Types of Water Pollution:

Surface Runoff

By:
Aleeza April Joibi
Khairul Faiq Aqillah
Nur Asmaa bt Saiful
Nurul Syazhierra bt Mahmud
INTRODUCTION
• Surface runoff (aka overland flow) is the flow of
water that occurs when excess stormwater,
meltwater, or other sources flows over the Earth’s
surface.
• Why -> Soil is saturated to full capacity (rain arrives
more quickly than soil can absorb it); impervious
areas, eg roofs and pavement send their runoff to
surrounding soil that cannot absorb all of it.
• Is a major component of the water cycle.
• Primary agent in soil erosion by water.
INTRODUCTION CONT.
• Runoff that occurs on the ground surface before
reaching a channel -> nonpoint source.
• If a nonpoint source contains man-made
contaminants, or natural forms of pollution
(such as rotting leaves) the runoff is called
nonpoint source pollution.
• A land area which produces runoff that drains to
a common point is called a drainage basin.
INTRODUCTION CONT~
• When runoff flows along the ground, it can pick
up soil contaminants, including (but not limited)
to petroleum, pesticides, or fertilizers, that
become discharge or nonpoint source pollution.
• In addition to causing water erosion and
pollution, surface runoff in urban areas is a
primary cause of urban flooding which can result
in property damage, damp and mold in
basements, and street flooding.
INTRODUCTION CONT~
• Meteorological factors affecting runoff:
1) Type of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, etc.)
2) Rainfall intensity
3) Rainfall amount
4) Rainfall duration
5) Distribution of rainfall over the watersheds
6) Direction of storm movement
7) Antecedent precipitation and resulting soil
moisture

• Other meteorological and climatic conditions that affect

evapotranspiration, such as temperature, wind, relative
humidity, and season.
INTRODUCTION CONT~
• Physical characteristics affecting runoff:
1) Land use
2) Vegetation
3) Soil type
4) Drainage area
5) Basin shape
6) Elevation
7) Slope
8) Topography
9) Direction of orientation
10)Drainage network patterns
11) Ponds, lakes, reservoirs, sinks, etc. in the basin, which
prevent or alter runoff from continuing downstream
CAUSES OF LAND RUNOFF
GENERATION OF SURFACE RUNOFF

Rainfall Snowfall

Melting of
Glaciers
snow
(in spring) (in summer)
 Causes of land runoff

Rate of rainfall exceed the rate of Soil is saturated and rain continues to
which water can enter the ground fall
 In Australia and Southern Africa,
there are extremely ancient soils
with roots that are deep enough
that they can absorb large amount
of rainfall to prevent land runoff.
 When runoff flows along the
ground, it can pick up soil
contaminants such as petroleum,
pesticides, or fertilizers that
become discharge.
 Surface runoff has the greatest
capacity to carry pollutants into the
water flow because on the surface,
it is in contact with the greatest
amount of pollutants.
LAND RUNOFF PROCESS
Usually because of rain or snow
SURFACE RUNOFF PROCESS
•Baseflow, or base runoff, is the long-term supply of water
that keeps at least some water in the stream even during
extended dry periods. Baseflow comes from water that
percolated down into deep storage.
•Infiltration is the downward movement of water through
the soil surface. While it is often used interchangeably with
percolation, percolation actually refers to movement of
water within soil, and infiltration specifically refers just to
the process of water entering a soil surface.
•Surface runoff is the movement of water across the soil
surface toward the stream channel.
•Interflow is the relatively rapid movement of water below
the soil surface toward the stream channel, typically within
72 hours of when water infiltrates the surface. This process
is more likely in areas with deep soil.
•Runoff, sometimes called quick response runoff, can
refer to surface runoff only, but sometimes it is the
combination of surface runoff plus interflow. Thus, it
typically represents the movement of water to the stream
channel that is not part of baseflow.
TYPES OF SURFACE RUNOFF

Infiltration excess overland flow occurs with soil that is not saturated. In fact, the
soil can be quite dry, but soil properties or land cover do not allow for infiltration to keep
up with high rainfall or snowmelt rates. (most often in areas with high clay content or
where the surface has been altered by soil compaction, urbanization, or fire.)
Saturation excess overland flow occurs when the soil becomes saturated and
there is no longer any space for water to infiltrate. This can occur even with soil that
would typically allow for large amounts of infiltration in sub-saturated conditions. (It is
most common with long-duration, gentle-to-moderate rainfall)
 • Precipitation may be in
the form of rain or snow.
• Precipitation
that penetrates the vegetation is referred to as
throughfall
EFFECTS OF LAND RUNOFF
EROSION
• Main types of soil erosion by water :
>Splash erosion
>Sheet erosion
>Rill erosion
>Gully erosion
SPLASH EROSION
Result of mechanical collision of raindrops with
the soil surface

SHEET EROSION
• Overland transport of sediment by runoff
without a well defined channel
RILL EROSION
 Soil surface roughness causes may cause runoff
to become concentrated into narrower flow
paths
 As these incise,the small but well-defined
channels which are formed
GULLY EROSION
• If runoff continue to incise and enlarge rills,they
may grow to become gullies.
• It can transport large amounts of eroded
material in a small time period

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
• Surface water
• Groundwater
• Soil
LAND RUNOFF GALLERY
 Q&A SESSION
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