Watershed Time of Concentration

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Units for time of concentration calculation: ft=foot, km=kilometer, m=meter, min=minute, s=second.

Fig. 1. Sample Watershed.

Heavy black line indicates watershed boundary
Heavy blue line indicates longest watercourse.
Length of longest watercourse = 4500 ft. (curvy length)
Slope of longest watercourse = (980-760) ft / 4500 ft = 0.0489 ft/ft = 0.0489 m/m

Introduction to Time of Concentration

Time of concentration is a fundamental watershed parameter. It is used to compute the peak discharge for a watershed. The
peak discharge is a function of the rainfall intensity, which is based on the time of concentration. Time of concentration is
the longest time required for a particle to travel from the watershed divide to the watershed outlet. Each of the three
equations used in our time of concentration calculation require inputs for the longest watercourse length in the watershed
(L), the average slope of that watercourse (S), and a coefficient representing the type of ground cover. Usually L and S can
be obtained from topographic maps as in Fig. 1 above. The coefficient is determined from photographs of the watershed or
field reconnaissance. Our calculation computes the time of concentration and average velocity in the longest watercourse. A
variety of units may be selected.

Our time of concentration calculation uses the FAA, Kirpich, and Kerby equations. The FAA (U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration) equation is the most commonly used of the three because it uses the widely recognized Rational Coefficient
to describe watershed ground cover. The ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) recommends its use. The Kirpich
equation, developed in 1940, is the oldest of the three equations and is probably the most widely recognized, but no longer
the most commonly used. The Kerby equation is the least common of the three equations and has the most limitations.
Please see the section below for applicability of the equations. There are other equations for time of concentration, but most
of them require rainfall intensity as an input. Thus, using those other equations to determine the rainfall intensity for
computing peak discharge results in an iterative process because the rainfall intensity itself is a function of the time of
concentration.

Equations for Time of Concentration

The following equations are used for the calculation. All of the equations shown below use the English units indicated in the
Variables section. Of course, our calculation uses a variety of units with all of the unit conversions handled internally by the
program. The equations can be found in Chin (2000), Chow et al. (1988), Corbitt (1999), and Singh (1992).

FAA equation: t = G (1.1 - c) L0.5 / (100 S)1/3

Kirpich equation: t = G k (L / S0.5) 0.77

Kerby equation: t = G (L r / S0.5) 0.467

Recommendations
The FAA method was developed from data obtained from airport runoff but has been successfully applied to overland flow
in urban areas.
The Kirpich equation was developed from data obtained in seven rural watersheds in Tennessee (USA). The watersheds had
well-defined channels and steep slopes of 0.03 to 0.1 ft/ft (3 to 10%) and areas of 1 to 112 acres. It is used widely in urban
areas for both overland flow and channel flow; and it is used for agricultural watersheds up to 200 acres (80 hectares).
The Kerby equation was developed from data obtained in watersheds having watercourses less than 1200 ft. (365 m), slopes
less than 0.01 ft/ft (1%), and areas less than 10 acres (4 hectares).
Variables for Time of Concentration
The units refer to the units that must be used in the equations shown above. However, a variety of units may be used in our
calculation.

c = Rational method runoff coefficient. See table below.

G = Constant. FAA: G=1.8, Kirpich: G=0.0078, Kerby: G=0.8268
k = Kirpich adjustment factor. See table below.
L = Longest watercourse length in the watershed, ft.
r = Kerby retardance roughness coefficient. See table below.
S = Average slope of the watercourse, ft/ft or m/m.
t = Time of concentration, minutes.
V = Average velocity in watercourse, ft/min. V=L/t.

Table of Coefficients

Ground Cover Rational Runoff Coefficient for FAA Method, c (Corbitt, 1999;
Singh, 1992)
Lawns 0.05 - 0.35
Forest 0.05 - 0.25
Cultivated land 0.08-0.41
Meadow 0.1 - 0.5
Parks, cemeteries 0.1 - 0.25
Unimproved areas 0.1 - 0.3
Pasture 0.12 - 0.62
Residential areas 0.3 - 0.75
Business areas 0.5 - 0.95
Industrial areas 0.5 - 0.9
Asphalt streets 0.7 - 0.95
Brick streets 0.7 - 0.85
Roofs 0.75 - 0.95
Concrete streets 0.7 - 0.95

Ground Cover Kirpich Adjustment Factor, k (Chow et al., 1988; Chin, 2000)
General overland flow and natural grass 2.0
channels
Overland flow on bare soil or roadside 1.0
ditches
Overland flow on concrete or asphalt 0.4
surfaces
Flow in concrete channels 0.2

Ground Cover Kerby Retardance Coefficient, r (Chin, 2000)

Conifer timberland, dense grass 0.80
Deciduous timberland 0.60
Average grass 0.40
Poor grass, bare sod 0.30
Smooth bare packed soil, free of stones 0.10
Smooth pavements 0.02

Error Messages given by calculation

"Need S>0", "Need L>0". Initial input checks. Slope and Length must be positive numbers.

"Need 0<c≤1 for FAA". c must be in this range for the FAA equation.

"Need k>0 for Kirpich", "Need r>0 for Kerby". Input checks.

References
Chin, David A. 2000. Water-Resources Engineering. Prentice-Hall.
Chow, Ven Te, David R. Maidment, and Larry W. Mays. 1988. Applied Hydrology. McGraw-Hill.

Corbitt, Robert A. 1999. Standard Handbook of Environmental Engineering. McGraw-Hill. 2ed.

Singh, Vijay P. 1992. Elementary Hydrology. Prentice-Hall.

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7860 Angel Ridge Rd. Athens, Ohio 45701 USA Phone: (740) 707-2614
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August 25, 2015: Made text fields narrower to show 8 significant figures rather than 16. Calculation still uses double
precision internally.

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