CHAPTER 3

Quantitative
Hydrology

BASIN RECHARGE & RUNOFF

Basin Recharge / Infiltration Basin is used to
manage storm water runoff, prevent flooding and
downstream erosion, and improve water quality
in an adjacent river, stream, lake or bay.
Runoff is precipitation that did not get
(infiltrated) absorbed into the soil, or did not
evaporate, and therefore made its way from the
ground surface into places that water collect.

 COMPONENTS OF RUNOFF
Total Runoff
Direct Runoff

Surface runoff
(Overland Flow)
(interflow)

Baseflow

Prompt sub- Delayed subsurface runoff surface runoff

Ground water
runoff

 Direct runoff is made up of overland flow or

surface runoff and that parts of infiltration which
flows laterally though the unsaturated zone of
soil mass and join the stream flow.
Base flow is made up of groundwater
contribution and that portion of infiltration which
moves laterally but joins the stream flow quite
late after the precipitation has stopped.
Rainfall excess is the total rainfall which
produces surface runoff.

 Total rainfall = Rainfall excess + losses

Where: losses includes interception, infiltration,
evaporation, depression storage etc.
Effective rainfall = Rainfall excess + x
Where x is that portion of rainfall which appears
in the stream as prompt subsurface runoff.
Direct runoff = Surface runoff
Effective rainfall = Rainfall excess

RUNOFF HYDROGRAPH ANALYSIS

Hydrograph of a stream is a graphical representation of
the discharge variations arranged corresponding to the
time.
It is a graph of discharge versus time.

 Phases of Hydrograph:
First phase indicates minimum flow or dry
condition.
Second phase indicates initial period of rainfall.
Third phase represents quick rising trend of the
hydrograph due to setting in of rainy days.
Fourth phase represents sudden rise in river
flows with falling rain.
Fifth phase starts after rainy season is over.

HYDROGRAPH ANALYSIS
In hydrologic analysis, many times
hydrographs resulting from isolated periods of
rainfall are to be studied and analyzed to
calculate volume of runoff.
The runoff hydrograph is the sum total of three
components:
a. Surface runoff (overland flow)
b. Subsurface runoff (inter flow)
c. Groundwater runoff or base flow.

 Five Parts of Simple Hydrograph

a. Approach segment (1 2)
b. Rising limb (2-3)
c. Crest segment (3 4) with peak at P
d. Falling limb (4-5)
e. Departure segment (5 6)

 Separation of Base Flow

 A simple way to separate base flow from direct

runoff is to draw a straight line from point (2) to
an arbitrary point (5) on the lower portion of the
recession or falling limb of the hydrograph. The
separation line is shown by dotted line (i).
While drawing the line care should be taken to
assure that neither the separation line is too long
nor it rises too high. Within these constraints a
reasonable line can be fitted arbitrarily to
separate the base flow.

 As a rough guide in selecting the point (5) on the

lower portion of the recession limb at which direct
runoff stops and beyond which only ground water
runoff exists following equation may be used:
N = 0.8 A0.2
Where:
N is number of days after the peak of the
hydrograph has occurred
A is drainage area in sq. km.

 Unit Hydrograph
It is a typical hydrograph of direct runoff which
gets generated from one centimeter of effective
rainfall falling at a uniform rate over the entire
drainage basin uniformly during a specific
duration. Effective rainfall is that portion of
rainfall which fully contributes towards direct
runoff. Therefore, unit hydrograph can also be
defined as the hydrograph of a drainage basin
which gives one centimeter of direct runoff from
a rain storm of specific duration.

 Assumptions in Unit Hydrograph Theory:

(i) The effective rainfall is uniformly distributed over the
entire drainage basin.
(ii) The effective rainfall occurs uniformly within its specified
duration.
(iii) The effective rainfalls of equal (unit) duration will produce
hydrographs of direct runoff having same or constant time
base.
(iv)The ordinates of the direct runoff hydrographs having
same time base are directly proportional to the total amount
of direct runoff given by each hydrograph.
(v) The hydrograph of runoff from a given drainage basin
resulting, from a given pattern of rainfall reflects all the
combined physical characteristics of the basin.

 Construction of Unit Hydrograph

The construction of unit hydrograph can be
accomplished in the following steps:
1. From the past rainfall records select an
isolated intense storm-rainfall of specific or unit
duration.
2. For this storm using Tsohyetal or Thiessen
polygon method calculate average depth of
precipitation over the drainage basin.
3. Using (SRRG) self recording rain gauge data
of all the available stations plot mass curves of
rainfall for this storm and obtain, average mass
curve of rainfall.

 4. From the average mass curve of rainfall

construct hyetograph. To construct hyetograph
incremental rainfall quantities during successive
units of time are obtained from the mass curve.
The average depths of rainfall per unit of time are
then plotted on ordinate against time as abscissa.
5. Using stage hydrograph and stage-discharge
relationship obtain a complete discharge
hydrograph (covering some time before as well
as after the storm) at the drainage outlet for the
selected storm.

 6. If the recession limb is not smooth and

contains bumps, make recession limb smooth or
normal by removing the bumps.
7. Separate the base flow from total storm
hydrograph using suitable empirical method.
8. Subtracting the base flow components plot and
obtain ordinates of direct runoff hydrograph.
9. Either by planimeter or by mathematical
calculations find out the volume .of the direct
runoff.

 10. Convert this volume into cm of runoff over the

catchment area.
For example:
Volume of direct runoff = Area within the hydrograph =
Ordinates x t = 0 x t
Where
Ordinates = Sum of the ordinates of direct runoff
hydrograph at equal time interval
t = Time interval between successive ordinates
To get volume of runoff in m3, ordinates have to be
converted in cumec and time interval in seconds.
This volume can be converted into cm of runoff by dividing
the same by the area of the drainage basin m2 x 100.
Depth of direct runoff = Effective rainfall

 11. The duration of effective rainfall of the storm of

specific or unit duration is determined by drawing a
horizontal line on the hyetograph in such a way
that the area of the hyetograph above the
horizontal line is equal to the volume of direct
runoff. Obviously the area below the horizontal line
gives the abstractions. This is an arbitrary method.
For elaborate analysis infiltration indexes and
curves will have to be used.
12. Measure the ordinates of direct runoff
hydrograph.

 13. Divide these ordinates of direct runoff

hydrograph by the obtained depth of runoff in cm
to get ordinate of unit hydrograph.
Mathematically,
Ordinate of direct runoff hydrograph =
Ordinate of direct runoff hydrograph/Depth of
direct runoff in cm
14. Plot these ordinates against uniform and the
same time interval as the one used in direct runoff
hydrograph to get unit hydrograph.

 Problem in Unit Hydrograph

On a drainage basin of 400 km2 size 8 hours storm was
selected for construction of unit hydrograph.
The rainfall increments observed from the average mass
curve of the storm rainfall are as given in Table A below:
Table A
Date

July 9

Time
(hours)

800
to
1000

1000
to
1200

1400
to
1600

Rainfall
increment
(cm)

1.07

3.90

1.09

Assume average loss rate of 1cm/hr for calculating effective

rainfall.

 The ordinates of the observed hydrograph and base flow

are as given in Table B.
Table B
Date

Time
(hours)

Hydrograph
Ordinate
(cumec)

Base flow
Ordinate
(cumec)

July 9

0800
1200
1600
2000
2400

4
93
237
301
234

4.0
3.5
3.0
20
3.0

July 10

0400
0800
1200
1600
2000
2400

97.5
41
22
11
6
4

3.5
4.0
4.0
4.0
4.0
4.0