Watershed Hydrology

Infiltration and Runoff

Dr.rer.nat Doni Prakasa E Putra

 Infiltration
• The movement of water across the air-soil
surface interface or the entry of water into the
soil surface.
– affected by conditions above and below the soil
surface.

• Infiltration is one of the most heavily researched

components of the hydrologic cycle but remains
the most difficult component to quantify.
 Key Concepts 𝑖
𝑖
(b) Runoff rate =
(a) Infiltration Rainfall intensity
rate = rainfall 𝑟
– Infiltration
rate which is capacity.
less than 𝑓
𝑓
infiltration
capacity
𝑓𝑐

If 𝑖 < 𝑓𝑐
𝑓=𝑖
Else
𝑓 = 𝑓𝑐
𝑟 =𝑖−𝑓
 Factors Affecting Infiltration
• soil texture • initial soil moisture
• soil organic matter and conditions
chemical content • surface sealing
• soil density • macropore density and
• surface cover size
• depth of surface ponding • rainfall intensity
(surface roughness) • subsurface conditions
• capillary action
 Water Movement in the Soil
• Four Zones”
– Saturated Zone
– Transition Zone
– Transmission Zone
– Wetting Zone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC7SPH2KEY4
 Soil Water Terms
air
pore
water volume

solids

0 pore volume (voids) 0.3 – 0.5 solids 1.0

porosity
0 0.3 – 0.5
PWP FC
oven dry saturated
-15 bars -0.3 bars

Hygroscopic water Plant Available Water Drainage

Soil Textural
 Hydrologic Soil Groups
HSG Characteristics
Designation
A Soils in this group have low runoff potential when thoroughly wet.
Water is transmitted freely through the soil.
B Soils in this group have moderately low runoff potential when
thoroughly wet. Water transmissivity though the soil is unimpeded.
C Soils in this group have moderately high runoff potential when
thoroughly wet. Water transmissivity through the soil is somewhat
restricted.
D Soils in this group have high runoff potential when thoroughly wet.
Water movement is restricted or very restricted.
A/D, B/D, If soils in Group D can be adequately drained, then they are assigned
C/D dual hydrologic groups based on their saturated hydraulic conductivity
when drained. The first letter is the drained condition and the second
letter is the undrained condition.
 Infiltrometers
Single Ring

Double Ring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiltrometer

Cylinder - 30 cm in Diameter

Drive 5 cm or more into Soil Surface or Horizon

Water is Ponded Above the Surface

Record Volume of Water Added with Time to Maintain a Constant Head

Measures a Combination of Horizontal and Vertical Flow

 Excess rainfall – Run Off
• Rainfall that is neither retained on the land surface
nor infiltrated into the soil

• Direct runoff = observed streamflow - baseflow

• Excess rainfall = observed rainfall – abstractions
 Estimation of Run Off

Current meter Staff gauge

Direct
Methods

Crest stage gauge

 Talbot’s

CN (SCS) Rational

Indirect Methods

Manning’s Formula Unit Hydrograph

Creager’s Equation
 Methods to Predict Runoff
• Scientific (dynamic) hydrology
– Based on physical principles
– Mechanistic description
– Difficult given all the local details
• Engineering (empirical) hydrology
– “Rational formula”
– Soil-cover complex method
– Many others
 “Rational Formula”
Qp = CiA
Where;
QP = peak runoff (cfs)
C is a dimensionless coefficient
i = rainfall intensity (in./hr)
A = drainage area [ac]
Watch those units!
 Rational Method
Runoff Coefficients for the Rational Method
Runoff
Type Of Drainage Area
Coefficient, C
Steep, bare rock 0.90
Rock, steep but wooded 0.80
Plateaus lightly covered, ordinary ground bare 0.70
Densely built up areas of cities with metal led roads & paths 0.70-0.90
Residential areas not densely built up, with metal led roads 0.50-0.70
Residential areas not densely built up, with unmetalled roads 0.20-0.50
Clayey soils, stiff and bare 0.60
Clayey soils lightly covered 0.50
Loam, lightly cultivated or covered 0.40
Loam, lightly, largely cultivated 0.30
Suburbs with gardens, lawns and macadamized roads 0.30
Sandy soil, light growth 0.20
Example-1
Example 2
• Suppose it rains 0.25” in 30 minutes on Fall Creek
watershed and runoff coefficient is 0.25. What is the
peak flow?
Q p  CIA
 0.25in 1 ft 1 min 
Q p  0.25 126mi 2 5280 ft 2


 mi 2 
 30 min 12in 60 sec 
Q p  40,650cfs  1150m3 / s

• Peak flow in record was 450 m3/s. What is wrong?

Method not valid for storms with duration less than tc.
 Qp = CiA

“Rational Method” Limitations

• Reasonable for small watersheds < 80 ha
• The runoff coefficient is not constant during a storm
• No ability to predict flow as a function of time (only
peak flow)
• Only applicable for storms with duration longer than
the time of concentration (tC)
• Rainfall intensity is the same over the entire
drainage area
 “Rational Formula” –
Time of Concentration (Tc)
• Time required (after start of rainfall event) for
most distant point in basin to begin
contributing runoff to basin outlet
• Tc affects the shape of the outflow hydrograph
(flow record as a function of time)
 “Rational Formula”
Method to Choose Rainfall Intensity
• Intensity = f(storm duration)
• Expectation of stream flow vs Time during storm
of constant intensity
Q
Qp

Outflow
t
Watershed point
Classic Watershed tc
divide
 Time of Concentration (Tc): Kirpich

Tc = time of concentration [min]

L = “stream” or “flow path” length [ft]
h = elevation difference between basin ends [ft]

0.385
 3.35 x 10 L 
6 3
tc   

 h 
Watch those units!
 Time of Concentration (Tc): Hatheway

Tc = time of concentration [min]

L = “stream” or “flow path” length [ft]
S = mean slope of the basin
N = Manning’s roughness coefficient (0.02 smooth to 0.8 grass overland)

0.47
 2nL 
tc   
3 S 
 
Watch those units!
 SCS method
• Soil conservation service (SCS) method is an
experimentally derived method to determine rainfall
excess using information about soils, vegetative cover,
hydrologic condition and antecedent moisture
conditions

• The method is based on the simple relationship that

Pe = P - Fa – Ia
P  Pe  I a  Fa

Precipitation
Pe is runoff, P is precipitation,
Fa is continuing abstraction, Pe

and Ia is the sum of initial

losses (depression storage, Ia Fa
interception, ET)
tp Time
 SCS Method

Ro Runoff (L/T)
P Rainfall (L/T)
S’ Infiltration (L/T)

Hudson, 1981
Ex.Hydrologic Soil Group in Brushy Creek

Water
Land Cover

Interpreted from remote sensing

 SCS Method
Group Minimum Infiltration
Rate (in/hr)
A 0.3 – 0.45
B 0.15 – 0.30
C 0.05 – 0.15
D 0.00 – 0.05
Hydrologic Soil Group
High infiltration rates. Deep, well
drained sands and gravels
Moderate infiltration rates.
Moderately deep, moderately well
drained soils with moderately
coarse textures (silt, silt loam)
Slow infiltration rates. Soils with
layers, or soils with moderately
fine textures (clay loams)
Very slow infiltration rates. Clayey
soils, high water table, or shallow
impervious layer
CN Table
 Estimation of Runoff
Department of Agriculture, India (1990) – small watershed

Where:
Ro Surface runoff (cm/year)
P Rainfall (cm/year)
Tm Annual mean temperature (oC)
A Watershed (km2)
THANK YOU