De La Salle University

Gokongwei College of Engineering

Civil Engineering Department

Experiment No. 2
Rainfall- Run-off Relationship: Effect of Moisture in Soil

Name and ID No. : Barcelona, Jeann Patrick B. (11826126)

Dimasuay, Albert Miguel C. (11836008)
Felix, Francine Kyle Chloe G. (11847891)
Rieta, Ron Michael (11818611)
Robles, Ethan Patrick (11826231)

Day and Time: Thursday 9:15 - 12:15 Section: EH1

Professor: Engr. Joenel G. Gulapino Date Performed: October 3, 2019

CRITERIA RATING

1. The methodology and experimental set-up were described in detail.

2. The data were presented properly using tables/graphs.

3. The analysis of data and conclusions were sound and correct.

4. The theoretical equations were derived completely and used correctly.

5. The report used correct grammar & tense and presented in the proper format.

Score

Remarks:

I. Introduction
 As we all know Soil moisture is one of the most important variables in climate
change. Knowing and forecasting changes in surface temperature, rainfall, drought, floods
and other future climate change effects, it is highly based on information of soil moisture
variations. Soil moisture is the water stored in the soil and is affected by precipitation,
temperature, soil characteristics, and more. In hydrology, we study the principle of
occurence, circulation and distribution of water of the earth and it is greatly concerned
about the different stages of hydrologic cycle such as rainfall and runoff.

Rainfall basically is the principal form of precipitation in the form of water drops
of sizes larger than 5 mm. Run-off on the other hand is the draining or flowing off of
precipitation from a catchment area through a surface channel. The relationship of those
two stages of water cycle will be the focus of this activity analyzing different methods to
determine the rainfall-runoff formula.

II. Review of Related Literature (Chloe)

Rainfall-runoff process, as it determines many of the characteristics of a landscape

and the occurrence and size of floods is an important component of hydrological cycles,
and thus, understanding and modeling it is essential in many flood and water resources
problems (Tarboton, 2003) (as cited in Zhao et al., 2014).

The runoff generation is highly affected by several factors such as soil infiltration,
rainfall quantity and timing, and slope and soil properties (Zhao & Wu, 2015).

One of the simplest rainfall–runoff formulas is the Rational Method, which relates
peak runoff to rainfall intensity through a proportionality factor. It can provide satisfactory
estimates of peak discharge and thus allows for the prediction of peak flow Qp (cfs) for
sizing and designing systems, including storm drains, pipe systems, culverts, and open
channels in small urban areas, watersheds and catchments of up to 80 hectares and where
storage effects are insignificant (Department of Irrigation and Drainage, 2017).

On the other hand, for larger catchments and watersheds, where storage and timing
effects become significant, the hydrograph method is usually needed.

The hydrograph, a plot of flow rate vs. time that is measured at a stream cross
section, is made up primarily of various contributing flows such as the base flow produced
from soil moisture. The actual shape and timing of the hydrograph is determined largely
by the size, shape, slope, and storage in the basin and by the intensity and duration of input
rainfall (Bedient, Huber, & Vieux, 2013).

The runoff coefficient accounts for the integrated effects of rainfall interception,
infiltration, depression storage and depends on rainfall intensity, duration and catchment
characteristics. During a rainstorm, the actual runoff coefficient increases as the soil
becomes saturated. Based on The Urban Stormwater Management Manual for Malaysia
from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (2017), the greater the rainfall intensity,
 the lesser the relative effect of rainfall losses on the peak discharge, and therefore the
greater the runoff coefficient.

Several factors such as precipitation, base flow, soil characteristics, slope of the
land, and soil saturation affect infiltration. Horton's equation is widely used for describing
infiltration capacity in a soil such that there is a decrease in capacity as more water is
absorbed by the soil (adapted from The Urban Stormwater Management Manual for
Malaysia from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, 2017)

There are several studies made on soil moisture and runoff generation. Penna et al.
(2011) conducted one of these studies, specifically on the critical role exerted by near-
surface soil moisture on runoff generation which revealed that a sharp threshold exists in
the relationship between soil water content and runoff coefficient, streamflow, and
hillslope-averaged depth to water table. Their study revealed the relationship between
antecedent soil moisture at 0–30 cm and the runoff coefficients is strongly non-linear and
allowed the identification of a soil moisture threshold value of approximately 45% above
which runoff significantly increased.

Their study was consistent with the early works by Western and Grayson (1998)
(as cited in Penna et al., 2011) in the Tarrawarra catchment, in South-eastern Australia,
which clearly showed that surface runoff was a threshold process controlled by catchment
wetness conditions, with runoff coefficients abruptly increasing when a certain moisture
threshold was exceeded. Other investigations on hillslopes and experimental catchments
have revealed the occurrence of threshold relations between soil moisture and water table
variations (Peters et al., 2003; Latron & Gallart, 2008) (as cited in Penna et al., 2011),
highlighting the critical role of wetness conditions on surface and subsurface runoff
generation.

III. Experimental Results and Calculations

Table 1 - Waterboys

Condition (Saturated and Inclined)

RAINFALL STREAM RUN-OFF STORAGE

T(min) R(L/min) dRV(L) RV(L) Q(Lpm) dQV(L) QV(L) dS(L)

0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0

0.5 10 5 5 1.736 0.434 0.434 4.566

1.0 10 5 10 2.605 1.085 1.519 8.481

1.5 10 5 15 3.183 1.447 2.966 12.034

2.0 10 5 20 3.618 1.700 4.667 15.333

2.5 10 5 25 5.209 2.207 6.873 18.127

3.0 10 5 30 8.393 3.400 10.274 19.726

3.5 10 5 35 9.840 4.558 14.832 20.168

4.0 10 5 40 10.418 5.065 19.896 20.104

4.5 10 5 45 12.444 5.716 25.612 19.388

5.0 10 5 50 11.287 5.933 31.545 18.455

5.5 0 0 50 8.103 4.847 36.392 13.608

6.0 0 0 50 4.920 3.256 39.648 10.352

6.5 0 0 50 4.341 2.315 41.963 8.037

7.0 0 0 50 4.052 2.098 44.061 5.939

7.5 0 0 50 3.762 1.953 46.015 3.985

8.0 0 0 50 3.473 1.809 47.823 2.177

8.5 0 0 50 3.183 1.664 49.487 0.513

9.0 0 0 50 2.605 1.447 50.934 -0.934

9.5 0 0 50 2.605 1.302 52.237 -2.237

 10.0 0 0 50 2.026 1.158 53.394 -3.394

10.5 0 0 50 2.026 1.013 54.407 -4.407

11.0 0 0 50 2.026 1.013 55.420 -5.420

Table 2 - Chingchongs

Condition (Saturated and Inclined)

RAINFALL STREAM RUN-OFF STORAGE

T(min) R(L/min) dRV(L) RV(L) Q(Lpm) dQV(L) QV(L) dS(L)

0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0

0.5 10 5 5 2.315 `0.579 0.579 4.421

1.0 10 5 10 2.315 1.158 1.737 8.263

1.5 10 5 15 2.315 1.158 2.895 12.105

2.0 10 5 20 2.315 1.158 4.053 15.947

2.5 10 5 25 2.605 1.230 5.283 19.717

3.0 10 5 30 3.183 1.447 6.730 23.270

 3.5 10 5 35 3.473 1.664 8.394 26.606

4.0 10 5 40 3.762 1.809 10.203 29.797

4.5 10 5 45 4.052 1.954 12.157 32.843

5.0 10 5 50 4.341 2.098 14.255 35.745

5.5 0 0 50 4.341 2.171 16.426 33.574

6.0 0 0 50 4.341 2.171 18.597 31.403

6.5 0 0 50 4.052 2.098 20.695 29.305

7.0 0 0 50 4.052 2.026 22.721 27.279

7.5 0 0 50 3.762 1.954 24.675 25.325

8.0 0 0 50 3.762 1.881 26.556 23.444

8.5 0 0 50 3.183 1.736 28.292 21.708

9.0 0 0 50 2.894 1.519 29.811 20.189

9.5 0 0 50 2.315 1.302 31.113 18.887

10.0 0 0 50 2.315 1.158 32.271 17.729

Table 3 - Boboles

Condition (Saturated and Inclined)

RAINFALL STREAM RUN-OFF STORAGE

T(min) R(L/min) dRV(L) RV(L) Q(Lpm) dQV(L) QV(L) dS(L)

0 10 0 0 0 0 0
0

0.5 10 5 5 1.59 0.3975 0.3975 4.6025

1.0 10 5 10 2.023 0.9033 1.3008 8.6992

1.5 10 5 15 2.457 1.12 2.4208 12.5792

2.0 10 5 20 2.89 1.337 3.7578 16.2422

2.5 10 5 25 3.468 1.59 5.3478 19.6522

3.0 10 5 30 3.93 1.85 7.1978 22.8022

3.5 10 5 35 6.358 2.572 9.7698 25.2302

4.0 10 5 40 9.104 3.866 13.6358 26.3642

4.5 10 5 45 10.086 4.798 18.4338 26.5662

5.0 10 5 50 11.271 5.339 23.7728 26.2272

5.5 0 0 50 8.867 5.035 28.8078 21.1922

6.0 0 0 50 5.202 3.517 32.3248 17.6752

6.5 0 0 50 2.421 34.7458 15.2542

4.48

7.0 0 0 50 2.189 36.9348 13.0652

4.277

7.5 0 0 50 2.081 39.0158 10.9842

4.046

8.0 0 0 50 1.843 40.8588 9.1412

3.324

8.5 0 0 50 1.626 42.4848 7.5152

3.179
 9.0 0 0 50 1.582 44.0668 5.9332
3.15

9.5 0 0 50 1.438 45.5048 4.4952

2.601

10.0 0 0 50 1.228 46.7328 3.2672

2.312

10.5 0 0 50 2.023 1.084 47.8168 2.1832

11.0 0 0 50 1.965 0.997 48.8138 1.1862

11.5 0 0 50 1.734 0.925 49.7388 0.2612

Table 4 - Waterpuffs

Condition (Saturated and Inclined)

RAINFALL STREAM RUN-OFF STORAGE

T(min) R(L/min) dRV(L) RV(L) Q(Lpm) dQV(L) QV(L) dS(L)

0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0

0.5 10 5 5 1.445 0.361 0.361 4.639

1.0 10 5 10 1.445 0.723 1.084 8.916

1.5 10 5 15 1.590 0.759 1.843 13.157

2.0 10 5 20 2.023 0.903 2.746 17.254

2.5 10 5 25 2.312 1.084 3.83 21.17

3.0 10 5 30 3.035 1.337 5.167 24.833

 3.5 10 5 35 3.468 1.626 6.793 28.207

4.0 10 5 40 6.936 2.601 9.394 30.606

4.5 10 5 45 10.115 4.263 13.657 31.343

5.0 10 5 50 9.537 4.913 18.57 31.430

5.5 0 0 50 8.959 4.624 23. 194 26.806

6.0 0 0 50 4.913 3.468 26.662 23.338

6.5 0 0 50 4.335 2.312 28.974 21.026

7.0 0 0 50 3.757 2.023 30.997 19.003

7.5 0 0 50 3.468 1.806 32.803 17.197

8.0 0 0 50 3.179 1.662 34.465 15.535

8.5 0 0 50 2.890 1.517 35.982 14.018

9.0 0 0 50 2.457 1.337 37.319 12.681

9.5 0 0 50 2.168 1.156 38.475 11.525

10.0 0 0 50 1.879 1.012 39.487 10.513

10.5 0 0 50 1.734 0.903 40.39 9.610

11.0 0 0 50 1.734 0.867 41.257 8.743

11.5 0 0 50 1.734 0.867 42.124 7.876

Table 6 - Summary of Results

 Waterboys
Initial Moisture = 60 mm
Duration = 11 mins
Slope = 20 degrees

Units Condition 1 Condition 2

(Saturated)

Characteristics Saturated Inclined Dry Inclined

Settings

Volume of Rainfall liter 50 50

Volume of Runoff liter 55.420

Coefficient of Runoff 1.108

Peak Flows Lpm

Time to Peak min 5 5

Time to Runoff min

Shape of Rising Limb Flat / steep Steep Steep

Shape of Falling Flat / steep Steep Steep

Limb

Other
Characteristics

Slope of Watershed mm / 2m 30 mm OR 20 30 mm OR 20

Interflow Component Pres. / Absent Present Present

Rainfall Pattern Direction Uniform Uniform

Moisture Condition Dry / Wet

Impervious Layer Pres. / Absent Present Present

IV. Analysis and Discussion

Based on given procedures that were provided for the researchers of this
experiment, the readings on the depth of water were collected from the apparatus that has
a 60 millimeter moisture on the Piezometer. These readings were taken every thirty
seconds while simultaneously providing rainfall on the apparatus for 5 minutes. Readings
were also taken every thirty seconds after closing the valve providing rainfall on the
apparatus until three readings of the same value were recorded which gives a value of 7
millimeters.

According to the readings that were recorded, there is a systematic increase of

values ranging from 1.5 mm - 11 mm given a span of five minutes. This span of five
minutes is referred to as the lag time wherein base flow of water increases. In this lag
time, at the 4.5 minute mark contains the peak of the base flow which had a reading of 43
millimeters on the piezometer. However, at the fifth minute and sixth minute period,
there is a large sudden decrease of 22 millimeter of height or depth of water. Despite the
behavior that is observed in the given graph of Waterboys, according to the table the total
rainfall that was collected in the span of 5 minutes during the experiment is 50 litres
while the total runoff that was collected under 5 minutes given the initial moisture, 60
mm, is 55.420 litres. Hence the coefficient of runoff given the equation produces a value
of 1.108.
 Despite the table and data gathered from Waterboys, there are similarities and
differences between the data of all the other groups present in this experiment. Given the
data gathered, it can be seen that there are major differences in the total runoff and hence,
a difference in the coefficient of runoff. This may be due to the varying initial moistures
that were assigned to each group despite the constant total rainfall and slope of
inclination among all the group’s data. This implies that the moisture content of a soil
may be considered an influential factor for determining the coefficient of runoff and total
volume of runoff in a certain watershed.

V. Conclusion and Recommendations

The experiment showed that the moisture content of the soil is an important factor
in determining the coefficient of runoff and total volume of runoff since the total rainfall
and slope of inclination among all the groups are constant.

VI. References

Bedient, P., Huber, W. and Vieux, B. (2013). Hydrology and Flood Plain Analysis, 5th
Edition. England: Pearson Education Limited

Department of Irrigation and Drainage. (2017). Urban Stormwater Management Manual

for Malaysia. Retrieved from
https://www.water.gov.my/jps/resources/auto%20download%20images/5846466de
8441.pdf

Infiltration and the water cycle. (n.d.). In USGS US Department of the Interior. Retrieved
from https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/infiltration-
and-water-cycle?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

Penna, D., Tromp-van Meerveld, H. J., Gobbi A., Borga, M., and Dalla Fontana, G. (2011).
The Influence of Soil Moisture on Threshold Runoff Generation Processes in an
Alpine Headwater Catchment. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 689–702, 2011
www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/15/689/2011/ doi:10.5194/hess-15-689-2011

Zhao, L. and Wu, F. (2015). Simulation of Runoff Hydrograph on Soil Surfaces with
Different Microtopography Using a Travel Time Method at the Plot Scale. PloS one,
10(6), e0130794. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0130794

Zhao, N., Yu, F., Li, C., Wang, H., Liu, J., and Mu, W. (2014). Investigation of Rainfall-
Runoff Processes and Soil Moisture Dynamics in Grassland Plots under Simulated
Rainfall Conditions. Water, 6, 2671-2689; doi:10.3390/w6092671. ISSN 2073-4441