འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་འཛིན་གཙུག་ལག་སློབ་སྡེ།།

ཚན་རིག་དང་འཕྲིལ་རིག་མཐོ་རིམ་སློབ་གྲྭ།།
College of Science and Technology
Rinchending: Bhutan

Hydrology EVE301
Fifth Semester
UNIT 5 : Runoff
Kirtan Adhikari
Associate Lecturer
Civil Engineering Department
©KAdhikari adhikari.cst@rub.edu.bt ROYAL UNIVERSITY OF BHUTAN 1
Run Off

Draining of precipitation from a catchment area through surface channel.

1. Streams: It is a natural flow channel in which water from the basin is collected and
drained out to the large water bodies.

2. Overland flow: Rain water which flows over the land surface in the form of a sheet of
water to join a nearest stream.

3. Surface Runoff: Part of the precipitation and other drainage water of a basin which
flows over surface and then through a network of channels finally draining out from basin is
called surface runoff.

4. Sub-surface flow: Interflow/sub-surface flow is that part of precipitation which

infiltrates into the ground and moves laterally or horizontally in the soil and meets the
nearest stream before meeting ground water table.
2
Runoff

5. Stream flow: Total runoff

consisting of surface flow, sub-
surface flow, base flow and the
precipitation falling directly on the
stream is the total stream flow.

6. Direct runoff: Runoff which

enters the stream immediately
after rainfall.

7. Base flow: The delayed flow

that reaches a stream essentially as
groundwater flow.

3
Runoff
 Types of Streams

1. Perennial streams: streams that always carries some flow in it even during
the dry seasons. Ground water sustains the flow during lean rainfall season.
Eg: All major rivers in Bhutan
Om-chhu, Barsa river in Pasakha

2. Intermittent streams: Has limited contribution from groundwater. During

dry season groundwater table dropes and stream dries up.

3. Ephemeral stream: Has no base-flow contribution. The flow on the stream

is a response to the storm.

5
Types of Streams

4. Effluent flow: Position of ground water table is higher than the water
level of the stream such that ground water contributes to the stream
flow. It is a gaining stream.

5. Influent stream: Position of ground water table is lower than the water
level of a stream. Stream water contributes to ground water. It is a
losing stream.

6
Factors Affecting Runoff

1. Climatic factors 2. Catchment characteristics

a. Rainfall intensity a. Basin size
b. Rainfall duration b. Basin shape
c. Rainfall areal distribution c. Basin slope
d. Direction and movement of d. Drainage density
storm e. Topography, Geology
e. Evopo-transpiration f. Basin Geology
g. Basin infiltration
characteristics
HOME WORK
Q. Explain in detail how slope of a basin affects runoff characteristics of
a catchment. Support your answer with net sketch.

7
Factors Affecting Runoff
Factors Affecting Runoff
Catchment Characteristics

1. Drainage Density: Ratio of total length of all streams to the catchment

area.
NOTE
Ls *Higher the value, quicker is the
Dd = runoff and lesser is the
A infiltration and other loses*

2. Stream Density: Number of streams of given order per square

kilometer.
Ns
D s=
A

11
 Catchment Characteristics

3. Stream order: It is the stream characteristics which reflects their degree

of branching. Streams which are small and have no branches are the first order.

Horton’s/strahler Shreve scheme

scheme of stream of stream ordering
ordering
12
Catchment Characteristics

4. Shape factor: Ratio of square of watershed length to watershed Area.

L2
B s= ≥1
A

For a square watershed Bs=1.

If the watershed is long and narrow Bs ‹1.

5. Channel slope:

Elevation d ifference between two points in a channel

S=
Horizontal lengt h

6. Basin centriod: It is the centriod of a catchment area.

13
Catchment Characteristics

7. Form factor: Ratio of watershed area to square of the length of

longest stream.
A
Ff= 2
L

It is also defined as ratio of width of the basin to its areal length.

Wb
Ff= <1
Lb

8. Compactness coefficient: Ratio of perimeter of the basin to the

circumference of a circle with area equal of the basin.

P P
Cc = 0.2821 ≥1
A 0.5
√4 π A
14
Catchment Characteristics

9. Elongation ratio: Ratio of the diameter of a circle of some area of the

basin to the maximum length of the basin.

Diameter of circle of a basin area

Er= 0.25≤ Er ≤1
Watershed length

10. Circularity ratio: Ratio of the basin area to area of a circle having the
same perimeter as the basin.

A
Cr=12.57 ≤1
P2

15
 Research Assignment: 20 Marks

Download the Digital elevation model from the link and compute the basic catchment
characteristics using QGIS or any GIS software available to you.

DEM Download

Watch tutorial

The Digital elevation model encompasses the regions of these three catchments.
1. Omchu (Pling) 2. Bhalujhogra Chu(Pasakha) 3. Barsa Chu (Pasakha) from left to right.
Runoff Volume / Yield

The total volume of surface runoff that can be expected in a given period from a stream
at the outlet of its catchment is known as yield.

Runoff is directly related to the precipitation over a catchment, the runoff yield which is
the cumulative value of runoff over a time period, is random as precipitation

A common practice for yield assessment for a catchment is to assign a dependability

value to the yield using frequency analysis technique to the time series data

75% dependable annual yield is the value that is expected from the catchment for 75%
of the time. i.e 15 times in 20 years.
Methods to compute Runoff Volume / Yield
1. Rainfall-Runoff Correlation

2. SCS-CN Method

3. Empirical equations and tables

Rainfall – Runoff Correlation

A relationship is established between rainfall and runoff using a method of linear

Regression.

R=aP +b

N ( ∑ PR )−( ∑ P )∗( ∑ R ) N ( ∑ R)−a ( ∑ P)

a= 2 b=
n ( ∑ P )−( ∑ P )
2
N

For a large catchment, rainfall and runoff could be exponentially related

m
R=β P

ln ( R)=m ln ( P)+ ln (β )
Rainfall – Runoff Correlation
SCS – CN Method

The SCS method is widely used to estimate runoff from a small to medum size catchment. It was
developed by the Soil Conservation Service of USA hence SCS, in 1969.

It is a conceptual method and the critical assumption is that the ratio of the actual retention to the
potential retention is equal to the ratio of the actual runoff to the potential runoff.

Let P be the total rainfall and Ia an initial abstraction. The effective rainfall would be:

Pe = P− I a ......(1)
Let the amount of infiltration be F and S be the total surface retention. The runoff Q would be:

Q= Pe − F ......(2)
From the assumption
Q F
= ......(3)
Pe S
 SCS – CN Method

The initial abstraction can be considered as a fraction of potential retention:

I a= λ S ......(4 )

Substituting (1), (2) and (4) in (3) we get:

2
( P− λ S)
Q= for P > λ S
P +(1− λ ) S

P is the daily rainfall and Q is

the daily runoff from the
catchment. λ = 0.2
The Curce Number(CN) and Surface Retention Relationship
Plotting data for P and Q from many watershed, the SCS found curves of the type shown below. To
standardize these curves, a dimensionless curve number is defined such that 0 ≤ CN ≤ 100.
for Impervious Surface the Curve Number (CN) = 10
for Natural Surface the CN < 100

s=254 ( 100
CN
−1 )
Where, S is in (mm)
The Curve Number (CN) depends upon

1) Soil Type:
Group A : low runoff potential
Group B : Moderately low runoff
Group C : Moderately high
Group D : High runoff potential
2) Antecedent Moisture Condition (AMC):
Refers to moisture present in the soil at the beginning of the rainfall – runoff event under
consideration
AMC-I : soil is dry but not to wilting point
AMC-II : Average condition
AMC-III : sufficient rain has occurred within the immediate past 5 days
The Curve Number (CN) Conversion

The conversion of CNII to other two AMC conditions can be made through the use of following
correlation equaion

For AMC-I:

CN II
CN I =
2.281−0.01281 CN II

For AMC-III:

CN II
CN III =
0.427+0.00573 CN II
 SCS-CN Numerical

In a 350 ha watershed the CN value was assesses as 70 for AMC-III.

(a) Estimate the value of direct runoff volume for the following 4 days of rainfall. AMC on July 1 st
was of category II.
Date July 1st July 2nd July 3rd July 4th

Rainfall (mm) 50 20 30 18

(b) What would be the runoff volume if CN III value were 80

2
( P−0.2 S )
s=245 (
100
CN
−1 =245 )
100
70 (
−1 =108.6 ) s=245
100
CN (
−1 =245
100
80 )−1 =63.5 ( ) Q=
P + 0.8 S

Date July 1st July 2nd July 3rd July 4th Total Depth
Runoff
Volume
Rainfall (mm) 50 20 30 18 118
Qa 5.81 0 0.58 0
6.39 22365 m3
Qb 13.80 0.75 3.70 0.41
18.66 65310 m3
Empirical Formulae/ Envelop Curves and Tables

Inglis and DeSouza Formula (Annual Yield in cm)

R=0.85 P−30.5 (Western Ghat India)

1
R= P ( P−17.8)( Deccan Plateau)
254

Khosla’s Formula (Monthly Yield in cm)

Rm – Monthly runoff in cm
R m= P m − L m Pm – Monthly rainfall in cm
0
Lm – Monthly Losses in cm
Lm =0.48 T m for T m > 4.5 C
T0C 4.5 -1 -6.5

Lm 2.17 1.78 1.52

Empirical Formula Numerical

The monthly mean temperature is given. Estimate the annual runoff and annual runoff
coefficient of the catchment by Khosla’s Method
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Tm 0C 12 16 21 27 31 34 31 29 28 29 19 14

Pm (cm) 4 4 2 0 2 12 32 29 16 2 1 2

Solution
R m= P m − Lm Lm =0.48 T m for T m > 4.5 0 C
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Tm 0C 12 16 21 27 31 34 31 29 28 29 19 14

Pm (cm) 4 4 2 0 2 12 32 29 16 2 1 2

Lm 4 4 2 0 2 12 14.9 13.9 13.4 2 1 2

R 0 0 0 0 0 0 17.1 15.1 2.6 0 0 0

∑ R m =34.8 ∑ P m =116 Runoff Coefficient =

∑ R =0.30
∑P
Exercise for students

1) List the factors affecting the seasonal and annual yield (annual runoff) of a catchments, Describe
briefly the interaction of factors listed by you.
2)With the help of typical annual hydrographs describe the salient features of (i) Perennial (ii)
Intermittent, and (iii) Ephemeral streams
3)Explain with the aid of a neat sketch the method of assigning the stream order numbers for a
stream network in a catchment.
4)Write a brief note on the following related to a catchment (Hypsometric curve, Drainage density,
and (iii) compactness coefficient
5)Explain briefly: (i) Water year (ii) Natural (Virgin) flow.
6)What is meant by 75% dependable yield of a catchment ? Indicate a procedure to estimate the
same by using annual runoff volume time series.
7)Describe briefly the SCS-CN method of estimation of yield of a catchment through use of daily
rainfall record
8)Indicate a procedure to estimate the annual yield of a catchment by using Strange's tables.
9)Explain the procedure for calculating 75% dependable yield of a basin at a flow gauging station. List
the essential data series required for this analysis.
10)What is watershed simulation? Explain briefly various stages in the simulation study