HYDROLOGY

CE 332

RUN-OFF ANALYSIS
UNIT 4

Members:

Alday, Magic Jhondon

Garcia , Gian Kylix

Chico, Marc Domenic

Labonete, Cyrell Mico

Ferreras, Jayson

Mudlong, Excel Raven

Paez, Patricia Gizelle

Parena, Kint Jefferson

Refe, Allen Justine

Engr. Erich Ken Franco Domingo

Professor

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I. Introduction of runoff
Runoff refers to the movement of water over the Earth's surface, typically as a
result of precipitation. When rain or snow falls, it can't always be absorbed by the soil
or vegetation. Excess water then flows over the land, either directly into rivers, streams,
and other water bodies or into stormwater drainage systems.
Several factors influence runoff, including the intensity and duration of
precipitation, soil type, land cover, and slope. Impermeable surfaces, such as pavement
and concrete, can increase runoff by preventing water from infiltrating into the ground.
On the other hand, vegetation and permeable soils tend to absorb more water, reducing
runoff.
Runoff plays a crucial role in the Earth's hydrological cycle, impacting water
availability, erosion, and the overall health of ecosystems. It also contributes to the
formation of watersheds, where the flow of water is directed towards a common outlet,
such as a river or lake. Understanding and managing runoff is essential for addressing
issues like flooding, water quality, and sustainable water resource management.
II. Types of Runoff
There are two types of surface runoff that occur during rainfall or snowmelt.

a. 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.

b. 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.

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III. Runoff process
a. Infiltration - is the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil.
b. Percolation - Is the movement of water within the soil.
c. Baseflow - is the movement of groundwater below the water table and towards a
stream, river, or ocean. It takes countless years for gravity to push water far down into
the soil and porous rocks of Earth's subsurface layer.
d. Interflow - refers to the horizontal flow of water below the ground's surface, but
above the water table. Such type of runoff occurs during torrential rains and rapid
snowmelt.
e. Surface runoff - includes all water flowing downhill over the surface of land via
spontaneously formed channels. These channels will reach a creek, stream, or river
and eventually flow into a pond, lake, or ocean. Surface runoff occurs whenever the
soil is saturated with water and cannot absorb any more moisture, such as during a
flash flood or rapid snow melt. Surface runoff also occurs when water settles on
impervious surfaces, such as concrete driveways and asphalt covered roads, before
flowing into storm sewers.

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f. Infiltration capacity - the maximum rate of infiltration. It is most often measured
in meters per day but can also be measured in other units of distance over time if
necessary. The infiltration capacity decreases as the soil moisture content of soils
surface layers increases.
g. Precipitation rate - is the rate of Precipitation in a given period of time.

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IV. Factors Affecting Runoff
1.Precipitation characteristics
2.Shape and size of the catchment
3.Topography
4.Geological characteristics
5.Meteorological characteristics
6.Character of the catchment surface
7.Storage characteristics
V. Climate Factors in Runoff Water
The effects regarding runoff water is affected by various factors, one of which is the
climate condition. The flow and behavior of runoff water depends on the temperature,
precipitation, wind, and many more factors to be considered. These factors include:
Types of Precipitation
• Precipitation can be in the form of rain, sleet, or snow.
• Precipitation usually occurs as rainfall and its starts immediately as
surface runoff depending on the intensity of rain
• If it is in the form of snow, then it does not result as surface runoff.

Rainfall Intensity
• It is the ratio of the total amount of rain falling during a given period to
the duration of the rain.
• When the intensity of rain is greater than the infiltration rate of the soil,
then runoff starts immediately after rainfall
• If the rainfall has low intensity, then runoff starts at a later time.
• We can conclude that higher intensity of rain produces higher runoff rate.
• Intense rainfall has greater than 100mm in 24 hours

Duration of Rainfall
• The duration is directly related to the volume of runoff because the
infiltration rate of soil decreases with the duration of rainfall.
• Medium intensity rainfall results in considerable amount of runoff, if
precipitation has longer duration.
• So, more time duration yields greater runoff water.

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 Rainfall Distribution
• Runoff from watershed entirely depends on the distribution of rainfall.
• It is also expressed as “distribution coefficient”, meaning it is the ratio
of runoff to rainfall. A function of watershed characteristics including
land use, soil type, and the slope of the watershed. The value of runoff
coefficient ranges between 0 and 1.0.
• Areas located near the outlet of watershed produces more runoff.

Direction of Prevailing Wind

• The rainfall intercepted by walls flows directly into the drainage system,
yielding less infiltration.
• If the wind is moving to the direction of the steam slope, it produces a
higher peak in a shorter amount of time than a wind moving in the
opposite direction.

PHYSIOGRAPHIC FACTORS

1. Size of Basin:
- a larger watershed drains runoff to the outlet more slowly than a smaller one.
2. Shape of Basin:
- Shape of watershed has a major impact on runoff.

Two types of shape:

a. Fan shape - likely to generate more runoff very quickly.
b. Fern shape - often cause a decrease in runoff.

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3. Topography of the basin:
- Runoff may also be affected by topographic factors. Because of its slope and short
infiltration time, undulating terrain allows runoff water to travel at a faster pace than
over level terrain.
4. Soil Characteristics:
- Soil type influences runoff because various types of soil have different rates of
infiltration. Runoff will decrease as there is more infiltration.
5. Geological Condition of the Basin:
- If the area has fissures or cracks, the water losses will be higher and the runoff will
be lower.
6. Land Use:
- Land use have great effect on the runoff yield. An area with forest cover or thick
layer of grasses contribute less runoff because water is absorbed more into soil.
7. Soil moisture:
- Magnitude of runoff yield depends upon the initial moisture present in soil at the
time of rainfall.

VII. Effects of runoff in our Environment

Water pollution – It affects water quality, Runoff muddies, drinking water sources
and can carry bacteria that can harm people, fish and wildlife.

Flooding- A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry.

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Soil Erosion- is a gradual process that occurs when the impact of water or wind
detaches and removes soil particles, causing the soil to deteriorate.

VIII. Measurement
River discharge, the volume flow rate through a river cross section, is perhaps the
most important single hydrologic quantity.
Stream flow measurement techniques can be broadly classified into two categories as
1. Direct determination:
(a) Area-velocity methods,
(b) Dilution techniques,
(c) Electromagnetic method, and
(d) Ultrasonic method.
2. Indirect determination
(a) Hydraulic structures, such as weirs, flumes and gated structures.
(b) Slope-area method.
Stream Gauging:
Stream gauging is the technique used to measure the volume of water flowing through
a channel per unit time, generally referred to as discharge.
Stage measurement and rating curves:
Stage describes the depth of water within a channel and is quantified by the height of
water at a gauging site above an arbitrary datum.

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The velocity-area method:
The most common and direct method of estimating discharge is the velocity-area
method. This technique requires measurement of stream velocity, channel width and
the depth of water flow at cross stream vertical sections. The measurement of velocity
in rivers is achieved using instruments such as current meters.
Hydrographs:
A hydrograph is a graph displaying some property of water flow, such as stage (i.e.
water level), discharge, velocity, etc., versus time.
Float Method:
This method requires the measurement and calculation of the cross-sectional area of
the channel as well as the time it takes an object to "float" a designated distance.
IX. Importance of runoff
• Keeping the rivers and lakes filled with water
• Source of water supply in farming
• Water balance calculation
• Irrigation scheduling:
o The magnitude of flood flows to enable safe disposal of the excess flow. o The
minimum flow and quantity of flow available at various seasons.
o The interaction of the flood wave and hydraulic structures, such as reservoirs,
barrages, and bridges.
• River engineering
• Inland waterways
• Helps to return the water to the atmosphere