lined. Line 16 of
sckdes.cat directs the program to route the outflow from the detention basin along a Type 2 reach
(excavated but unlined) of length 2.1 km and slope 0.15%. The bedslope is required here because the
reach type factor F for stream routing in lined or excavated channels is modelled empirically as a
function of bedslope. Sub-area D input occurs on the next line where the rainfall excess is added to
the current hydrograph and routed 2.6 km over a Type 2 reach of slope 0.15%.

At this point along the flow path (just upstream of the junction of reaches 5 and 6) there is an existing
reservoir (special storage) which will act to lag and attenuate the flow. Control code 6 directs the
program to read data for this special storage -code 16 is used here so that the inflow and outflow
hydrographs will be printed. The skip for code 16 is to item 2.1. The storage-discharge relationship
for this existing storage will be modelled by the general routing equation for which
5 3
the initial volume in storage is 2.0 x10 m below outlet level and the parameters ks and ms are 4.0 and
1.0 respectively (items 2.3 and 2.13). As no head-discharge relationship is required in this case
(discharge is a function of storage only, not head as in the previous storage), a zero flag is entered for
item 2.18 and the storage data are terminated. Control code 3 on the next line instructs the model to
store the outflow hydrograph from this storage as the outflow from sub-area E must be added at this
point. Reach 6 below sub-area E centroid will be an excavated but unlined channel of slope 0.3%. The
new reach length will be 3.2 km after channel straightening.

There is now an existing detention basin at the downstream end of reach 6 immediately upstream of
the junction. The storage-discharge relationship (line 28) will be modelled using a storage-discharge
table (flag 1). The initial drawdown of the storage prior to the runoff event is zero (storage is full) and
there are 14 pairs of storage-discharge values to be provided in the table. Items 2.2, 2.3 and 2.14 refer.
The table follows in the data file -when the current volume in storage is zero the discharge will be
zero, when the volume is 100 m3 the discharge will be 2 m3/s, when the volume is 800 m3 the
discharge will be 4 m3/s, and so on. Items 2.15 and 2.16 apply. Once again a storage-depth
relationship is not required (item 2.18 is zero) as the discharge depends only on the volume in storage.
The outflow from this basin is added to the hydrograph previously stored using control code 4. Reach
7 below the junction will be excavated and lined, with a length of 2.4 km and a slope of 0.1%. Reach
8 has a similar structure with a length of 4.2 km. Control code 7 at the outlet directs the model to print
the hydrograph at this point -since this is a design run, there is no measured hydrograph with which to
compare and code 7.1 does not apply. Code 0 marks the end of the control vector. Sub-area sizes are
the same as before with the format described in item 6.1. The last line of sckdes.cat refers to items 6.3
and 6.4. The first is an impervious area flag -1 in this case indicating that some of the sub-areas are
impervious. The remaining values on this line indicate the fraction impervious for sub-areas A to F.
Under post-development conditions sub-areas A, B and C will remain completely pervious (i.e. no
urbanisation in these areas) whereas the development within sub-areas D, E and F will increase their
impervious fraction to 0.2, 0.2 and 0.35 respectively.

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For design IFD rainfalls, storm files (*.stm) are generated by the program at runtime. In this example
the required design standard is 10 year ARI and the critical storm duration is expected to lie in the
range of 6 -18 hours. Since the catchment is now partly urbanised, a runoff coefficient (rather than a
CL) is used in the example. Click the Exit menu and the Run Specification screen should appear.

Check the Separate catchment and generated design storm(s) and the Runoff coefficient model
buttons, then OK. Figure 4 refers.

Figure 4: RORB Run Specification window for South Creek design example

The Design Rainfall Specification window appears. Check the appropriate buttons and edit the
dialogue boxes to reproduce that shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: RORB Design Rainfall Specification window for South Creek design example

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South Creek is a tributary of the Hawkesbury River just north of Sydney NSW, so Sydney is selected
as the nearest geographical location for generation of design IFD rainfalls in the first dialogue box.
However, it is better to generate IFD data for a point coinciding with the centroid of the catchment –
this can be readily done by extracting IFD parameters from the BOM online IFD tool and adding a
new location in the ARR IFD Parameters window.

Check the Multiple design storms button and select 10 year ARI and durations 6 to18 hours in the
appropriate dialogue boxes. Check the Group by duration button (only one ARI required). The
example uses a filtered design rainfall hyetograph so the appropriate button should be checked.
Filtering may be optionally be applied with RORB to ensure that the design intensity for intermediate
periods within the nominated storm duration do not exceed that of the design intensity of the period
itself. This is best illustrated by example.

Consider Table 2 which shows the design rainfall intensities for the 100 year ARI event for Cairns,
Queensland, along with the design hyetograph for a 6 hour storm based on design temporal patterns
for that locality. These data were generated in accordance with the methods outlined in AR&R. No
areal reduction has been included.

Table 2: Design IFD rainfall intensities and 6 hr hyetograph for Cairns (100 year ARI)
Duration Intensity 6 hr hyetograph
(hr) (mm/hr (12 periods x 30 min)
5 min 346 Period Intensity (mm/hr)
6 min 327 1 31.6
10 min 275 2 99.2
20 min 209 3 147
30 min 175 4 34.8
1 125 5 79.2
2 90.7 6 58.0
3 74.8 7 51.5
4 65.0 8 34.1
6 53.7 9 39.9
12 38.6 10 27.0
24 25.0 11 23.2
48 15.8 12 18.7
72 11.8

The temporal pattern for the 6 hour storm consists of 12 x 30 minute periods. The maximum average
intensity for consecutive periods of this hyetograph, along with the design intensity for the total
duration of these periods, are determined as in Table 3 below.

Table 3: Maximum average intensities for consecutive periods for 6 hour hyetograph for Cairns (100
year ARI)
Number of Total Maximum average intensity over period (mm/h) Design
consecutive duration intensity for
periods of (h) total duration
hyetograph (mm/h)
1 0.5 175

2 1 125

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4 2 90.7

6 3 74.8

8 4 65.0

... ... ... ...

The maximum design intensity of 147 mm/h in Table 3 occurs in the third period. From Table 2 the
average design intensity for a duration of 30 minutes (one period) is 175 mm/h. Hence, for a duration
of one period, the average intensity on the hyetograph is less than that for the design duration itself.
For a duration of two time periods (one hour), the average intensity on the hyetograph is 123 mm/h
which is also less than the design intensity of 125 mm/h for the same duration. For three consecutive
time periods, the average hyetograph intensity is 90.1 mm/h, also compatible with the design intensity
of 90.7 mm/h. For six consecutive time steps (three hours) however, the average hyetograph intensity
of 78.3 mm/h exceeds the design intensity of 74.8 mm/h for the same duration. A similar outcome is
evident for eight time steps. This apparent anomaly may be corrected by RORB through the process
of filtering, whereby the excess is distributed over the other periods in proportion to their intensity. In
other words the filter will act to reduce the intensities for the second to the seventh period on the
hyetograph so that the average intensity does not exceed 74.8 mm/h, and spread the excess over the
remaining periods which have the capacity to accept a greater proportion without exceeding the
design intensity. The process is then repeated to redistribute the excess from the eighth and ninth
periods, and for any other periods (not shown in Table 3) where an excess has been identified.

Check the box Replace total catchment area with a value of 0.00 km2 to set the areal reduction factor
to unity. This is consistent with the worked example in User Manual Section 10.4.2, but normally an
areal reduction factor would apply. Set Constant losses with ARI to true and press OK. In the
Parameter Specification window, set kc and m to the calibrated values of 16 and 0.8 respectively.
Design values for losses are given in AR&R, but these are based on the IL-CL model. For this
locality, an IL of 10 to35 mm and a CL of 2.5 mm/h are suggested. As the catchment is partly urban,
an IL-PL loss model is used in this example. The equivalent PL may be estimated on the basis of that
which produces the same total depth of rainfall excess as a CL of 2.5 mm/h. The RORB software may
be used to determine the equivalent PL by trial and error. Values of IL of 10 mm and PL of 30%
(equivalent to runoff coefficient RoC = 0.70) are used in the example. Enter these values and select
text output. The screen will display a window entitled Interactive Design of Storage.

The design criterion for the proposed detention basin is that headwater level is not to exceed RL 70.0
m for the 10 year ARI event and all outflow will be via pipe(s). The basin will not have a spillway but
the model requires that details must be specified. In this case spillway level is set to RL 70.0 m with a
nominal 25 m weir length -hence the outlet pipe must be sized so that no flow passes through the
spillway. Figure 6 refers.

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Figure 6: RORB Interactive Storage Design window for South Creek design example

As the basin is to have a through pipe with no valve, the storage will empty after each runoff event
and the initial condition is specified by checking the Water at level of lowest outlet button. Select one
spillway at RL 70.0 m and 25 m weir length, with a coefficient of 1.90. Try one pipe group
comprising four barrels of 2400 mm internal diameter concrete pipe with an upstream invert level of
RL 65.0 m, barrel length 30 m and slope 1%. Click the Calculate box.

The results for the 6 hour duration design storm are shown in the lower left box of the same window.
The headwater level in the proposed detention basin peaks at RL 70.89 m which obviously does not
meet the design criterion. This is not necessarily the critical duration (i.e. that which produces the
highest surcharge level), so other durations must be investigated. Select the OK button and the 9 hour
design storm is applied. Press the Calculate box and a peak headwater level of RL 71.10 m is
determined.

Click the OK box to move to the 12 hour storm and press Calculate once more. Peak headwater is RL
70.99 m. Repeat for the 18 hour storm to produce a surcharge level of RL 70.78 m. Clearly the critical
duration is 9 hours. Press the OK box once more to see a textual summary of the results. The
maximum headwater level of RL 71.10 m exceeds the design criterion and hence a larger outlet pipe
and/or greater number of barrels is required. Repeat the design by increasing the number of barrels
from 4 to 7 (use the Edit -Run Specification menu). The maximum headwater level reduces to RL
70.08 m which is close enough to requirements; hence a design incorporating 7 x 2400 mm pipes
would be acceptable. A final design would be selected on the basis of economics. Considering the
costs associated with transport to site, installation on site, provision of anti-seep baffles, valves and
other fittings, the most cost effective design is generally one which minimises the number of barrels,
but of course a detailed economic analysis should be undertaken as part of the normal design process.

Detailed output for the critical duration event is shown in the file sckdes 9h10y.out, available from
the Edit -Text filemenu.

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The detention basin as designed attenuates and lags the peak discharge by about 49 m3/s (239 -190)
and 1 hour (7 -6) respectively. At a surcharge level of RL 70.08 m, the modelled spillway would be
carrying m3 of the total outflow of 190 m3/s.
Hydrograph plots may be examined using the View -hydrograph plot menu, as in Figure 7.

Figure 7: Outflow hydrographs for proposed detention basin for South Creek design example

Hydrograph plots for the various specified locations can be produced by running the model with a
single storm event using File -open -catchment file -sckdes.cat in the main menu, then
Separate catchment and existing storm file -sckdes 9h10y.stm in the Run Specification window, as
shown in Figure 8.

Note that the outflow hydrograph for each storage intersects the respective inflow hydrograph at the
time of the peak outflow. You should recall from your previous studies in hydrologic reservoir routing
that this must always be so in order to satisfy the continuity equation. Note the shape of the calculated
hydrograph at the outlet on the lower right of Figure 8. The first peak rises quickly due to the
urbanisation of lower reaches of the catchment whereas the second peak is smaller and has a much
longer time base, indicative of the routing effect of various storages over the catchment.

Finally, note that in this example the proposed detention basin is located well upstream of the location
of the hydrograph used to calibrate the model (i.e. catchment outlet), so one might question the merit
of using the modelled (unverified) hydrograph at the proposed storage site as a basis for this design.
While the calibrated values of kc and m provide a good fit to the observed hydrograph at the outlet,
there is no evidence to suggest that these parameter values will successfully reproduce hydrographs at
intermediate points within the catchment. This is a common problem in water resources modelling.
The astute engineer would look for additional supporting information (e.g. anecdotal evidence of
flood levels from landowners in the area, supported by on site surveys and measurements or checks
based on an alternative hydrological method) in a bid to confirm the model response for various
points inside the catchment.

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Figure 8: Hydrographs for various locations for South Creek design example -9 hour storm

4. References
Laurenson, E.M., R.G. Mein and R.J Nathan, 2007. RORB Version 6 Runoff Routing Program User
Manual.

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