RUNOFF

• Excess rainfall is the rainfall remaining after all of the hydrologic utilization. Excess rainfall
becomes runoff and eventually streamflow.

• A hydrograph is a curve describing the variation of discharge with time as a result of a storm.
The main features are the rising and falling limbs, the peak and the base duration.

• The most important characteristics of runoff are: peak discharge, total runoff volume, and
frequency of peak flows.

• The peak discharge (peak flow) is the maximum flow a given point as a result of a storm.

• For a given storm, the resulting peak flow determines the size of the drainage structures.

• Peak flows depend on rainfall characteristics, and watershed size and other features.

• The total runoff volume is equal to the area under the hydrograph. It can be measured in
cubic meters or, cubic feet or, dividing by the watershed area in, in mm or inches.

EFFECT OF BASIN CHARACTERISTICS AND RUNOFF

• Apart from spatial and temporal characteristics of rainfall, the physical features of the
watershed also control runoff.

• Drainage area, slope, roughness, storage, drainage density, channel length etc. affect runoff.

Drainage Area - Watershed Area

• The drainage area of a basin is the single most important factor affecting the magnitude of
peak flows.

• In general, a large drainage area implies a large peak flow; however, urbanization can modify
this behavior.

Slope
 • In general, mild slopes produce less runoff volume and smaller peaks

• The slope of the terrain affects the total runoff volume. If the slope is mild, the velocity of
overland flow will be low and there will be more time for water to infiltrate thereby reducing
the amount reaching the stream.

• The slope of the channel affects the magnitude of the peak and the duration of runoff. A
steep channel produces greater velocities and allows faster removal of the runoff from the
watershed; therefore, shorter times to peak take place.

Roughness
• Roughness affects the velocity of overland flow and stream flow. A rough channel will cause
smaller peaks than a smooth channel.

• For a given discharge, stage levels (water surface elevations) in a stream are higher for rough
channels.

Storage
• Storage can take place within the streambed, flood plains, marshes, lakes, or in artificial
features such as stormwater management facilities and reservoirs. Storage also takes place
in the impoundments created upstream of road crossings (e.g., bridges, and culverts).

• In general, storage reduces and delays peaks and increases the duration of runoff.

• A reservoir provides a large surface area exposed to evaporation and may retain a portion of
the runoff in the permanent pool volume.

Drainage Density
• The drainage density is a measure of the total length of well-defined channels that
drain the watershed (sometimes measured as the blue lines representing the
streams on a topographic map).

• Drainage density is defined as the sum of the lengths of all of the channels (km or
miles) divided by the total watershed area (km2). This ratio can be determined from
topographical maps.

• Drainage density affects the response of the watershed to rainfall. High densities
usually allow fast runoff removal.

• Low densities allow for long residence times.