Lecture 7-Stormwater Flow Estimation

Course: Sewage Treatment & Disposal
Course Code: COTM – 3141
Lec. 7: Estimation of the design flow rates of stormwater runoff
Program: B.Sc (Construction Technology & Management)
By: Dr. Dagnachew A.

Chair of Infrastructure Design & Design
16 April 2019
Lecture contents
Estimation of the design flow rates of stormwater runoff
Examples
Question & answer

What is Stormwater?
Stormwater is rainwater turned into
runoff after it touches rooftops, streets,
parking lots, lawns … etc.
Or it is that portion of precipitation
which flows over the ground during and a
short time after a storm.
Stormwater quantity depends on:
1. Surface drainage area (ha)
2. Rainfall intensity (mm/h)
3. The condition of surface (runoff

co-efficinet, C)
Factors Affecting the Quantity of Stormwater
The quantity of stormwater reaching to the drains is very large as
compared with sanitary sewage.
The factors affecting the quantity of stormwater flow are as below:
Area of the catchment
Slope and shape of the catchment area
Porosity of the soil
Obstruction in the flow of water as trees, fields, gardens, etc.
Initial state of catchment area with respect to wetness.
Intensity and duration of rainfall
Atmospheric temperature and humidity
Number and size of ditches present in the area

Stormwater runoff computation
Stormwater runoff computation methods
attempt to mathematically reproduce or
simulate the hydrologic cycle.
They treat rainfall as an input, converting it into
estimates of resultant runoff volume and/or
rate.
There are certain characteristics of both the
rainfall event & the area upon which it falls that
can influence the resulting runoff, including:
1. High intensity rainfall will generally produce a greater peak discharge than a rainfall
that occurs over a longer time period.
2. Highly porous or permeable soils that can rapidly infiltrate rainfall generally
produce less runoff volume than soils with more restrictive infiltration.
3. Dense vegetation such as woodland intercepts and help infiltrates rainfall, thereby
reducing runoff volumes and rates.
4. Conversely, impervious areas such as roadways and rooftops prevent infiltration and
increase runoff volumes and rates.
5. Drainage areas with shorter times of concentration will have higher peak runoff
rates than those with a longer Tc.
Stormwater runoff estimation
Rational Method
This method is used to determine stormwater flow (Q),
m3/s,
It can be applied anywhere, up to 75 ha.
Q=C*I*A
Where ;
I = Rainfall intensity (mm/hr)
C = runoff coefficient
A = catchment Area (ha)
Runoff coefficient, C
The runoff coefficient depends upon the porosity of soil cover,
wetness and ground cover.
The overall runoff coefficient, Weighted Average C, for the

catchment area can be worked out as follows:
Rainfall Intensity – Duration Relation
Empirical formulae for rainfall intensities
These relationships between rainfall intensity and duration are developed
based on long term experience in field (Figure, below).
For instance, in Indian, intensity of rainfall for design is usually b/n the
range 12 mm/h to 20 mm/h.
In general, the empirical relationship has the following forms:
I = a/ (t + b)n
Where;
a, b & n = regional constants
IDF curves
Time of concentration
It is the time required for the stormwater runoff to flow from the most remote
part of the drainage area to the point under design/outlet.
Time of concentration for B = inlet

time PA + flow time AB
tc = ti + tf
Inlet Time, Ti
It is the time required for the rain in falling on the most
remote point of the tributary area to flow across the
round surface along the natural drains or gutters up to
inlet of sewer is called inlet time.
It can be computed using the following equation:
Ti = [0.885 *L3/H]0.385
Ti = Time of inlet, minute

L = Length of overland flow in Kilometer from critical
point to mouth of drain
H = Total fall of level from the critical point to mouth of
drain, meter
Example 1
Time of flow (tf ):

Rainfall coefficient, C
It requires greatest exercise of judgment by engineer (LU-LC)
It is an assumed constant, actually variable with time
It is a function of infiltration capacity, interception by vegetation,
depression storage, evapo-transpiration for each drainage area.

Example 2
Determine the stormwater discharge for a certain neighborhood. The
catchment area is 100 hectares and the average coefficient of runoff is
0.60. The time of concentration for the design rainfall is 30 min and the
relation between intensity of rainfall and duration is I = 1000/(t + 20).
Solution:
Estimation of storm water discharge
Intensity of rainfall, I = 1000/(t + 20)
Therefore, I = 1000/(30 + 20) = 20 mm/h
Hence, storm water runoff, Q = C.I.A/360
= 0.6 x 20 x 100/(360) = 3.33 m3/sec
Example 3
The catchment area is of 300 hectares. The surface cover in the
catchment can be classified as:
Calculate the runoff coefficient and quantity of storm water runoff, if

intensity of rainfall is 30 mm/h for rain with duration equal to time of
concentration.
Solution:
Stormwater discharge estimation:
Stormwater runoff management, SWM
Objective of SWM:
to minimize the adverse effects of development by mimicking,
as closely as possible, the runoff characteristics of the site in its
undeveloped state.
These characteristics include:
Moderation of runoff peak flows and volumes to minimize downstream
erosion and damage to in-stream aquatic habitat.
Removal of pollutants such as sediment, nutrients, pathological bacteria
and heavy metals.
Infiltration of rainfall to replenish the water table and provide stable base
flow to streams.
Channel Geometry
The Manning’s Equation is the model of choice for determining the cross-section
for a trapezoidal stormwater channel.
It is applicable where:
Stormwater is flowing under the influences of gravity, and
Flow is steady – it does not vary with time (Although discharge does vary
during the passage of a flood wave, it is essentially steady during the time
around the peak, the time of interest in channel design.
Q = A * V = A * ( 1/n * R2/3 * S1/2)

Where: Q = Peak discharge to the channel (m3/s)
n = Manning roughness coefficient (dimensionless)
A = Cross-sectional area of flow (m2), the area through
which flow takes place (see below)
R = Hydraulic radius (m), found by dividing cross-sectional area, A, by
wetted perimeter, P (see below)
S = Longitudinal slope of the invert of the channel (m/m).
Individual Assignment 2 (10%)
Submission: 30.4.2019
Thank you so much for your attention

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Course: Sewage Treatment & Disposal

Course Code: COTM – 3141

Lec. 7: Estimation of the design flow rates of stormwater runoff

Program: B.Sc (Construction Technology & Management)

By: Dr. Dagnachew A.

Estimation of the design flow rates of stormwater runoff

Question & answer

Stormwater quantity depends on:

1. Surface drainage area (ha)

2. Rainfall intensity (mm/h)

3. The condition of surface (runoff

The factors affecting the quantity of stormwater flow are as below:

Area of the catchment

Slope and shape of the catchment area

Porosity of the soil

Obstruction in the flow of water as trees, fields, gardens, etc.

Initial state of catchment area with respect to wetness.

Intensity and duration of rainfall

Atmospheric temperature and humidity

Number and size of ditches present in the area

The overall runoff coefficient, Weighted Average C, for the

Time of concentration for B = inlet

Ti = Time of inlet, minute

Time of flow (tf ):

It is an assumed constant, actually variable with time

It is a function of infiltration capacity, interception by vegetation,

depression storage, evapo-transpiration for each drainage area.

Calculate the runoff coefficient and quantity of storm water runoff, if

Q = A * V = A * ( 1/n * R2/3 * S1/2)

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