5 – 10 Probable maximum floods

Since about 1940, the spillways of many major dams

have been designed to discharge the probable maximum
flood. The magnitude of this flood is determined by
meteorological estimate of the physical limit of rainfall over
the drainage basin. This rainfall is used to compute for the
probable maximum flood flow.
5 – 11 Drought

Drought is often defined in terms of a fixed period of

time with less than some minimum amount of rainfall. Even
when applied to a specified area and crop, such a definition
is far from adequate since the critical time and rainfall
depend on the stage of crop development, initial moisture
content of the soil, temperature and wind during the drought
period and other factors.
5 – 11 Drought

If drought is defined in terms of inadequate rainfall

for crop production, most of the western United States has a
drought every year, since rainless summers are common in
much of the West. Since this is a normal occurrence,
provision has been made to store or divert water from
streams for crops and other needs. Under such conditions
drought is defined in terms of inadequate streamflow.
5 – 11 Drought

In general terms a drought is a lack of water for some

purpose. More specific definitions are possible only when
local conditions are specified.
5 – 12 Duration Curves

The natural streamflow characteristics of a river are

frequently summarized in a flow-duration curve. Such a curve
shows the percent of time that flow is equal to or less than
various rates during the period of study. The same data may
also be plotted to show the percent of time various flows are
equaled of exceeded. A duration curve is constructed by
counting the number of days, months, or years with flow in
various class intervals.
5 – 12 Duration Curves

As the length of the time unit increases, the range of

the curve decreases. The selection of the time unit depends
on the purpose of the curve. If a project for diversion without
storage is under study, the time unit should be the day so
that absolute minimum flows will be indicated. For reservoir
design, the month or year may be sufficient, depending upon
the reservoir size in relation to inflow.
5 – 12 Duration Curves

The main defect of the flow-duration curve as a

design tool is that it does not present flow in natural
sequence. It is not possible to tell whether the lowest flows
occurred in consecutive periods or were scattered
throughout the record. Duration curves are most useful for
preliminary studies and for comparisons between streams.