Runoff Processes

Reading: Applied Hydrology

Sections 5.6 to 5.8 and Chapter 6
for Thursday
 Surface water
• Watershed – area of
land draining into a
stream at a given
location
• Streamflow – gravity
movement of water in
channels
– Surface and
subsurface flow
– Affected by climate,
land cover, soil type,
etc.
 Streamflow generation
• Streamflow is generated by three
mechanisms
1. Hortonian overland flow
2. Subsurface flow
3. Saturation overland flow
Welcome to the Critical Zone
Denudation
Erosion and
weathering
control the extent
of critical zone
development

Weathering front
advance
 Critical zone
architecture
Sediment influences sediment
sources, hydrology,
Water, water chemistry and
solutes and ecology
nutrients
Oregon Coast Range- Coos Bay

soil
weathered Channel head
rock
water flow path
5m
fracture
zone 5m
Anderson et al., 1997, WRR.
bedding Montgomery et al., 1997, WRR
Torres et al., 1998, WRR
 Hortonian Flow
• Sheet flow described by
Horton in 1930s
• When i<f, all i is Rainfall, i

absorbed i>q
• When i > f, (i-f) results in
rainfall excess
• Applicable in Infiltration, f

– impervious surfaces
(urban areas)
– Steep slopes with thin soil
– hydrophobic or
compacted soil with low
Later studiesinfiltration
showed that Hortonian flow rarely occurs on vegetated surfaces in humid regions.
 Subsurface flow
• Lateral movement of water occurring through the
soil above the water table
• primary mechanism for stream flow generation
when f>i
– Matrix/translatory flow
• Lateral flow of old water displaced by precipitation inputs
• Near surface lateral conductivity is greater than overall
vertical conductivity
• Porosity and permeability higher near the ground
– Macropore flow
• Movement of water through large conduits in the soil
Soil macropores
 Saturation overland flow
• Soil is saturated from below by
subsurface flow
• Any precipitation occurring over a
saturated surface becomes overland flow
• Occurs mainly at the bottom of hill slopes
and near stream banks
 Streamflow
hydrograph Direct runoff

• Graph of stream
discharge as a
function of time at a Baseflow
given location on the
stream Perennial river

Ephemeral river Snow-fed River

 Excess rainfall
• Rainfall that is neither retained on the land
surface nor infiltrated into the soil
• Graph of excess rainfall versus time is called
excess rainfall hyetograph
• Direct runoff = observed streamflow - baseflow
• Excess rainfall = observed rainfall - abstractions
• Abstractions/losses – difference between total
rainfall hyetograph and excess rainfall
hyetograph
 Green-Ampt Method
• Apply the Green-
Ampt method to
rainfall in intervals of
time: t, t + Δt, t + 2Δt,
…
Soils in Brushy Creek Watershed
Soil Map Unit

Soil Class

Hydrologic Soil Group

 Green-Ampt Parameters for Soil Map Units
GreenAmpt Williamson
GreenAmpt Texture ThetaE Porosity Suction Conductivity 7 BkC
7 BkE
1 Sand 0.417 0.437 49.5 117.8 11 BkG
11 CfA
2 Loamy Sand 0.401 0.437 61.3 29.9
11 CfB
3 Sandy Loam 0.412 0.453 110.1 10.9 11 DAM
4 Loam 0.434 0.463 88.9 3.4 10 DnA
10 DnB
5 Silt Loam 0.486 0.501 166.8 6.5
10 DnC
10 DoC
6 Sandy Clay Loam 0.330 0.398 218.5 1.5
11 EaD
11 EeB
7 Clay Loam 0.309 0.464 208.8 1.0
11 ErE
11 ErG
8 Silty Clay Loam 0.432 0.471 273.0 1.0
11 FaA

9 Sandy Clay 0.321 0.430 239.0 0.6 Lookup Table

10 Silty Clay 0.423 0.470 292.2 0.5

11 Clay 0.385 0.475 316.3 0.3

mm mm/hr
Green-Ampt in HEC-HMS

initial saturation as a volume ratio – θi

total porosity as a volume ratio – n

wetting front soil suction head – ψ

hydraulic conductivity – K

percent of basin with impervious cover

 Impervious Cover
1104 Brushy Bend Dr

Walsh Dr

Interpreted from remote sensing

 SCS method
• Soil conservation service (SCS) method is an
experimentally derived method to determine
rainfall excess using information about soils,
vegetative cover, hydrologic condition and
antecedent moisture conditions
• The method is based on the simple relationship
that Pe = P - Fa – Ia
P = Pe + I a + Fa

Precipitation
Pe is runoff depth, P is
precipitation depth, Fa is Pe
continuing abstraction, and Ia is
the sum of initial losses
(depression storage, Ia Fa
interception, ET)
Time
tp
 Abstractions – SCS Method
• In general
Pe  P
• After runoff begins
P = Pe + I a + Fa
Fa  S

Precipitation
• Potential runoff Pe
P − Ia
• SCS Assumption Ia Fa
Fa Pe
=
P − Ia
Time
S tp

• Combining SCS P = Total Rainfall

assumption with Pe = Rainfall Excess
P=Pe+Ia+Fa I a = Initial Abstractio n
(P − I a )2 Fa = Continuing Abstractio n
Pe =
P − Ia + S S = Potential Maximum Storage
 SCS Method (Cont.)
•
• Experiments showed Surface
– Impervious: CN =
I a = 0.2S 100
– Natural: CN < 100
• So 12
100

(P − 0.2S )2
11 90
Pe = 10 80
Cumulative Direct Runoff, Pe, in
P + 0.8S 9 70
8 60
7 40
1000
S= − 10 6 20
CN 5
10

(American Units; 0  CN  100) 4

3
25400
S= − 254CN
2

CN 1

(SI Units; 30  CN  100)

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Cumulative Rainfall, P, in
 SCS Method (Cont.)
• S and CN depend on antecedent rainfall
conditions
• Normal conditions, AMC(II)
4.2CN ( II )
• Dry conditions, AMC(I) CN ( I ) =
10 − 0.058CN ( II )

23CN ( II )
• Wet conditions, AMC(III) CN ( III ) =
10 + 0.13CN ( II )
 SCS Method (Cont.)
• SCS Curve Numbers depend on soil conditions
Group Minimum Infiltration Hydrologic Soil Group
Rate (in/hr)
A 0.3 – 0.45 High infiltration rates. Deep, well
drained sands and gravels
B 0.15 – 0.30 Moderate infiltration rates. Moderately
deep, moderately well drained soils
with moderately coarse textures (silt,
silt loam)
C 0.05 – 0.15 Slow infiltration rates. Soils with layers,
or soils with moderately fine textures
(clay loams)
D 0.00 – 0.05 Very slow infiltration rates. Clayey
soils, high water table, or shallow
impervious layer
Hydrologic Soil Group in Brushy Creek

Water
 Land Cover

Interpreted from remote sensing

CN Table
SCS Curve Number
Example - SCS Method

• Rainfall: 5 in.
• Area: 1000-ac
• Soils:
– Class B: 50%
– Class C: 50%
• Antecedent moisture: AMC(II)
• Land use
– Residential
• 40% with 30% impervious cover
• 12% with 65% impervious cover
– Paved roads: 18% with curbs and storm sewers
– Open land: 16%
• 50% fair grass cover
• 50% good grass cover
– Parking lots, etc.: 14%
 Example (SCS Method – 1,
Cont.)
Hydrologic Soil Group

B C

Land use % CN Product % CN Product

Residential (30% imp 20 72 14.40 20 81 16.20

cover)
Residential (65% imp 6 85 5.10 6 90 5.40
cover)
Roads 9 98 8.82 9 98 8.82

Open land: good cover 4 61 2.44 4 74 2.96

Open land: Fair cover 4 69 2.76 4 79 3.16

Parking lots, etc 7 98 6.86 7 98 6.86

Total 50 40.38 50 43.40

CN = 40.38 + 43.40 = 83.8

CN values come from Table 5.5.2
 Example (SCS Method – 1
Cont.)
1000
• Average AMC CN = 83.8 S= − 10
CN
1000
S= − 10 = 1.93 in
83.8
(P − 0.2S )2 (5 − 0.2 *1.93)2
Pe = = = 3.25 in
P + 0 .8 S 5 + 0.8 *1.93

• Wet AMC
23CN ( II ) 23 * 83.8
CN ( III ) = = = 92.3
10 + 0.13CN ( II ) 10 + 0.13 * 83.8

1000
S= − 10 = 0.83 in
92.3
(P − 0.2S )2 (5 − 0.2 * 0.83)2
Pe = = = 4.13 in
P + 0.8S 5 + 0.8 * 0.83