Streamflow Measurement

Stream gaging
❑ Measuring the volume of water flowing through a stream per unit time (m3/s)

Not possible to measure directly

Methods of Measuring Streamflow

1. Direct Measurement Methods

a) Area Velocity Method

b) Moving Boat Method

c) Dilution Technique

d) Ultrasonic Method

2. Indirect Measurement Methods

a) Hydraulic structure such as weir, flumes

b) Slope area Method

Area velocity Method
1. Measure the velocity of flow at the cross section

2. Compute the area of cross-section

3. Calculate the discharge

Q= V x A
Site Selection Criteria

❑ The cross-section should be well defined, which should not change from season to season

(e.g. stable rived bed)

❑ Should be selected in a straight stable reach

❑ Should be easily accessible

❑ Should be free from backwater effect (if backwater is there it will affect the velocity

measurement)
Velocity Measurement
Current Meter
❑ The most commonly used instrument to measure the velocity at a point in a flow cross section is called
the Current meter

❑ There are two types of Current meter

1. Vertical Axis Current Meter/ cup type and

2. Horizontal Axis Current Meter/propeller type

Vertical Axis Current Meter/ cup type
❑ Series of Conical cups mounted around a vertical axis in a
horizontal plane

❑ The sounding weight helping to submerge the instrument

to the desired depth.

❑ Fin are kept to align the current meter with the flow
direction ( no tilt or rotation), hence make of streamline.

❑ As the instrument is submerged in water, the cups rotate

due to the force exerted by the flowing water. The rate of V = aN s + b
rotation of the cups is directly proportional to the water
velocity.
•Where, a and b are constants for the meter whose values
❑ Cannot be used in situations where appreciable
vertical component of velocity are there are given by the manufacturer or calculated from the
experiment
❑ Normal range of velocity: 0.15 to 4 m/s
• and Ns is number of revolutions per second.
 Horizontal Axis Current Meter/propeller type

❑ Consist of Propeller mounted at the end of horizontal

shaft

❑ The cup-type design is less prone to damage from debris,

floating objects, or fouling, making it suitable for
conditions where there might be a higher risk of
encountering such obstacles.
❑ Velocity Measurement .Float method

❑ Used for surface velocity of stream

❑ Used in small stream

❑ Error due to surface wind will be high

 Average velocity Across a vertical
•The velocity in an open channel at any vertical axis varies from zero
at the bottom to the maximum at the or slightly below the surface.
•In general practice , V at 0.4d from bottom equal to the average
velocity .

Stream condition Depth Velocity equation

Shallow stream [less than 3 meter] At 0.6* depth of water from the stream surface V = V0.6
Single point method
In deep Stream 0.2* depth of water from the stream surface , and also 0.8* V=
(V0.2 + V0.8 )
Two point method depth of water from the surface 2

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Area of Cross-section

Let this be the Cross section of a river

❑ Measure the width of the river

❑ Divide the width into subsection (called verticals)

❑ The width/interval of each sub section should not be greater

than 1/15 to 1/20 of the stream width

❑ The distance of the first vertical from the left bank is W1. second
vertical is W2 and so on
❑ The dotted point is where we are going to measure the
velocity

❑ We can measure the velocity either using single point or

double point depends upon the depth
❑ Divide the entire cross section into number of segments as
shown by the dotted line which is passing through the middle
of the verticals

❑ Every segment has one vertical in the interior of it and we

have the average flow velocity that represent the average
velocity of the segment
 ❑ Effective Width of First and Last Segment is
given by

2
𝑊
𝑊1 + 22
𝑊1 =
2𝑊1
2
𝑊
𝑊𝑁 + 𝑁−1
2
𝑊𝑁−1 =
2𝑊𝑁

𝑊𝑖 𝑊𝑖+1
❑ For Intermediate Segment : +
2 2
Sound Navigation and Ranging (SONAR)

❑ Transducer emit a pulse of sound into the water which then bounces the floor and return back to the
transducer like an echo

❑ The time taken for the sound to travel through the water column is recorded and calculated to provide a
depth measurement
Rating Curve Discharge
(m3/s)
Gage height (m)

20 1.5
It is not feasible to measure flow daily
131 2.0
Rating curve are used to estimate flow from stage data 307 2.5
530 3.0
Rating curve defines stage discharge relationship 808 3.5
1130 4.0
1498 4.5
1912 5
Stage Measurement Techniques
❑ Non Recording/ Manual Stream Gauges

a) Staff Gauge
❑ Stage : Water height/level in a
b) Wire gauge
river/stream measured above a
c) Electric Tape Gauge particular datum

❑ Recording Stream gauges

❑ Float Gauge Recorder

❑ Bubble Gauge
Staff Gauge

❑ Staff or post with marking for measurement of water level. Fixed at abutment, pier or wall
 ❑ Sometime it may not be possible to read the entire level

by single gauge, in such case, the gauge at built at

section in different locations. Such gauge are called

Sectional gauge.

Sometime placed in an inclined way. By

knowing the angle of inclination we can find
the depth of water
Wire Gauge

❑ Wire Gauge is lowered from the permanent structure

(e.g. bridge) such that the weight attached at the end of

the wire will touches the water surface

❑ The length of the wire coming out of the drum of the

gauge read by a mechanical counter attached to a reel

on which the wire or tape is wound

❑ That length is subtracted from the reference datum

❑ In electric tape gauge , the weight is replaced

by electric device, rest is same as wire gauge

Automatic gauge : Stilling Well .

❑ Measure water level

Continuously

❑ Work on the Principle of Float

❑ To provide the float from water

wave, stilling well is constructed

❑ Pen to record over a drum

driven by clock

❑ Flushing arrangement to flush

debris and sediments
occasionally
 ❑ Automatic gauge : Bubble gauge

❑ Here we have one pipe at the bottom of the stream, this pipe will be attached to air chamber which will pump
bubble . Therefore more is the depth more is the pressure required to pump the bubble out of the water.
❑ At the same time, the pressure at which the chamber is pumping is recorder
❑ Many of the river gauging stations in US are now
measuring gauging using RADAR

❑ The set up is put in the bridge.

❑ Sensor is sending RADAR signal to the water.

Depending upon how much time it takes for the
signal to hit the water and return back , we can
find the height
Example 4.1 Determine the discharge in the stream for the given data at a gauging station below. the rating equation of
current meter may be taken as V = 0.45N s + 0.025 m / s , where, Ns is the revolution per second.

Distance from left Depth (m) Revolution of a current meter Duration of observation (s)
kept at a depth of 0.6 m
0 0 0 0
1.1 1.2 41 110
3.2 2.7 62 110
5.3 2.7 115 160
7.1 2.3 95 153
9.2 1.9 47 105
11.6 1.7 35 107
12.5 0 0 0

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