4.

Run-off
4.1.Components of Run-off
4.2.Mechanisms of Runoff Generation
4.3.Run-off Characateristics of Stream
4.4.Runoff Computation
4.4.1. Curve Number Method
4.4.2. Rational Method

4. Run-off
Run-off means the draining or flowing off of precipitation from a catchment over through
a surface channel. It is the portion of precipitation that contributes to streamflow or groundwater.
It is that part of water, which can be used for engineering purposes and hence is also known as
yield of catchment.

Runoff is expressed as the rate of flow during a specific period of flow, i.e. Q, in time T
and is indirectly a volume over the period. Thus, the unit for runoff is million cubic meters
(106m3or million m3), or ha m (denoting 1-m depth of water over an area of 1 ha).

The runoff is also sometimes expressed in meters or millimeters as the depth of water
spread uniformly over the entire catchment.

4.1 Sources or Components of Run-off

The sources and components of runoff from a catchment area are as follows:

Figure 3.1 Components of Runoff

Hydrology – Run-off Page 31

4.1.1 Channel Precipitation (Qp)

When the river is in floods, there will be a spread of floodwater. The precipitation occurring
directly over this water surface contributes to the runoff without any abstractions there from.
However, this quantity is very small and normally neglected.

4.1.2 Surface Runoff or Overland Flow (Qo)

This is the major part of the runoff. Overland flow, or surface run off, is that water which
travels over the ground surface to a channel. The word channel refers to any depression which may
carry a small rivulet of water in turbulent flow during a rain and for a short while after. It is also
known as quick flow.

Surface runoff includes precipitation falling on the stream system whereas, strictly
speaking, overland flow does not.

4.1.3 Shallow subsurface Flow or Throughflow (Qt)

Throughflow is that water infiltrating and moving laterally as shallow subsurface flow –
through the soil, above the water table. It moves more slowly than the surface runoff and reaches
the stream later. It can be unsaturated, but may be shallow perched saturated flow.

Throughflow is favoured where lateral conductivity being greater than vertical

conductivity. Some throughflow may not discharge directly into the stream, but comes to the
surface some distance upslope, where it may contribute to overland flow and surface runoff. It is
the most important source and component of runoff: it may account up to 85 % of total runoff.

4.1.4 Groundwater flow (Qg)

Groundwater flow (also called base flow and dry-weather flow) is the portion of
precipitation which percolates downward until it reaches the water table and may eventually
discharge into the streams if the water table intersects the stream channels of the basin.

For convenience, it has been customary to consider the total flow to be divided into only
two parts: storm, or direct, runoff and base flow. The distinction is actually on the basis of time of
arrival in the stream rather than on path followed. Direct runoff is presumed to consist of surface
runoff and a substantial portion of the interflow, whereas base flow is considered to be largely
groundwater.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 32

 4.2 Mechanisms of Runoff Generation

There are three widely accepted theories describing the mechanisms of runoff generation.

4.2.2 Horton’s theory of predominantly overland flow

The classic concept of Horton (1933) holds that any soil surface has a certain maximum
rate of water absorbance, known as the infiltration capacity. This capacity is high at the onset of
rainfall and then declines rapidly, to achieve a constant rate.

If rainfall intensity at any time during a storm exceeds the infiltration capacity of the soil,
water accumulates on the surface, fills small depressions, and runs downslope as overland flow.
According to this theory, the major contribution to direct streamflow is from the overland runoff,
recognized as the Horton overland flow, shown as Qo in Figure 3.1

During the part of a storm (t) when rainfall intensity (i) exceeds infiltration capacity (f),
there will be an excess of precipitation (Pe) which will flow as overland flow (Qo). If the rainfall
intensity does not exceed infiltration capacity of the soil, there will be no overland flow.

It has been suggested that infiltration capacity (f) would pass through a cycle for each
storm:
 Infiltration capacity is greatest at the start of a storm.
 It decreases rapidly after the first hour and the declines only very slowly for the remainder
of the storm.
 Infiltration capacity then recovers slowly after the end of the storm.

If rainfall intensity is
 High: may exceed infiltration capacity and generate overland flow relatively quickly.
 Moderate: may not generate overland flow early on, but does so after infiltration capacity
has declined.
 Low: may not generate Hortonian Overland Flow at all.

Horton's runoff concept serves as a base for the unit hydrograph technique and the
infiltration curve technique. Horton's theory has applicability in arid and semi-arid landscapes and
cultivated fields, paved areas, construction sites, and rural roads of humid regions.

4.2.3 Hewlet’s theory of subsurface storm flow

According to this, a densely vegetated humid region has the capacity to absorb all except
the rarest, most intense storms. A major part of this absorbed water moves laterally through the
shallow soil horizon in the zone of aeration, shown Qt in Figure 3.1. This process of transmission
effectively contributes to the streamflow. The flow is confined to intergranular pores, root holes,
worm holes, and structural openings. It travels more slowly than Horton overland flow, but some
of it arrives quickly enough to produce floods. Freeze (l972b) and many others hold the opinion

Hydrology – Run-off Page 33

that this is a viable mechanism but it cannot provide a very large contribution to the total quantity
of direct streamflow.

4.2.4 Musgrave and Holton’s theory of saturation overland flow

The third type of storm runoff for humid regions is based on the concept of saturation
overland flow (Musgrave and Holton, 1964). Rainfall causes a thin layer of soil on some parts of
a basin to saturate upward from some restricting boundary to the ground surface, especially in
zones of shallow wet or less permeable soil. Then the rainfall cannot infiltrate further in the
saturated soil and runs over as the saturation overland flow. Some water moving through the top
soil also appears as the return flow, shown as Qp in Figure 3.1. Thus, direct precipitation on the
saturated soil with or without return flow contributes to the streamflow. This process occurs
frequently on the footslopes of a hill, bottoms of valleys, swamps, and shallow soils. It expands
outward from the stream channels as shown in Figure 3.2.
Unlike Horton's concept of the entire area contributing to runoff, the flow at any moment
is contributed by the saturated area, which is only a small percentage of the total basin area. This
source area expands and shrinks. The source area increases at the beginning and decreases at the
end of a rainstorm. The general consensus is that in densely vegetated humid region streamflow is
mostly generated by a combination of subsurface storm flow and saturation overflow.

Figure 3.2 Expansion of source area.

4.3 Run-off Characteristics of a Stream

A plot of the stream discharge against the elapsed time, gives the flow hydrograph. The
time scale could correspond to a storm period, a month, a season, a year or any other similar scale.
The stream flows are classified as perennial, intermittent and ephemeral.
Perennial streams always carry some water on account of replenishment of groundwater
throughout the year.
Intermittent streams receive varying supplies of groundwater, which is more during the
wet season and dries up in the dry season.
Ephemeral streams do not get any supply of groundwater, and behave like storm drains, in
which the flow occurs only due to the overland flow caused by a storm. These streams cause flash
floods too.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 34

 4.4 Runoff Computation

Two components of a storm runoff are generally required to be estimated, which are runoff
volume and peak runoff rate. There are many methods available for their estimation. The most
commonly adopted methods are the curve number method of the Soil Conservation Service of the
US (USCS) for the estimation of both excess runoff volume and peak flow rate, and the Rational
method for the peak flow rate.

4.4.2 The Curve Number Method

The curve number (CN) method was developed by the USCS for determination of the
rainfall excess (surface runoff) of agricultural watersheds, on per stream basis. This method is
based on the concepts of a reservoir operation.

The runoff curve number is based on the area’s hydrologic soil group, land use, treatment
and hydrologic condition.

4.4.2.1 Development of Curve Numbers

Surface runoff depends on the amount of rainfall, initial abstraction and moisture retention
by the soil, whereas moisture content is a function of the curve number and is dependent on soil
condition and crop cover.

The runoff equation is:

Where:
Q is runoff
P is rainfall
S is the potential maximum soil moisture retention after runoff begins
Ia is the initial abstraction, or the amount of water before runoff, such as infiltration, or
rainfall interception by vegetation; historically, it has generally been assumed that Ia = 0.2 S,
although more recent research has found that Ia = 0.05 S may be a more appropriate and accurate
relationship.

The runoff curve number, CN, is then related

1000
𝑆= − 10
𝐶𝑁
CN has a range from 30 to 100; lower numbers indicate low runoff potential while larger
numbers are for increasing runoff potential. The lower the curve number, the more permeable the

Hydrology – Run-off Page 35

soil is. As can be seen in the curve number equation, runoff cannot begin until the initial abstraction
has been met.
The CN depends on the basin characteristics and soil moisture conditions at the time of
occurrence of rainfall. It can be evaluated from tables as a function of hydrologic soil group (Table
3.1), antecedent rainfall (Table 3.2 and 3.3), land use pattern, density of plant cover and
conservation practices followed in the area (Table 3.4 to 3.7).

4.4.2.2 Hydrologic Soil Groups

Soils are classified into hydrologic soil groups (HSG’s) to indicate the minimum
infiltration obtained for bare soil after prolonged wetting.
The infiltration rate is the rate at which water enters the soil at the soil surface. It is
controlled by surface conditions. HSG also indicated the transmission rate – the rate at which the
water moves within the soil. The four groups are defined by USCS as shown in Table 3.1.
Selection of a hydrologic soil group should be done based on measured infiltration rates,
soil survey or judgment from a qualified soil science or geotechnical professional.

4.4.2.3 Antecedent Moisture Condition

The antecedent moisture content (AMC) of the soil is also referred to as antecedent
precipitation and the measure of the AMC existing in the day of the storm is then expressed as the
Antecedent Precipitation Index (API). The moisture condition of a basin at the time of the storm
greatly influences the peak outflow of runoff from the basin.
Suppose (AMC)t, is the soil moisture condition on any day t, then (AMC)t = CA(AMC)t-1,
where CA is a recession constant and (AMC)t-1 is the AMC on the previous day. If there is no
rainfall on the previous day t, then t-1 will be equal to zero, and (AMC)t = CA (AMC)0. If there is
a rainfall on any of the days, then the volume of the rainfall on the day Pt is to be added to the
AMC of the next day, that is (AMC)t = CA (AMC)t-1 +Pt. The value of CA generally falls in the
range from 0.85 to 0.98.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 36

 Table 4.1 Hydrologic Soil Group
Soil
Description
Group

Lowest runoff potential. Soils with high infiltration rates even when thoroughly
A wetted. These consist chiefly of deep, well-drained sands and gravels. These soils
have a high rate of water transmission (final infiltration rate greater than 0.3 in/h).

Moderately low runoff potential. Soils with moderate infiltration rates when
thoroughly wetted. These consist chiefly of soils that are moderately deep to deep,
B moderately well drained to well drained with moderately fine to moderately course
textures. These soils have a moderate rate of water transmission (final infiltration
rate of 0.15 to 0.30 in/h).

Moderately high runoff potential. Soils with slow infiltration rates when thoroughly
wetted. These consist chiefly of soils with a layer that impedes downward movement
C
of water or soils with moderately fine to fine textures. These soils have a slow rate
of water transmission (final infiltration rate 0.05 to 0.15 in/h).

Highest runoff potential. Soils with very slow infiltration rates when thoroughly
wetted. These consist chiefly of clay soils with a high swelling potential, soils with
D a permanent high water table, soils with a claypan or clay layer at or near the surface,
and shallow soils over nearly impervious materials. These soils have a very slow
rate of water transmission (final infiltration rate less than 0.05 in/h).

Table 4.2 Seasonal rainfall limits for antecedent moisture condition classes
5-day total antecedent
rainfall (cm)
Antecedent moisture condition (AMC) class
Dormant Growing
season season
I. Optimum soil condition from about lower plastic limit to wilting Less than
Less than 3.5
point 1.25
II. Average value for annual floods 1.25 to 2.75 3.5 to 5.25
III. Heavy rainfall or light rainfall and low temperature during 5-
Over 2.75 Over 5.25
days preceding the given storm

Hydrology – Run-off Page 37

 Table 4.3 Conversion of CN from AMC II to AMC I and AMC II
Factors to Convert Curve Number at AMC II to
Curve Number (AMC II)
AMC I (dry) AMC III (wet)
10 0.40 2.22
20 0.45 1.85
30 0.50 1.67
40 0.55 1.50
50 0.62 1.40
60 0.67 1.30
70 0.73 1.21
80 0.79 1.14
90 0.87 1.07
100 1.00 1.00

Conversion of CN from AMC II to AMC I and AMC III

4.2 𝐶𝑁(𝐼𝐼) 23 𝐶𝑁(𝐼𝐼)
𝐶𝑁(𝐼) = 𝐶𝑁(𝐼𝐼𝐼) =
10 − 0.058 𝐶𝑁(𝐼𝐼) 10 + 0.13 𝐶𝑁(𝐼𝐼)

Tables 3.4 to 3.7 present curve numbers for AMC II.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 38

 Table 4.4 Fully developed urban areas (vegetation established)
Curve numbers for
Cover description hydrologic soil group
A B C D
Open space (lawns, parks, golf courses, cemeteries, etc.)
Poor condition (grass cover <50%) 68 79 86 89
Fair condition (grass cover 50 to 75%) 49 69 79 84
Good condition (grass cover >75%) 39 61 74 80
Impervious areas:
Paved parking lots, roofs, driveways, etc. (excluding right of way) 98 98 98 98
Streets and roads:
Paved; curbs and storm sewers (excluding right-of-way) 98 98 98 98
Paved; open ditches (including right-of-way) 83 89 92 93
Gravel (including right of way) 76 85 89 91
Dirt (including right-of-way) 72 82 87 89
Western desert urban areas:
Natural desert landscaping (pervious area only) 63 77 85 88
Artificial desert landscaping (impervious weed barrier, desert shrub
96 96 96 96
with 1- to 2-inch sand or gravel mulch and basin borders)
Urban districts:
Commercial and business (85% imp.) 89 92 94 95
Industrial (72% imp.) 81 88 91 93
Residential districts by average lot size:
1/8 acre or less (town houses) (65% imp.)/small> 77 85 90 92
1/4 acre (38% imp.) 61 75 83 87
1/3 acre (30% imp.) 57 72 81 86
1/2 acre (25% imp.) 54 70 80 85
1 acre (20% imp.) 51 68 79 84
2 acres (12% imp.) 46 65 77 82

Table 4.5 Developing Urban Areas

Curve numbers for hydrologic soil
Cover description group
A B C D
Newly graded areas (pervious areas only, no
77 86 91 94
vegetation)

Hydrology – Run-off Page 39

 Table 4.6 Cultivated Agricultural Lands
Curve numbers for
Cover description
hydrologic soil group
Hydrologic
Cover type Treatment[A] A B C D
condition
Bare soil -- 77 86 91 94
Fallow Crop residue cover Poor 76 85 90 93
(CR) Good 74 83 88 90
Poor 72 81 88 91
Straight row (SR)
Good 67 78 85 89
Poor 71 80 87 90
SR + CR
Good 64 75 82 85
Poor 70 79 84 88
Contoured (C)
Good 65 75 82 86
Row crops
Poor 69 78 83 87
C + CR
Good 64 74 81 85
Contoured & Poor 66 74 80 82
terraced (C&T) Good 62 71 78 81
Poor 65 73 79 81
C&T + R
Good 61 70 77 80
Poor 65 76 84 88
SR
Good 63 75 83 87
Poor 64 75 83 86
SR + CR
Good 60 72 80 84
Poor 63 74 82 85
C
Good 61 73 81 84
Small grain
Poor 62 73 81 84
C + CR
Good 60 72 80 83
Poor 61 72 79 82
C&T
Good 59 70 78 81
Poor 60 71 78 81
C&T + R
Good 58 69 77 80
Poor 66 77 85 89
SR
Good 58 72 81 85
Close-seeded or broadcast Poor 64 75 83 85
C
legumes or rotation meadow Good 55 69 78 83
Poor 63 73 80 83
C&T
Good 51 67 76 80
A Crop residue cover applies only if residue is on at least 5% of the surface throughout the year.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 40

 Table 4.7 Other Agricultural Lands
Curve numbers for
Cover description
hydrologic soil group
Hydrologic
Cover type A B C D
condition
Poor 68 79 86 89
Pasture, grassland, or range—continuous
Fair 49 69 79 84
forage for grazing.A
Good 39 61 74 80
Meadow—continuous grass, protected from
--- 30 58 71 78
grazing and generally mowed for hay.
Poor 48 67 77 83
Brush—brush-weed-grass mixture with brush
Fair 35 56 70 77
the major element.B
Good 30C 48 65 73
Poor 57 73 82 86
Woods—grass combination (orchard or tree
Fair 43 65 76 82
farm).D
Good 32 58 72 79
Poor 45 66 77 83
Woods.E Fair 36 60 73 79
Good 30 55 70 77
Farmsteads—buildings, lanes, driveways, and
--- 59 74 82 86
surrounding lots.
A Poor: <50% ground cover or heavily grazed with no mulch; Fair: 50-75% ground cover and not

heavily grazed; Good: >75% ground cover and light or only occasionally grazed.
B Poor: <50% ground cover; Fair: 50-75% ground cover; Good: >75% ground cover.

C Actual curve number is less than 30; use CN = 30 for runoff computation.

D CN's shown were computed for areas with 50% woods and 50% grass (pasture) cover. Other

combinations of conditions may be computed from the CN's for woods and pasture.
E Poor: Forest litter, small trees, and brush are destroyed by heavy grazing or regular burning;

Fair: Woods are grazed but not burned, and some forest litter covers the soil; Good: Woods are
protected from grazing, and litter and brush adequately cover the soil.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 41

 4.4.2.4 Determination of Peak Flow Rate by the Curve number Method

Ogrosky and Mockus (1957) developed the method to determine the peak runoff by using
the curve number method. They suggested employing the following formula to determine the peal
rate of runoff by using the 6-hour rainfall as the design frequency of small watersheds.

0.0208 × 𝐴 × 𝑄
𝑄𝑝 =
𝑇𝑝𝑘
where
Qp = peak rate of runoff, m3/s
A = area, ha
Q = runoff depth, cm
Tpk = time to peak, hr
1
𝑇𝑝𝑘 = 0.6𝑇𝑐 + √𝑇𝑐 = (𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙) + 0.6𝑇𝑐
2
with
Tc = time of concentration, hr

4.4.2.5 Determination of Time of Concentration (Tc) by the Curve Number

Method

The time of concentration is also determined by the following equation (Schwab et. al., 1993)
0.7
1000
𝐿0.8 [( 𝐶𝑁 − 9)]
𝑇𝑐 = 0.5
4407(𝑆𝑔 )
where
L = longest flow length, m
CN = curve number
Sg = average slope of the watershed, m/m

4.4.3 Rational Method

This method was originally developed for urban catchments. However, this method is fairly
applicable to small agricultural watersheds of 40 to 80 hectares size.
The Rational method is based on the assumption that a constant intensity of rainfall is
uniformly spread over an area, and the effective rain falling on the most remote part of the basin
takes a certain period of time, known as the time of concentration, Tc, to arrive at the basin outlet.
If the input rate of excess rainfall on the basin continues for the period of time of concentration,
then the part of the excess rain that fell on the most remote part of the basin will just begin its
outflow at the basin outlet and with it, the runoff will reach its ultimate and maximum rate. That
is, the maximum rate of outflow will occur when the rainfall duration is equal to the time of
concentration.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 42

 Consider a drainage basin which has rainfall of uniform intensity and of longer duration.
On plotting the relationship between the cumulative runoff rate Q and time, the runoff shows a
gradual increase from zero to a constant value. The runoff increases with increase in flow from
remote areas of the basin to its outlet. If the rainfall continues beyond the time of concentration,
then there is no further increase in the runoff, and it remains constant at its peak value.
The relationship for peak runoff rate Qp is the expressed as

Qp = CIA
where
C = coefficient of runoff/rainfall
A = area of the catchment (drainage basin)
I = intensity of rainfall

In metric units, Qp is expressed as

1
𝑄𝑝 = 𝐶𝐼𝐴 = 0.278 𝐶𝐼𝐴
3.6
where
Qp = peak runoff rate, m3/s
C = coefficient of runoff (Table 3.7)
I = mean intensity of precipitation (mm/hr) for a duration equal to time of
concentration and for an exceedance probability of precipitation P
A = area of the drainage basin, km2
1/3.6 = factor for conversion from F.P.S. to metric (this value can also be taken as equal
to 0.0278 when I is taken in cm/h and A in hectares (ha); and as 0.0028 when I is in mm/hr and A
in ha)

The Rational method exhibits a basic weakness, when the growth of the value of Q over
the period of Tc to its final value (Qp = CIA) is considered. On considering the same probability of
occurrence, by using this formula, the mean peak rainfall intensity will decrease as the time interval
considered increases, and when the duration of rainfall exceeds the value of Tc, the mean rainfall
intensity will be less than the mean intensity over the period Tc; thus when the whole area
contributes to the runoff, the rate of runoff will be less. Similarly, when the rainfall duration is less
than Tc, the considered rainfall intensity will be higher, as only a part of the area will be
contributing to the runoff, which is not possible.

4.4.3.1 Runoff Coefficient Factor (C)

The runoff coefficient factor C encompasses all other factors that affect the surface runoff,
except the area A and the intensity of rainfall I. it is defined as:
𝑄𝑝
𝐶=
𝐴𝐼
Under ideal conditions, C represents the ratio of runoff volume to rainfall volume. Ideal
conditions are rare. Consequently, the values of C are significantly lower than the values obtained
through the above ratio.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 43

Table 4.8 Runoff Coefficient C for Agricultural Watersheds [Soil Group B] (Schwab et al.,
1993).

Crop and Hydrologic Coefficient C for Rainfall Rates of

Condition 25 mm/h 100 mm/h 200 mm/h

Row crop, poor practice 0.63 0.65 0.66

Row crop, good practice 0.47 0.56 0.62
Small grain, poor practice 0.38 0.38 0.38
Small grain, good practice 0.18 0.21 0.22
Meadow, rotation, good 0.29 0.36 0.39
Pasture, permanent, good 0.02 0.17 0.23
Woodland, mature, good 0.02 0.10 0.15

Table 4.9 C Factor Conversion Factors for Hydrologic Soil Groups A, C, and D.

Crop and Hydrologic Factors for Converting C from Group B Soils to

Condition Group A Group C Group D

Row crop, poor practice 0.89 1.09 1.12

Row crop, good practice 0.86 1.09 1.14
Small grain, poor practice 0.86 1.11 1.16
Small grain, good practice 0.84 1.11 1.16
Meadow, rotation, good 0.81 1.13 1.18
Pasture, permanent, good 0.64 1.21 1.31
Woodland, mature, good 0.45 1.27 1.40

4.4.3.2 Intensity of Rainfall

The formula for the intensity of rainfall is expressed as

𝐾𝑇𝑟𝑎
𝐼=
(𝑇𝑐 + 𝑏)𝑛

where
I = intensity of rainfall, cm/h
Tr = recurrence interval, yr
Tc = time of concentration, h
and K, a, b, n are constants.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 44

4.4.3.3 Time of Concentration (Tc)

For determination of the time of concentration, the most widely used formula is the
equation given by Kirpich (1940) given as

𝑇𝑐 = 0.01947𝐿0.77 𝑠 −0.385
where:
Tc = time of concentration, min
L = maximum length of travel of water, m
s = slope of the drainage basin = H/L
H = difference in elevation between the most remote point of the basin and its
outlet, m

Nomograph solutions for the time concentration Tc are also available (Figure 3.3). From
the known value of Tc, the time to peak Tpeak can be determined from Figure 3.4.

Figure 3.3 Nomograph solution for time of concentration Tc

Hydrology – Run-off Page 45

 Figure 3.4 Relationship between time to peak Tpeak and Tc

The time of concentration can also be determined as

Tc = 0.01947 (K)0.77
where
Tc = time of concentration, min
𝐿3
𝐾 = √𝐻
L = maximum length of travel, m
H = difference in elevation between the most remote point and the outlet, m

The difference of concentration is sometimes also determined by dividing the length of run
by the average velocity of flow based on the slope of the channel.

𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑡ℎ
𝑇𝑐 =
𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

References:
Elementary Engineering Hydrology by M.J. Deodhar
Environmental Hydrology by Andy D. Ward
Hydrology and Soil Conservation Engineering by Ghanshyam Das
Estimation of Surface Water Flow. http://www.ugscholar.com
Estimating Peak Discharge. http://age-web.age.uiuc.edu
Runoff curve number. Wikipedia.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 46

Sample Problems:

1. The rainfall at a station on the 3rd and 5th days of a month were recorded as 10 and 20 mm
respectively. Compute the antecedent moisture condition (AMC) for the first 7 days of the
month. Assume that AMC on the last day of the previous month was 80 mm and the value
of CA is 0.90.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 47

 2. Compute the runoff from 5 inches of rainfall on a 1000-acre watershed. The hydrologic
soil group is 50 % Group B and 50 % Group C interspersed throughout the watershed.
Antecedent moisture content condition II is assumed. The land use is:
40% residential; area that is 30% impervious
12% residential area that is 65% impervious
18% paved roads with curbs and storm sewers
16% open land with 50% fair grass cover and 50% good grass cover
14% parking lots, plazas, schools, and so on (all impervious)
Re-compute the runoff from this watershed if the wet conditions of antecedent moisture III
are applicable.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 48

 3. Calculate the runoff from 5 inches of rainfall on a 1000 acre watershed. The soil is 50 %
Group B and 50% Group C. Assume AMC II. The land use is open land with fair grass
cover before urbanization; after urbanization it is as specified in Example 2. How much
additional runoff is caused by urbanization?

Hydrology – Run-off Page 49

 4. Determine the peak flow rate of runoff for AMC III by using the Curve Number Method
given the following data:
P = 2.5 in
Watershed area: 500 ha
Land-use: commercial and business
Watershed soil: HSG D
Average watershed slope: 1%
Hydraulic Length of watershed: 600 ft

5. Calculate the peak storm water runoff from a watershed of 15 acres, with a runoff
coefficient of 0.35, from a storm of intensity 2.4 in/hr.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 50

 6. A catchment has an area of 5.0 km2. The average slope of the land surface is 0.006 and the
maximum travel depth of rainfall in the area is approximately 1.9 km with a return period
of 25 years is as tabulated below:
Time duration (min) 5 10 15 20 25 30 40 60
Rainfall depth (mm) 15 25 32 45 50 53 60 65
Consider that 2.0 km2 of the catchment area has a cultivated sandy loam soil (C=0.2) and
3.0 km2 has light clay cultivated soil (C=0.7). Determine the peak flow rate of runoff by
using the Rational Method.

Hydrology – Run-off Page 51