Chapter 3: Calculating Your

Stormwater Runoff

Materials
 Scaled map of site
 Ruler
 Calculator

Knowing how much water runs off

or through your property is critical
to the correct design and
implementation of any
stormwater feature. In order to
calculate this volume, you will
need a scaled map of your
property with all impervious
surfaces visible.

Contact RiverLink’s Watershed

Resources Manager at:

170 Lyman St.

Asheville, NC 28801

waterresources@riverlink.org
828-252-8474 x14

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 Calculating Your Stormwater Runoff

How much water can you expect to harvest? How much water will you have to control? In a given storm
event, the amount of runoff depends on many factors, making precise calculations complicated, but a
rough estimate is easily obtained by using runoff coefficients. In this method, runoff is calculated by
multiplying the surface area by a coefficient (see the table “Runoff Coefficients” on the next page) that
estimates the conditions of your site. This is then multiplied by the depth of rainfall to obtain a volume of
runoff. To make the calculation easier, you can assume that rainfall depth comes in units of 1 (1in or 1cm,
etc.). That way, you’ll know how much runoff you’ll have per inch of rainfall. We recommend accounting
for 1” rain storms because most rain events in North Carolina are 1” or less. Therefore, your stormwater
control measure will be suitable for most rain events.

The next page provides an example of how to calculate stormwater runoff from your site.

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 Calculating Your Stormwater Runoff

The Equation
Volume of Runoff = Surface Area x Runoff Coefficient x Rainfall Depth

Example
RUNOFF COEFICIENTS
Step 1: Assess Site Conditions
Find the Hydrologic Soil Group(s) of your site’s soil(s) (see In this example we will use a 200 ft2
Chapter 2: How to Perform a Site Inventory and patio.
Analysis). Soil Groups A and B are sandier and Soil
Groups C and D are more clayey. Step 2: Obtain Runoff Coefficient
Land Use/Cover Soil Soil Soil Soil Using the Runoff Coefficients table
Group Group Group Group on the left, look up the runoff
A B C D coefficient that most closely
100% impervious resembles your site. In this case it is
(parking lots, roof- 0.98 because the patio is 100%
tops, paved side- 0.98 0.98 0.98 0.98 impervious.
walks or patios)
Step 3: Do the Math
Open space with
0.68 0.79 0.86 0.89 Refer to the equation above:
grass cover <50%
Volume of Runoff = 200ft2 x 0.98 x
Open space with 0.083ft* = 16.3ft3
grass cover 50% to 0.49 0.69 0.79 0.84
75% *Make sure that “Surface Area” and
Open space with “Rainfall Depth” are the same units.
grass cover >75% 0.39 0.61 0.74 0.80 Here, we converted inches of rain to
Woods in fair hydro- feet. 1 inch ÷ 12 inches/ft = 0.083 ft.
0.36 0.60 0.73 0.79 It doesn’t matter what you use, just
logic condition
stay consistent -- measurements in
Residential lot (1/4
0.61 0.75 0.83 0.87 feet or meters are generally easiest.
acre)
Residential lot (1/2
acre) 0.54 0.70 0.80 0.85

Residential lot (1
0.51 0.68 0.79 0.84
acre)
Adapted from USDA NRCS Curve Numbers, 1986

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