Chapter Five

Hydrograph
• A hydrograph is a graph showing stream flow at the concentration
point with time.
• Steps of development:
• At the beginning, there is only base flow (i.e., the ground water
contribution to the stream)
• Gradually ,after the storm beginning, the initial losses like
interception and infiltration are met and then the surface flow
begins.
• AB (Rising Limb) , The hydrograph gradually rises ,and reaches its
peak value after a time tp
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• BC (Crest Segment) : Is the increase in the drain because of the
gradual increase in the storage due to the channels above basin
• P(Peak point ):point placed between inflection points (B, and C)

• Inter Flow of the rain up to this point and after this there is gradual
dragging of catchment storage.
• By this time the ground water table has been built up by the more
infiltrating water .
• CD (falling Limb): it declines and there is a change of slope at the
inflection point (c).
• this represents for us the process of withdrawing water from the
storage , which was stored in basin during the first phase of the
hydrograph.
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• tB :time of ground water contribution of stream flow (Base Flow ) .
• If a second storm occurs now, again the hydrograph starts rising
• till it reaches the new peak and then falls and the ground water
withdrawal begins.
• Hydrograph represent the three cases of runoff :
• Surface Runoff.
• Inter Flow .
• Base Flow .
• The hydrograph does not depend on rain- storm characteristics but
is entirely dependent on the characteristics of basin .
• Basin shape
• Volume of basin

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• Slop of basin .
• Vegetation in the basin .
• Geological soil of basin .
• If there is another basins and catchments in the region.
• Base Flow Separation :
• Hydrograph surface Runoff get from total hydrograph by
separated the fast flow from the slow runoff(base flow).
• if we consider that Inter flow part of the surface runoff, it is
located within the fast flow, and for this it is subtracted from the
base runoff hydrograph we get the surface runoff hydrograph.
• There are three methods used to separate base runoff :

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• 1- The straight-line method :
• It is separated runoff base by connect the beginning of surface
runoff in a straight line on the falling side, which represents
the end of direct runoff
• There is experimental equation to determine the time period N
(day) of the inflection Pi point to point B:
• N = 0.83 A0.2
• A = Area of drainage (km2)

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• Second Method :
• Start of surface runoff be extended until intersection with the
coordinates of the peak point (point C) and This point to be
linked with point B in a straight line.

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• Third method :
• In this way, the yield curve of ground flow is extended back
until it intersection with the line coming down from the
inflection Pi point (line EF) and two points A and F are connect
them and be drawn is roughly.

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• Excess Rain hydrograph ( ERH) : Produces subtracted the losses
from Total runoff hydrograph( TRH).
• Both hydrographic ERH and DRH (Direct Rain hydrograph)
represent the same total amount but the different in units,
where the units of the (ERH) (cm / hr) .
• when paint the (ERH) against time, the area under curve and
you multiply by area basin the output represents the total
volume of direct runoff and that It is at the same time represent
the area of (DRH).

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• Example 1/
• Rain that valued 3.8,2.8 cm occurred during successive term
sustainability of 4 hours and the amount of area on the 27 km2
and has produced the following hydrograph to flow in the
discharge basin points, Determine the excess rain and the value
of the index Ф?

Time start of rain

66 60 54 48 42 36 30 24 18 12 6 0 -6
) hr(
4.5 4.5 5 5 7 9 12 16 21 26 13 5 6 ) m3 / s ( discharge

• Solution
From the data in the table draw the hydrograph .

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‫•‬ ‫‪N = 0.83 (27) 0.2 = 1.6 day = 38 hr.‬‬

‫من خالل الرسم‪ ،‬طريقة الخط المستقيم تعطينا قيمة ثابتة للجريان القاعدي مقدارها ‪ 5‬م‪ /3‬ثا‬ ‫•‬
‫‪ ،‬إذن وقت الـ ‪ DRH‬الكلي من ‪ t = 0‬و لغاية ‪t = 48‬‬ ‫•‬

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• 5-5=0, 13-5=8
• Volume of DRH =
6*60*60[0.5*8+0.5(8+21)+0.5(21+16)+0.5(16+11)+0.5(11+7)+
• 0.5(7+4)+0.5(4+2)+0.5(2)]= 1.4904*106 m3
• Depth of DRH = Runoff vol./ Area = 1.4904*106 / 27*106 = 5.52
cm.‫))اــلمطراــلصافي‬Pnet
• Total Rainfall = 2.8 + 3.8 = 6.6 cm.
• Time of Duration = 8 hr.
• Ф index = (6.6 – 5.52) / 8 = 0.135 cm/hr.

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• H.W.
• Rain that valued 7 cm occurred during successive term
sustainability of 5 hours and the amount of area on the 29 km2
and has produced the following hydrograph to flow in the
discharge basin points, Determine the excess rain and the value
of the index Ф?

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 • UNIT HYDROGRAPH:
• is defined as the hydrograph of runoff resulting from an isolated
rainfall of some unit duration occurring uniformly over the entire
area of the catchment, produces a (unit volume for 1 cm) of runoff.
• Steps of unit hydrograph.
• Separate the base flow from the total runoff (by the well-known base
flow separation procedures).
• From the ordinates of the total runoff hydrograph deduct the
corresponding ordinates of base flow, to obtain the ordinates of
direct runoff.
• Divide the volume of direct runoff by the area of the drainage basin
to obtain the net rain depth over the basin.
• Divide each of the ordinates of direct runoff by the net rain depth to
obtain the ordinates of the unit hydrograph.
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 The steps for the derivation of unit hydrograph can be
formulated as follows :

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• Example: Determine peak hydrograph 3- UG standard hours, if
you learned that the peak hydrograph flood caused due to 3
hour rain is 270 m3/s, the rain depth rate equal to 5.9 cm,
suppose that losses rate equal to 0.3 cm/hour, the base flow
value constant and equal to 20 m3/s?
• Solution
• Pnet = 5.9 – 3*0.3 = 5 cm
• Peak for DRH = 270- 20 =250 m3/s
• Peak for 3-UH = 250/5= 50 m3/s /cm

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• APPLICATION OF UNIT HYDROGRAPH
• The application of unit hydrograph consists of two aspects:
• (i) From a unit hydrograph of a known duration to obtain a unit
hydrograph of the desired duration,
• (ii) From the unit hydrograph ,to obtain the flood hydrograph
corresponding to a single storm or multiple storms. For design
purposes, which with the help of unit hydrograph, gives a
design flood hydrograph.

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• Example / The successive three-hourly ordinates of a 6-hr UG for a
particular basin are 0,15, 36, 30, 17.5, 8.5, 3, 0 m3, respectively.
The flood peak observed due to a 6-hr storm was150 m3. Assuming
a constant base flow of 6 m3 and an average storm loss of 6 mm/hr,
determine the depth of storm rainfall and the stream flow at
successive 3 hr interval.

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• Example
• The design storm of a water shed has the depths of rainfall of 4.9
and 3.9 cm for the consecutive 1-hr periods. The 1-hr UG can be
approximated by a triangle of base 6 hr with a peak of 50 cumec
occurring after 2 hr from the beginning. Compute the flood
hydrograph assuming an average loss rate of 9 mm/hr and
constant base flow of 10 cumec. What its coefficient of runoff?

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• Solution
• (i) The flood hydrograph due to the two consecutive hourly
storms is computed in Table:

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• Example :The following information is coordinates 6 - hour
record for the collector hydrograph, calculate the direct runoff
hydrograph due to excess rain 3.5 cm, which occur during the
6-hour vertical coordinates?
Time (hr.) 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66

coordinate UH
0 25 50 85 125 160 185 160 110 60 36 25 16 8 0
(m3/s)

• Solution :
Time (hr.) 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66

coordinate UH (m3/s) 0 25 50 85 125 160 185 160 110 60 36 25 16 8 0

coordinate DRH (m3/s) 0 87.5 175 297.5 437.5 560 647.5 560 385 210 126 87.5 56 28 0

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• Example /rain storms for each 6-hour for them to increase their value in the
rain 3 and 2 cm alternately occurred one after the other, and that storm worth
2 cm rain occurred after storm 3 cm. Record hydrograph the collector and the
6-hour is given in the previous example. Compute the DRH output.
• Solution: time coordinate UH coordinate DRH – 3 cm coordinate DRH – 2 cm coordinate DRH – 5 cm

hr (m3/s) (m3/s) (m3/s) (m3/s)

0 0 0 0 0

6 50 150 0 150

12 125 375 100 475

18 185 555 250 805

24 160 480 370 850

30 110 330 320 550

36 60 180 220 400

42 36 108 120 228

48 25 75 72 147

54 16 48 50 98
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• Example: / Rain storm rate table below the collector in three successive
periods and 6-hour values were, respectively, 3.5, 7.5 and 5.5 cm. Loss of the
storm rain rate (index Ф) falling on the collector was guessed by 0.25 cm / hour.
Use a 6-hour time for the vertical coordinates of the unit hydrograph in the
table, direct runoff hydrograph. If the assumption that the runoff base flow
value is 15 m 3 / s at the beginning and increasingly 2m 3 / sec every 12 hours
until the end of the direct runoff hydrograph. Evaluated flood hydrograph
output?
Time (hr.) 0 6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66

coordinate UH
0 75 130 200 180 110 60 36 25 16 8 2.7
(m3/s)
Solution
: loess = 0.25* 6= 1.5 cm

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 flood
tim col. 2 *4
col. 2 *6 End coordinate hydrograph
coordinate UH col . 2 * 2 base flow
hr first 6 hr second 12 hr DRH (3+4+5)
)6+7(

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

0 0 0 0 0 0 15 15

6 50 100 0 0 100 15 115

12 125 250 300 0 550 15 565

18 185 370 750 200 1320 17 1337

24 160 320 1110 500 1930 17 1947

30 110 220 960 740 1920 17 1937

36 60 120 660 640 1420 19 1439

42 36 72 360 440 872 19 891

48 25 50 216 240 506 19 525

54 16 32 150 144 326 21 347

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60 8 16 96 100 212 21 233 26
• Unit Hydrograph Derivation :
• Is the process of finding a standard hydrograph coordinates By
dividing the coordinates of the DRH on the excess rain or( Pnet )
• The( Pnet) result from the summation of DRH multiply the time
and divided by area of basin .
• Example:
• The following information is coordinates hydrograph rain storm
basin of area of 432 km2 flow base value is 10 m3/s at the
beginning and increasingly 0.5 m3/ s every 12 hours until the end
of the direct runoff. Derive record hydrograph coordinates of 6
hours?

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 Coordinate of
Coordinate of storm
Time of storm Base flow hydrograph for 6 hr
Coordinate
)hr( )m3/s( DRH (m3/s) (m3/s)
)m /s(
3
( . col 4 ÷3 )
0 10 10 0 0
6 30 10 20 6.7
12 87.5 10.5 77 25.7
18 111.5 10.5 101 33.7
24 102.5 10.5 92 30.7
30 85 11 74 24.7
36 71 11 60 20
42 59 11 48 16
48 47.5 11.5 36 12
54 39 11.5 27.5 9.2
60 31.5 11.5 20 6.6
66 26 12 14 4.6
72 21.5 12 9.5 3.2
78
58717.5m3/s 12 5.5 1.8
Depth of DRH
84 = (587*6*3600)/
15 (423*10612.5
)= 3 cm 2.5 0.8
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90
Σ 12.5 12.5 0 0
• Example : The runoff data at a stream gauging station for a flood
are given below. the drainage area is 40 km2 the duration of rainfall
is 3 hours. Derive the 3-hour unit hydrograph for the basin and plot
the same.

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• Solution

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• Unit Hydrograph for Different Duration:
• There are several ways derivation standard hydrograph which sustainability
nD - an hour from a standard water scheme sustainability D - an hour, and
most important of these ways:
• Super Position Method .
• S - Curve Method .
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• Super Position Method .
• If the availability of a standard hydrograph who sustainability D - an hour
and was required is a derivative standard water scheme nD for - hour, where
n is an integer,
• Example (8) / information given is the Y-coordinates record hydrograph
sustainability 4 - hour, derived the y-coordinate is 12 - hour water
hydrograph record.

Time hr 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52
Y-coordinates record hydrograph 0 20 80 130 150 130 90 52 27 15 5 0 - -

• Solution : make table

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• S - Curve Method :
• This method is used if desired derivative record hydrograph
sustainability mD where m non an integer.
• Ex / Prepared solution of the previous example S curved way.
‫إحداثيات‬
‫الوقت‬ ‫إحداثيات‬ ‫ متخلف‬S ‫منحني‬
S ‫منحني‬ S‫منحني‬ 5 ‫ – عمود‬4 ‫عمود‬ )4/12( ÷ 6 ‫العمود‬
)‫(ساعة‬ UH-4 hr ‫ ساعة‬12 ‫بـ‬
(2+3)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0 0 0 0 - 0 0
4 20 0 20 - 20 6.7
8 80 20 100 - 100 33.3
12 130 100 230 0 230 76.7
16 150 230 380 20 360 120
20 130 380 510 100 410 136.7
24 90 510 600 230 370 123.3
28 52 600 652 380 272 90.7
32 27 652 679 510 169 56.3
36 15 679 694 600 94 31.3
01/28/202340 5 694 699 652 47 15.7 34
• Ex/ Vertical coordinates of hydrograph 4 - hour shown below. Use these
coordinates and derived hydrograph coordinates sustainability hydrograph 2 -
hour for the same basin by S - Curve Method .
‫إحداثيات‬ S ‫منحني‬
‫الوقت‬ ‫إحداثيات‬ )4/2( ÷ 6 ‫العمود‬
S ‫منحني‬ S‫منحني‬ 2 ‫متخلف بـ‬ 5 ‫ – عمود‬4 ‫عمود‬
)‫(ساعة‬ UH-4 hr )UH – 2hr (
(2+3) ‫ساعة‬
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0 0 - 0 - 0 0
2 8 - 8 0 8 16
4 12 0 20 8 12 24
6 31 8 51 20 31 62
8 49 20 100 51 49 98
10 61 51 161 100 61 122
12 69 100 230 161 69 138
14 77 161 307 230 77 154
16 73 230 380 307 73 146
18 119 307 449 380 69 138
20 61 380 510 449 61 122
22 51 449 561 510 51 102
01/28/2023 24 39 510 600 561 39 78 35
• Distribution percentages:
• The distribution shows the percentages of total unit hydrograph,
which occur during successive uniform time increments.
• The procedure of deriving the distribution graph is first to separate
the base flow from the total runoff .
• Example / Analysis of the DRO for a one day unit storm over a
basin for the following data: 18,96,120,82,47,25,12,and 2m3.
Determine the distribution graph percentages.

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• Example /
• Basin area of 200 hectares, the rainfall in three consecutive days and the depths of the rain
was the 7.5, 2 and 5 cm, respectively. the index rate Ф 2.5 cm / day, the distribution
percentage of surface runoff per day rainstorm that one day is 5,15, 40,25, 10,5. determine
the hydrograph of runoff ?
Distribution of ER (cm) runoff
time Rainfall ER distribution
Ф (cm/day)
(day) )cm( (cm) % percentages 5 0 2.5 cm m3 / s

1- 0 7.5 2.5 5 5 0.25     0.25 *0.0579

2- 1 2 2.5 0 15 0.75 0   0.75 0.1736
3–2 5 2.5 2.5 40 2 0 0.125 2.125 0.4919
4–3       25 1.25 0 0.375 1.625 0.3762
5–4       10 0.5 0 1 1.5 0.3472
6–5       5 0.25 0 0.625 0.875 0.2025
7–6       0 0 0 0.25 0.25 0.0579
8–7             0.125 0.125 0.0289
• ‫ ثا‬/9 2-‫ م‬8 23.148   = )60*60*  24 / 410 *200( = ‫واحد‬
  ‫السيح في يوم‬
    0 0 0

• 0.25 /100*(23.148) =0.0579 m3/s

01/28/2023 37
• APPLICATION OF UNIT HYDROGRAPH:
• The application of unit hydrograph consists of :
• (i) From a unit hydrograph of a known duration to obtain a unit
hydrograph of the demand duration, either by the S-curve
method or by the principle of superposition.
• (ii) From the unit hydrograph, so derived to obtain the flood
hydrograph corresponding to a single storm or multiple storms.
For design purposes, a design storm is assumed with the help of
unit hydrograph, gives a design flood hydrograph.

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• Example
• The 3-hr unit hydrograph ordinates for a basin are given below.
There was a storm, which commenced on July 15 at (6-hr ), which
was followed by another storm on July 16 at (12-hr). the amount of
rainfall on July 15 was 5.75 cm for first (3-hr ) and 3.75 cm for next
(3-hr) , and on July 16, 4.45 cm for all (12-hr). Assuming an average
loss of 0.25 cm/hr and 0.15 cm/hr for the two storms, respectively,
and a constant base flow of 10 m3. Determine the stream flow
hydrograph and peak flow .

01/28/2023 39
• Solution
• Since the duration of the UG is 3 hr, the 6-hr storm can be considered
as 2-unit storm .
• A net rain of 5.75 – 0.25 × 3 = 5 cm in the first 3-hr period and a net
rain of 3.75 – 0.25 × 3 = 3 cm in the next 3-hr period.
• The unit hydrograph ordinates are multiplied by the net rain of each
period by 3 hr. Similarly,
• Another unit storm by 12 hr (next day) produces a net rain of 4.45 –
0.15 × 3 = 4 cm which is multiplied by the UGO .
• Table show the rainfall excesses due to the three storms are added up
to get the total direct surface discharge ordinates.

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01/28/2023 41
• Example /Storm rainfalls of 3.2, 8.2 and 5.2 cm occur during
three successive hours over an area of 45 km2. The storm loss
rate is 1.2 cm/hr. The distribution percentages of successive
• hours are 5, 20, 40, 20, 10 and 5. Determine the stream flows
for successive hours assuming a constant base flow of 10 m3.
• Solution

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