College of Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

HYDROLOGY
May 2, 2024, Thursday, 3:00 PM-4:00 PM

Submitted by:
GWYNETH, SANTOS

Submitted to:
DR. EUGENIA L. LAGMAY, FPSSE, FWEAP
CE, SE, MSSE, EDD
Professional Lecturer

2nd Semester SY 2023-2024

1. Please conduct research on the following topics:
Rainfall-Runoff Relation
A. Definition of Hydrograph
B. Types of Hydrograph and Components
C. Hydrograph Separation
D. Unit Hydrograph
E. Estimation of discharge using unit hydrograph
F. Rational Formula
G. SCS Curve method

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Hydrograph

A hydrograph is a graph that depicts the rate of water flow (discharge) over time at a
specific point in a river, channel, or conduit. The rate of flow is typically measured in
cubic meters or cubic feet per second (cms or cfs). Hydrographs are instrumental in
understanding how changes in precipitation affect changes in discharge over time. They
are also used in designing sewerage systems, particularly surface water sewerage
systems and combined sewers.

The graph shows base flow which are the contributions made to the river via soil and
ground water flows. These will be ever present on the graph unless there is a long-
extended period without any rainfall. The runoff or storm flow is the water that arrives in
the river via surface runoff or rapid throughflow through the rock. The rising limb gives
an indication of how fast water is reaching the channel and represents the level of water
rising in the channel. The steeper the rising limb the more likely a flood is to occur; this
is vital knowledge for flood forecasters. The falling limb shows the river as its level
falls. Peak discharge is the maximum amount of water in a river after a rainfall event, if
this level surpasses the bank full discharge, then a flood will occur where the river
overtops its banks. The last item indicated on the hydrograph is the lag time, this is the

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amount of time between the peak amount of rainfall and the peak discharge in the

river.

Types of Hydrograph and Components

Hydrographs can be categorized based on the variable they represent on the y-axis:

1. Discharge Hydrograph: This is the most common type of hydrograph and depicts
the volume of water flowing past a specific point at a given time (usually
measured in cubic meters per second or cubic feet per second). It provides vital
information on runoff volume (area under the curve) and peak flow rates.

There’s a curve showing the discharge of the river and there’s a series of bars
showing some (heavy) precipitation. There’re a few things to note on this graph.
First is the lag time. The lag time is the time difference between the peak
precipitation and the peak discharge. A long lag time indicates that it’s taking a
long time for precipitation to enter the river. Conversely, a short lag time indicates
that the precipitation is entering the river quickly. The rising limb is the steep part

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of the discharge line that has a positive gradient, indicating that the discharge is
increasing. The falling limb is the opposite showing that the discharge is falling.

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2. Stage Hydrograph: This hydrograph shows the water level (stage) in a river or
stream over time. Stage hydrographs are useful for designing flood protection
structures like levees.

3. Velocity Hydrograph: This hydrograph illustrates the water velocity at a specific

location over time.
4. Temperature Hydrograph: This hydrograph shows the water temperature
variations over time.

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Components of a Hydrograph

A typical discharge hydrograph can be segmented into distinct parts:

1. Rising Limb (Concentration Curve): This section represents the increasing

discharge following a precipitation event. The slope of the rising limb indicates
how quickly the watershed responds to rainfall. Steeper slopes suggest faster
response times, often due to factors like limited storage capacity, impermeable
surfaces, or steep slopes.

2. Falling Limb (Recession Curve): This section represents the decrease in

discharge as the water level in the river or stream recedes after the storm event.
The rate of decline in the falling limb is influenced by factors like groundwater
contribution (base flow) and the rate at which water drains from the watershed. A
steeper falling limb suggests a faster drainage basin response, while a gentler
slope indicates a slower return to base flow conditions.
3. Peak Discharge: Following a precipitation event, this is the point on the
hydrograph where the discharge achieves its greatest value. The watershed's
ability to manage significant water flows is reflected in the peak discharge.
Flooding risk is frequently correlated with higher peak discharges.

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Hydrograph Separation

Hydrograph Separation is a method used to separate a streamflow hydrograph into

base-flow and surface-runoff components. The base-flow component is often associated
with groundwater discharge, while the surface-runoff component is associated with
precipitation that enters the stream as overland runoff. There are several methods for
hydrograph separation, including the fixed interval, sliding-interval, and local-minimum
methods. These methods are used to estimate the frequency and duration of measured
streamflow and computed base flow and surface runoff.

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Unit Hydrograph

Hydrology uses hydrographs to depict water flow (discharge) over time at a specific
location. There are different types of hydrographs depending on the variable measured,
such as discharge, stage (water level), or velocity. Hydrograph separation is a
technique to decompose a hydrograph into its baseflow (groundwater contribution) and
quick flow (direct runoff from precipitation) components.

Unit hydrographs are a special type of hydrograph that represents the standardized
runoff response of a watershed to a rainfall event of one unit depth (e.g., one
centimeter) occurring uniformly over a specific duration. They are based on the concept
of linearity, meaning the runoff from a larger rainfall event is simply a multiple of the unit
hydrograph. Unit hydrographs are valuable for flood prediction, designing hydraulic
structures, and urban drainage design, but have limitations due to assumptions, data
requirements, and variations within watersheds.

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Estimation of discharge using unit hydrograph

It can now be recognized that a unit hydrograph is a kind of unit measure of runoff
occurring because of rainfall of specific or unit duration. A unit hydrograph gives 1 cm of
direct runoff obviously resulting from 1 cm of effective rainfall. Accordingly, if the
effective rainfall in the same duration is double, that is 2 cm, then the ordinates of the
direct runoff hydrograph will be double in size the total runoff period remaining the
same.

The procedure of obtaining hydrograph from the unit hydrograph is just the reverse of
the procedure adopted for constructing unit hydrograph. To obtain direct runoff
hydrograph resulting from the storm of same unit duration multiply the ordinates of the
unit hydrograph by the runoff value or the effective rainfall expressed in cm.

Generally, the calculations are done in a tabular form.

Problem:

The ordinates of a six-hour unit hydrograph for a catchment area of 1000 km2 are given
below.

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The storm lasted for 18 hours. The effective rainfall increments (rainfall excess) for six-
hour periods are 0.6 cm, 2 cm and 1 cm respectively. Compute the runoff hydrograph.
Also find out the peak flow and the volume of runoff.

Total volume of runoff = Area of the hydrograph:

= Summation of sum of two successive ordinates / 2 x unit interval

Rational Formula

The rational formula is an empirical equation used to estimate the peak discharge
(maximum flow rate) from a drainage basin due to rainfall. It's a simplified method
commonly applied in preliminary calculations for designing storm sewers, channels, and
other stormwater management structures, particularly for relatively small urban areas.

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Here's the formula:

Q = CiA

where:

Q = Peak discharge (often in cubic feet per second, cfs)

C = Runoff coefficient (dimensionless)

i = Average rainfall intensity (usually in inches per hour for a chosen duration)

A = Drainage area (typically in acres)

SCS Curve method

The SCS Curve Number method, also referred to as the CN method, is another popular
approach for estimating surface runoff depth (the amount of water that doesn't infiltrate
the ground and becomes surface flow) from rainfall events in a watershed. Developed
by the US Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service (SCS), it's a widely
used and relatively simple technique compared to more complex hydrological models.

The core equation used in the SCS Curve Number method is:

 Q = (P - Ia) / (P - (1000/CN))

where:

 Q = Direct runoff depth (in inches)

 P = Rainfall depth (in inches)
 Ia = Initial abstraction (in inches), which represents the initial rainfall that
infiltrates the ground before runoff begins is typically assumed to be 0.2 times the
CN.

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Reference

(FIGURE 2. Stage Hydrograph, Rainfall Hyetograph, Time of Peak. . ., n.d.)

Figure 3 Sketch of the flow components of a typical flood hydrograph. . . (n.d.).

ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Sketch-of-the-flow-components-of-
a-typical-flood-hydrograph-and-several-graphical_fig1_305516833

AS Hydrographs. (n.d.).
https://www.coolgeography.co.uk/A-level/AQA/Year%2012/Rivers_Floods/
Hydrographs/Hydrographs.htm

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