Design Storm (design + storm)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Effect of growing watershed imperviousness on hydrograph parameters and peak discharge

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 13 2008
Huang-jia Huang
Abstract An increasing impervious area is quickly extending over the Wu-Tu watershed due to the endless demands of the people. Generally, impervious paving is a major result of urbanization and more recently has had the potential to produce more enormous flood disasters than those of the past. In this study, 40 available rainfall,runoff events were chosen to calibrate the applicable parameters of the models and to determine the relationships between the impervious surfaces and the calibrated parameters. Model inputs came from the outcomes of the block kriging method and the non-linear programming method. In the optimal process, the shuffled complex evolution method and three criteria were applied to compare the observed and simulated hydrographs. The tendencies of the variations of the parameters with their corresponding imperviousness were established through regression analysis. Ten cases were used to examine the established equations of the parameters and impervious covers. Finally, the design flood routines of various return periods were furnished through use of approaches containing a design storm, block kriging, the SCS model, and a rainfall-runoff model with established functional relationships. These simulated flood hydrographs were used to compare and understand the past, present, and future hydrological conditions of the watershed studied. In the research results, the time to peak of flood hydrographs for various storms was diminished approximately from 11 h to 6 h in different decrements, whereas peak flow increased respectively from 127 m3 s,1 to 629 m3 s,1 for different storm intensities. In addition, this study provides a design diagram for the peak flow ratio to help engineers and designers to construct hydraulic structures efficiently and prevent possible damage to human life and property. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Power function decay of hydraulic conductivity for a TOPMODEL-based infiltration routine

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 18 2006
Jun Wang
Abstract TOPMODEL rainfall-runoff hydrologic concepts are based on soil saturation processes, where soil controls on hydrograph recession have been represented by linear, exponential, and power function decay with soil depth. Although these decay formulations have been incorporated into baseflow decay and topographic index computations, only the linear and exponential forms have been incorporated into infiltration subroutines. This study develops a power function formulation of the Green and Ampt infiltration equation for the case where the power n = 1 and 2. This new function was created to represent field measurements in the New York City, USA, Ward Pound Ridge drinking water supply area, and provide support for similar sites reported by other researchers. Derivation of the power-function-based Green and Ampt model begins with the Green and Ampt formulation used by Beven in deriving an exponential decay model. Differences between the linear, exponential, and power function infiltration scenarios are sensitive to the relative difference between rainfall rates and hydraulic conductivity. Using a low-frequency 30 min design storm with 4·8 cm h,1 rain, the n = 2 power function formulation allows for a faster decay of infiltration and more rapid generation of runoff. Infiltration excess runoff is rare in most forested watersheds, and advantages of the power function infiltration routine may primarily include replication of field-observed processes in urbanized areas and numerical consistency with power function decay of baseflow and topographic index distributions. Equation development is presented within a TOPMODEL-based Ward Pound Ridge rainfall-runoff simulation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


A MODIFIED RATIONAL FORMULA FOR FLOOD DESIGN IN SMALL BASINS,

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 5 2003
Jiapeng Hua
ABSTRACT: New formulas and procedures under the framework of the Rational Formula are presented that are applicable to flood design problems for a small basin if the geometry of the basin can be approximated as an ellipse or a rhombus. Instead of making the assumption in the traditional rational formula that the rainfall is uniformly distributed in the whole duration (Dw) of a design storm, the new method modifies that assumption as: the rainfall is uniformly distributed only in each time interval CD) of the design storm hyetograph, thus extending the rational formula applicable to the case that the rainfall duration is less than the basin concentration time (Tc). The new method can be applied to estimate the flood design peak discharge, and to generate the flood hydrograph simultaneously. The derivation of the formulas is provided in detail in this paper, and an example is also included to illustrate how to apply the new formulas to the flood design problems in small basins. [source]


A TRIANGULAR MODEL OF DIMENSIONLESS RUNOFF PRODUCING RAINFALL HYETOGRAPHS IN TEXAS,

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 4 2003
William H. Asquith
ABSTRACT: A synthetic triangular hyetograph for a large data base of Texas rainfall and runoff is needed. A hyetograph represents the temporal distribution of rainfall intensity at a point or over a watershed during a storm. Synthetic hyetographs are estimates of the expected time distribution for a design storm and principally are used in small watershed hydraulic structure design. A data base of more than 1,600 observed cumulative hyetographs that produced runoff from 91 small watersheds (generally less than about 50 km2) was used to provide statistical parameters for a simple triangular shaped hyetograph model. The model provides an estimate of the average hyetograph in dimensionless form for storm durations of 0 to 24 hours and 24 to 72 hours. As a result of this study, the authors concluded that the expected dimensionless cumulative hyetographs of 0 to 12 hour and 12 to 24 hour durations were sufficiently similar to be combined with minimal information loss. The analysis also suggests that dimensionless cumulative hyetographs are independent of the frequency level or return period of total storm depth and thus are readily used for many design applications. The two triangular hyetographs presented are intended to enhance small watershed design practice in applicable parts of Texas. [source]


Simulated rainfall evaluation of revegetation/mulch erosion control in the Lake Tahoe Basin,1: method assessment

LAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2004
M. E. Grismer
Abstract Revegetation of road cuts and fills is intended to stabilize those drastically disturbed areas so that sediment is not transported to adjacent waterways. Sediment has resulted in water quality degradation, an extremely critical issue in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Many revegetation efforts in this semiarid, subalpine environment have resulted in low levels of plant cover, thus failing to meet project goals. Further, no adequate physical method of assessing project effectiveness has been developed, relative to runoff or sediment movement. This paper describes the use of a portable rainfall simulator (RS) to conduct a preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of a variety of erosion-control treatments and treatment effects on hydrologic parameters and erosion. The particular goal of this paper is to determine whether the RS method can measure revegetation treatment effects on infiltration and erosion. The RS-plot studies were used to determine slope, cover (mulch and vegetation) and surface roughness effects on infiltration, runoff and erosion rates at several roadcuts across the basin. A rainfall rate of ,60,mm,h,1, approximating the 100-yr, 15-min design storm, was applied over replicated 0·64,m2 plots in each treatment type and over bare-soil plots for comparison. Simulated rainfall had a mean drop size of ,2·1,mm and approximately 70% of ,natural' kinetic energy. Measured parameters included time to runoff, infiltration, runoff/infiltration rate, sediment discharge rate and average sediment concentration as well as analysis of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and dissolved phosphorus (TDP) from filtered (0·45,,m) runoff samples. Runoff rates, sediment concentrations and yields were greater from volcanic soils as compared to that from granitic soils for nearly all cover conditions. For example, bare soil sediment yields from volcanic soils ranged from 2,12 as compared to 0·3,3,g,m,2,mm,1 for granitic soils. Pine-needle mulch cover treatments substantially reduced sediment yields from all plots. Plot microtopography or roughness and cross-slope had no effect on sediment concentrations in runoff or sediment yield. RS measurements showed discernible differences in runoff, infiltration, and sediment yields between treatments. Runoff nutrient concentrations were not distinguishable from that in the rainwater used. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Flood risk analysis for determining optimal flood protection levels in urban river management

JOURNAL OF FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008
Masaru Morita
Abstract The objective of the paper is to present a specific risk-analysis method for the assessment of optimal flood protection levels in urban flood risk management using intensity,duration,frequency relationships. Risk herein is understood as the product of flood damage potential and its occurrence probability. The risk analysis is based on a geographic information system-based flood damage prediction model to calculate flood damage for design storms with different return periods. Estimation of the monetary damages for these design storms and their return periods is the prerequisite for quantifying flood risk based on an annual risk density curve. The risk-analysis method is applied to determine optimal flood protection levels for the Kanda River basin in Tokyo, Japan. It shows how two cost curves can be used: risk cost reduction curves and capital cost curves. [source]