Tutorial Chapter 1: Introduction to Hydrology

1. Explain following terms with aid diagram:

i) Hydrological cycle
ii) Drainage basin

2. List the different hydrological processes with the aid of a diagram.

3. What is water budget? Give 2 example of water budget in hydrological system.

4. During a given year, the following hydrological data were collected for a 2500 km2 basin;

 Total precipitation=620mm
 Total combined loss due to evaporation and evapotranspiration = 320 mm
 Estimated groundwater outflow(including groundwater depletion) = 100 mm
 Mean surface runoff = 15 mm

What is the change in volume of water remaining in storage in the basin during the
elapsed year?

5. If the annual stream flow from a catchment with surface area of 15 km 2 is 3.5 m,
calculate the average daily stream flow rate in ha-cm per day on annual basis.

6. If annual stream flow from a 2000 ha catchment is 1 x 10 6 m3, calculate the average
depth of water over the catchment.

7. At a particular time, the storage in a river reach about 50 x 103 m3. At that time, the
recorded inflow and outflow of the reach are 15m3/s and 20m3/s respectively. After 2
hours, the inflow is 20m3/s and the outflow is 25m3/s. Calculate the change of storage
and the new storage of the reach at the end of 2 hour.

8. A lake has a surface area of 708,000 m2. For the month of July, the lake has an inflow of
1.5 m3/s and outflow 1.25m3/s. The rainfall for that month was recorded at 22.5 cm. If an
increase in the storage of 708x103m3 was recorded for that month, determine the
evaporation loss assuming the seepage loss to be negligible.

9. A lake had a water surface elevation of 103.2 m above datum at a beginning of a certain
month. In that month, the lake received an average inflow 6.0m 3/s from surface runoff
sources. In the same period, the outflow from the lake had an average value of 6.5m3/s.
Further in that month, the lake received a rainfall of 145mm and the evaporation from the
lake surface was estimated to be 6.10cm. The average surface area of the lake was
50km2. Write the water budget equation for the lake and calculate the new water surface
 elevation of the lake at the end of the month. Assume there is no contribution to or from
the groundwater storage.

10. During a given year, a catchments with an area 1500 km2 received 1200 mm of rainfall.
The average rate of flow in the river draining the area was 25 m 3/s. Estimate the amount
water lost due to the combined effects of evaporation, transpiration, and infiltration to
groundwater flow. Calculate the runoff coefficient of the area.

11. Rainfall of intensity 120 mm/h fell on a catchment having an area of 400 ha in 12 hours.
Measured runoff at the end of rainfall duration was 800000 m3. How much of the total 12
hours rainfall was lost.

12. A reservoir had an average surface area of 20 km2 during June 1982. In that month the
mean rate of inflow = 10m3/s, outflow 15m3/s, monthly rainfall = 10cm and change in
storage = 16 million m3. Assuming the seepage losses to be 1.8 cm, estimate the
evaporation in that month.

13. A canal is 80 km long and has an average surface width of 15m. If the evaporation
measured in a class A pan is 0.5 cm/day, the volume of water evaporated in a month of
30 days is (in m3)? Note: Cp = 0.70

14. A retention pond with an average surface area of 45 km2 had a water surface elevation
of 98.0 m above datum at a beginning of certain month. In that month, the pond received
an average inflow of 7.5 m2/s from surface runoff sources and an average outflow of 8.0
m2/s. Further in that month, the pond received a rainfall of 155 mm and the evaporation
from the pond surface was estimated to be 75 mm. Using the water budget equation for
the pond, calculate the new water surface elevation at the end of the month assuming
that there is no contribution to and from the groundwater.