Water Conveyance System Design Guidelines DoED

e. Detailed Design and Construction: At this stage also need often arises for further survey of
conveyance lines or structural sites, although most survey work is completed at the
feasibility level. This may be due to alignment revisions or more minor structures have not
been addressed. In addition, the system needs to be set out on the ground for land
acquisition.

2.1.1.3 Types of Surveying

For carrying out the detail study of a hydropower project, it is necessary to prepare more accurate
topographic maps of the project area. Following types of surveys are generally employed for meeting
this objective:

Levelling: Levelling are done for fixing new bench marks, for checking the elevation of given
location(s), for checking the accuracy of existing map(s) and for the control point survey.

Traverse Survey: Traverse surveys are carried out for the preparation of topographical maps of a
given scale.

Control Points Survey: The control points survey is carried out by means of traverse survey for the
purpose of establishing the base points for all necessary topographic survey works.

Plane Table Survey: The plane table surveys are carried out for preparing the larger scaled
topographical maps. The survey works include the minor control point survey for horizontal and
vertical control and the successive plane table survey. In the present day context, computer aided
TOTAL STATION survey is also employed as a substitute to plane table survey.

2.1.1.4 Methodology and Data Processing

For fixing the elevation of each bench mark, survey by the direct levelling from the existing bench
mark with known level is to be carried out and its accuracy is to be confirmed through the indirect
levelling (Trigonometry) from the triangulation stations of which data are obtained from the
Department of Survey.

For control point surveys traverse survey is employed. All the bench marks established need to be
connected with the traverse route so as to be used as control points. The traverse route is generally
arranged in a way to connect the existing triangulation stations of the Survey Department.

In the plane table survey, attention was paid to plot the change of topography as accurately as
possible. Thus, the survey procedure, in which ridges, gullies or sharp changes of slope are checked
and plotted firstly, need to be employed. The horizontal and vertical control of the plane table survey
is strictly made by referring to the minor control points set prior to the plane table survey.

The traverse surveys are to be carried out using an electro-optical distance meter (EDM) for distance
measurement and two transits of 1” reading for angle measurement. The coordinate of each control
point is to be worked out based on the surveyed distance and the angle, the coordinates of the Survey
Department Triangulation Stations and the Azimuth measured by astronomic observation. The
computer aided TOTAL STATION equipment is also presently in common use for topographic
surveying in hydropower projects.

For data processing different soft wares are used, the conventional method of data processing has
gradually become out dated.

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2.1.1.5 Accuracy

Accuracy in Conducting Triangulation: The suggested accuracy required for different order/ class
of triangulation surveys are as given in the following table1.

Class of Average Length of the Side Accuracy in Measurement of the Angle

Triangulation (km) (sec)
I 20 – 25 +/ - 0.7

II 13 +/ - 1.0
III 8 +/ - 1.5
IV 4 +/ - 2.0

For hydro-energetic surveys, more denser sets of triangles with side lengths of 1 to 3 km or even
micro-triangulation with side lengths of less than 1 km may have to be created.

Accuracy for the Control Point Survey: The traverse employed for control point survey needs to be
closed with a satisfactory accuracy, satisfying sufficiently the following standard2 required for the
control point survey:

Coordinate: Within 1/5,000 and 10.0 cm + 20.0 cm S

(S is survey distance in km)

Elevation: Within 10.0 cm + 3.0 cm n

(n: number of points surveyed)

2.1.1.6 Mapping Standards

The following topographic standards (STD) for mapping are generally recommended:

STD Principal / Use Details

1. Desk Studies Use existing maps (scale 1:25,000, 1:50,000 and / or 1:63,360),
aerial photos and satellite imagery
2. Identification Use existing maps and aerial photos but supplement with site
inspection.
3. Pre-feasibility Use existing maps and aerial photos for reference purposes.
Measure distances between key features located on photos to fix
photo scale. Prepare tentative system layout using photo
enlargements as base map. Indicate proposed system alignments
and structures.
4. Feasibility Study Use existing aerial photos with site measurement of key features to
support design. Take spot levels on 100 m grid to produce 1:2,500
scale topo maps with contour intervals of 0.5 to 1.0 m and carry out
site surveys of major structures at a required scale.
5. Detailed Design Set out conveyance system and cross-drain layout in the field. Carry
out line and structure surveys for revised alignments or locations or
works not already surveyed.
6. Construction Use design drawings, check and agree levels and dimensions before
and after construction for measurement purposes. Carry out
additional site surveys if required.

Other details in this respect are provided in the Guidelines for Study of Hydropower Projects,
published by Department of Electricity Development (DoED) in December, 2003, Kathmandu.

1
Source: Hydro-Energetic Survey by Professor Dr. E. V. Bliznyak and others
2
Source: Feasibility Report on Sapta Gandaki Power Development Project by JICA, 1983

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2.1.2 Hydrological Surveys

The most important type of hydrological data required for the design of water conveyance system in a
hydropower project is the long-term stream flow record that represents the flow available for power
production. Hence, the first step in the study of hydrology is to collect the long-term historical data of
the river under study.

If no previous records of flow exist of the river to be developed, or from a catchment close by, the
alternative approach is to establish a short-term river gauging station at the proposed site in the river
and observe the daily water level readings. Besides, discharge measurements are carried out from
time to time to cover as far as possible the different levels of water so that a rating curve could be
developed. This will help to compute the daily discharge data.

This short-term records will be related to long-term observations of flow or precipitation from a site
within the same hydrological region and generate the long-term records.

Based on these long-term flow data a flow duration curve is developed. This curve is used to
summarize stream flow characteristics and can be constructed from daily or monthly stream flow data.
The curve shows the percentage of time that flow equals or exceeds various values.
The decision makers will decide at which probability of exceedance the project will be designed. The
design flow will be determined accordingly from the flow duration curve. Based on this design flow the
conveyance system will be designed.

Apart from the estimation of this design flow, the study on hydrology in the design of conveyance
system is also concerned with the hydrology of the cross-drainages that encounter in the conveyance
system particularly in the canal system.

In the design of the cross-drainage structures, the estimation of the high flood (design flood) is the
must. This study is done either by the statistical analysis or by the use of empirical methods or rational
formulae. For the streams or rivulets where the long term hydrological data are available, the best
approach for the estimation of design flood is the statistical analysis. In this method the flood
frequency analysis is carried out by using the statistical distributions. The most commonly used
distributions in Nepal are log-normal distribution, log Pearson type-III distribution and Gumbel
distribution. The generalized equation of these distributions is given by the formula:
_
QT = Q + KT*S ------------------------------------------------- (2.1)

Where, QT = Flood discharge (m3/sec) for T-years return period,

_
Q = Mean of flood series (m3/sec),

KT = Frequency factor for T-years return period, and

S = Standard deviation of the flood series.

For the first two distributions mentioned above, the first step is to convert the flood data into
logarithmic series. Usually, the data are converted into natural logarithm (ln) for the log-normal
distribution and into logarithm to base 10 (log) for the log-Pearson type-III distribution. The frequency
factor (KT) for the type of distribution is available in any hydrology text books.

In the context of Nepal it is of little chance that the historical long term data for the small streams or
rivulets are available. So in such case the rational method is widely used. This method is based on
the principle of the relationship between the rainfall and runoff. It also takes care of the catchment
characteristics. It is expressed by the formula:

QT = CiA/3.6 --------------------------------------------------- (2.2)

3
Where, QT = Flood discharge (m /sec) for T-years return period,
i = Intensity of rainfall (mm/hr) for the duration at least equal to the
time of concentration, and
2
A = Catchment area in km .

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