Stormdrain System Design

CE154 Hydraulic Design

Lectures 10-11

Fall 2009 1
 Stormdrain System
• Definition
- A system that collects, conveys and
discharges stormwater runoff from the
drainage basin to designated outflow
collection points
- Typically used in urbanized areas
• Elements of design
- hydrology: design flow and volume
- hydraulics: inlet, conveyance in open
channel and closed conduit, temporary
storage in detention basin, & outfall

Fall 2009 2
 Applications
• Land development – municipal ordinances
require runoff not to exceed pre-
project level
• Industrial plants (power, chemical, oil
refinery, etc.) require that facilities be
protected from X-year floods
• Municipal storm sewer design typically
to transport 5-25 year flood runoff

Fall 2009 3
 Useful References
• California Stormwater Best Management
Practice Handbook, Calif. Stormwater
Quality Association, 2004 (a broad
description of systems and elements)
• US EPA Stormwater Best Management
Practice Design Guide, EPA/600/R-
04/121, September 2004
• Local county or city public works design
standards
Fall 2009 4
 Study Objectives
• Be cognizant of storm drain system
elements and design criteria
• Be able to conduct preliminary design

Fall 2009 5
 Definitions
• Detention basin: a natural or artificial
basin that receives and temporarily holds
storm runoff to reduce downstream peak
flows for flood control purposes
• Drainage pipe or channel: part of a
stormwater conveyance system that
transport stormwater from one place to
another
• Manhole: a junction where two or more
drainage pipes confluence and where
maintenance access is provided to the
drainage system

Fall 2009 6
 Schematic GIS drainage map

Fall 2009 7
 Typical Manhole

Fall 2009 8
 Definitions (cont’d)
• Catch Basin: A basin, typically with a
grated cover, to which surface runoff
drains. The basin may be along a curb
side or in the middle of a field. The
bottom of the basin is typically
connected to a drainage pipe, and the
basin serves as an inlet to the storm
drain system.

Fall 2009 9
 Catch Basin

Fall 2009 10
 Storm Drain System Design
1. Layout drainage channels and pipes to
provide transport of runoff
2. Delineate the drainage area from which
runoff drains toward a pipe or channel
3. Determine drainage pipe or channel size
4. Design catch basins, manholes, detention
basins, and other pertinent structures
5. Conduct system-wide drainage analysis to
ensure connectivity and system capacity

Fall 2009 11
 Design Considerations
1. Free surface flow exists for the design
discharge. Practical design limit for free
surface (open channel) flow is 80% full.
2. Use commercially available pipe sizes >8”
in diameter. Sizes include 8, 10, 12, 15,
18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 36, 42, 48 inches, etc.
3. A minimum flow velocity of 2 ft/sec is
desirable to reduce deposition

Fall 2009 12
 Design considerations (cont’d)
4. Reasonable velocity may be 10 ft/sec
5. At any junction or manhole, the
downstream pipe should not be smaller
than any of the upstream pipes
6. Typically, the rational method is used
to determine design discharge because
of its simplicity and suitability to small
urban drainage areas

Fall 2009 13
 Rational Method
• Q = iCA
Q: discharge in cfs
C: dimensionless runoff coefficient
depending on surface condition and area
slope
i: rainfall intensity in inches per hour
A: drainage area in acres
• when there is more than one basin that
drains into a junction, use
Q = i(CA)

Fall 2009 14
 Rational Method Runoff Coeff. C

Fall 2009 15
 Rainfall Intensity “i”
• Typically prepared by local water
agency as part of rainfall intensity-
duration-frequency curve such as
Figure I-1 of DSD
• “i” is a function of design return
period and rainfall duration (which is
equal to time of concentration)
0.2
100T r
i
Fall 2009
T c
 25
16
 Rainfall Intensity “i” (cont’d)
• Where
Tr = design return period in years
Tc = rainfall period in hours which is
assumed to be the same as the time of
concentration
• Sonoma County proposed this
relationship for the local area (note:
this Tc is in minutes):
0.1469 0.528
i  5.12T r T c

• For either case, need to determine Tc

Fall 2009 17
 Time of Concentration Tc
• Usually a function of watershed slope,
length, surface roughness and rainfall
intensity
• May be computed by runoff calculation or
from flood hydrograph
• Simplified time of concentration estimate
by Yen and Chow [FHWA-RD-82-063, 064
& 065, 1983]

0.6
 NL 
 
Tc 
 K

 So 
Fall 2009 18
 Time of Concentration Tc
• Tc = time of concentration in hours
• N = overland texture factor (see next slide)
• L = length of longest flow path in feet
• So = average slope
• K = constant defined below
Rain Intensity Light rain Moderate rain Heavy rain
i (in/hr) < 0.8 0.8 – 1.2 > 1.2

K 0.025 0.018 0.012

Fall 2009 19
 Time of Concentration Tc
• N – overland texture factors

Fall 2009 20
 Example of Tc calculation
• Matadero Creek in Palo Alto:
L = 7.2 miles = 38000 ft
S = 2% = 0.02
N = between suburban and dense
residential
= 0.05 from table
K = heavy rain > 1.2 in/hr
= 0.012
• Tc = 0.012 (0.05*38000/(0.02)^0.5)^0.6
= 3.6 hours

Fall 2009 21
 Example of “i” calculation
• Use the Sonoma County relationship and the
Matadero watershed time of concentration to
compute the 10-year and 100-year design rainfall
intensities: 0.1469 0.528
i  5.12T r T c

• Tc = 216 min., for 10-year rain intensity, i =0.42

in/hr
• For the 100-year event, i = 0.59 in/hr
• Note that the ratio between a 10-year and 100-
year rainfall intensity is only 1.4
Fall 2009 22
 Rational Method
• For each drainage area, knowing A (in
acres), estimating C, and computing Tc
to get i, the design discharge (Q) can be
computed.
• The minimum pipe diameter (for nearly
full flow) that is required to convey the
design discharge may be computed using
one of the 2 formulae below:

Fall 2009 23
 Pipe Sizing
• If using Manning’s formula (in English units):
3/ 8
 n Q 
D  3.208 
 1.486 S 
 o

• If using Darch-Weisbach formula (any consistent

unit):
1/ 5
 f 2
D  0.811
g So
Q 
 

Fall 2009 24
 Pipe sizing
• 2 useful relationships to relate Manning’s n and
Darcy f
1/ 6
n  0.031es
1/ 3
 es 
f  0.18 
D
• Where es = equivalent sand grain roughness in
ft
D = pipe diameter in ft

Fall 2009 25
 Example – pipe sizing
• Size a storm drain pipe to convey a design
runoff of 280 cfs from a junction at El.
545 ft to a junction at El. 523 ft. The
linear distance between the 2 junctions is
1200 ft. Assume reinforced concrete pipe.
• Answer: Using the Manning’s formula
Q = 280 ft
n = 0.015 (estimated average
condition)
So = (545-523)/1200 = 0.0183
D = 4.84 ft

Fall 2009 26
 Example – pipe sizing
• Now use the Darcy-Weisbach formula
1/ 6
• n  0.031es
es = 0.0128 ft
Using D = 4.84 ft, es/D = 0.00265
• 1/ 3
 es 
f  0.18 
D
f = 0.025
And computing for pipe diameter, we have
D = 4.85 ft

Say use D = 5 ft = 60 in.

Fall 2009 27
 Circular pipe flow geometry

Fall 2009 28
 Junctions
• Design considerations:
- located at every change of pipe size,
horizontal direction or vertical alignment
- spaced at no more than 400 ft
- Minimum diameter of 36 - 48” to allow
access and maintenance activities, at least
large enough to accommodate all pipes
connected with a minimum of 3 inches of
wall thickness on both sides of all pipes

Fall 2009 29
 Loss Coefficient for Junctions
• At junctions, the losses may be classified
as pipe exit loss and entrance loss.
• There are 2-way, 3-way, and 4-way
junctions most commonly seen.
• Extensive experimental data to develop
loss coefficients. See Chap 14, Hydraulic
Design of Urban Drainage Systems, of
Hydraulic Design Handbook by L. Mays

Fall 2009 30
 2-way Junction
• Same size pipes upstream and
downstream of junction
• No change in direction of flow
• Noticeable high head loss and vortex
and instability when ratio of junction
depth (Y) to pipe diameter (D) is
between 1 and 2.
• Head Loss = K V2/2g

Fall 2009 31
 2-way Junction – same pipe size

Fall 2009 32
 2-way Junction – different pipe sizes

Fall 2009 33
 2-way Junction – pipe location effect

Fall 2009 34
 3-way Junction – same pipe sizes

Fall 2009 35
 3-way Junction – same pipe sizes

Fall 2009 36
 3-way Junction – different pipe sizes

Fall 2009 37
 3-way Junction – different pipe sizes

Fall 2009 38
 System Analysis
• Taking energy balance between upstream
and downstream junctions of a pipe for
surcharged (full) flow condition
• Applying culvert flow considerations for
open channel flow condition
• Starting from the downstream end and
moving upstream to determine water levels
in junctions
• Maintain sufficient freeboard at junctions
Fall 2009 39
 Detention Basins
• Also called dry pond, since only retains
water during wet weather (A wet pond is a
retention basin)
• Main flood control objective is to reduce
peak flood flow in the downstream
• May improve water quality of the
downstream flow as well
• Need inflow hydrograph, elevation-storage
curve, and outflow rating curve for design
Fall 2009 40
 Detention Basin
• Regulatory requirements now dictate that
the peak storm flow rate do not exceed
the pre-project condition for all events
(from 2-year to 100-year).
• Also there are requirements for runoff
not to exceed certain water quality
criteria
• These requirements result in installation
of detention basins that delay and reduce
storm runoffs.
Fall 2009 41
 Detention Basin

Fall 2009 42
 Detention Basin
• Routing follows the same procedure
provided in Table 9-1 (p. 343) of
Design of Small Dams
• Outflow may be provided by a conduit
(pipe or box culvert). Under full flow
condition, the discharge is governed
by an orifice-flow condition

Q  CA 2 gH
Fall 2009 43
 Detention Basin
• C = discharge coefficient
A = conduit area
H = total energy head
Q = discharge
• Loss coefficient ko is related to C
by:
1
k o
 2
C
Fall 2009 44
 Orifice discharge characteristics
» C ko

Fall 2009 45
 Example Design Problem

II I
11
III
IV
21
12

31
Fall 2009 46
 Example (K=0.7 assumed)
Catch- Area Flow Slope Surface Tc Runoff
ment (acres) Length Texture (min) Coeff.
(ft) N C
I 2 250 0.010 0.015 6.2 0.8

II 3 420 0.0081 0.016 9.3 0.7

III 3 400 0.012 0.030 11.7 0.4

IV 5 640 0.010 0.020 12.9 0.6

Fall 2009 47
 Example

Fall 2009 48
 Example

Fall 2009 49