CE 226-18 HYDROLOGY
STREAMFLOW
Engr. Roger A. De Sesto
STREAMFLOW
Stream flow, or discharge, is the volume of water that moves over a
designated point over a fixed period of time. It is often expressed as cubic feet
per second (ft3/sec).
• IMPORTANCE OF STREAMFLOW
Flow is a function of water volume and velocity. It is important because of
its impact on water quality and on the living organisms and habitats in the
stream. Large, swiftly flowing rivers can receive pollution discharges and be little
affected, whereas small streams have less capacity to dilute and degrade wastes.
WATER STAGE
STREAMFLOW DATA
INTERPRETATION
UNITS
The basic unit of flow is m3 /s or ft3/s.
The amount of flow coming from a unit area of the basin
(yield of a basin) expressed in m3 /s/ km2 or ft3/s/ km2.
This unit is used for the comparison of the productivities of
the basin.
To compare the flow with precipitation, the depth of flow
over the drainage area is found:
Depth of flow
For annual streamflow data: the water year (October 1st –
September 30th) may be used.
DEFINITIONS:
• Discharge (Q): The volume of water per unit time that
passes a specified point on a stream. Discharge is
conventionally measured in cubic feet per second (ft3/sec or
cfs) or cubic meters per second (m3/sec or cms). Q = w d v
where w = water width d = mean water depth v = mean
water velocity
• Rating curve (or stage-discharge curve): A curve relating
stage (water height) to water discharge at a point on the
stream channel.
• Water year: For hydrologic purposes, we conventionally use
the water year, which runs from October of one year
through September of the next, so that we do not break up
the winter storm flows between years. (For example, water
year 1990 extends from Oct. 1 1989 through Sept. 30 1990.)
• Annual flood: The annual flood on a stream is the highest
instantaneous peak discharge of the water year.
• Flood-frequency curve: A graph showing the
relationship between flood magnitude and their
recurrence interval for a specified site.
• Mean daily discharge: The average discharge of
any specified calendar day (midnight to
midnight). It is calculated by taking the total
volume of water discharged during that day and
dividing by 86400, the number of second in a
day
• Flow-duration curve: A graph showing the
percentage of time specified mean daily
discharges are equalled or exceeded.
HYDROGRAPH AND MEAN DAILY
FLOWS
• Graph of stage or discharge versus time
• Hydrograph and Mean Daily Flows Streamflow
variations are studied as:
1. Geographical variations of mean annual flow in
depth terms on maps.
2. Variations of total runoff from year to year
3. Variations of daily rates of runoff throughout the
year.
4. Seasonal variations in runoff
VARIATIONS OF PRECIPITATION
• There are many different types of precipitation —
rain, snow, hail, and sleet for example—yet they
all have a few things in common. They all come
from clouds. They are all forms of water that fall
from the sky.
• Streamflow is always changing, from day to day
and even minute to minute. Of course, the main
influence on stream flow is precipitation runoff in
the watershed. Rainfall causes rivers to rise, and a
river can even rise if it only rains very far up in the
watershed - remember that water that falls in a
watershed will eventually drain by the outflow
point.
The most common types of precipitation:
• Rain
Drops of liquid water fall from the clouds when
water vapor condenses around dust particles in
the clouds, forming tiny droplets that eventually
get too big for the cloud to hold so they fall,
growing larger as they collect more water on their
way down.
• Snow
Snow is ice that falls from the sky. Each snowflake
is a delicately complex arrangement of ice
crystals. A snowflake forms when water vapor
sublimates, or turns directly from a gas into its
solid form, ice.
• Hail
Hail is ice that falls from the sky, often in round
shapes. Hailstones form within thunderstorm clouds
when upward moving air keeps pellets of frozen
water from falling. The pellets grow larger as drops
of very cold water hit them and freeze. Eventually
the balls of ice become so large and heavy that
they fall to the ground as hailstones. The largest
documented hailstone weighted more than one and
a half pounds! Scientists estimate that it reached a
speed of more than 80 mph as it fell toward Earth.
• Sleet
Sleet is like slush falling from the sky. Sleet forms
when raindrops freeze into ice as they fall to the
ground. They are usually smaller and wetter than
hailstones.
chanisms that cause changes in streamflow :
• Natural mechanisms
• Runoff from rainfall and snowmelt
• Evaporation from soil and surface-water bodies
• Transpiration by vegetation
• Ground-water discharge from aquifers
• Ground-water recharge from surface-water bodies
• Sedimentation of lakes and wetlands
• Formation or dissipation of glaciers, snowfields,
and permafrost
• Human-induced mechanisms
• Surface-water withdrawals and transbasin diversions
• River-flow regulation for hydropower and navigation
• Construction, removal, and sedimentation of reservoirs
and stormwater detention ponds
• Stream channelization and levee construction
• Drainage or restoration of wetlands
• Land-use changes such as urbanization that alter rates
of erosion, infiltration, overland flow, or
evapotranspiration
• Wastewater outfalls
• Irrigation wastewater return flow
DISCHARGE
DISCHARGE
• In hydrology, discharge is the volumetric flow of water
that is transported through a given cross sectional area.
• It includes any suspended solids, dissolved chemicals,
biologic material in addition to the water itself.
• Letter “Q” is commonly used as a symbol for the
discharge.
• The units that are typically used to express discharge
include “m^3/s” (cubic meter per second) and “ft^3/s”
(cubic feet per second).
MEASUREMENT OF DISCHARGE
The discharge mostly is not measured
directly, but is computed over the measured
depth of water, since this is a function of depth of
water. Small discharges as at springs can be
measured directly, with a bucket and a
stopwatch. While for discharges which cannot be
measured, since they are too large, there are
certain methods in computing this type of
discharges.
METHODS IN COMPUTING
DISCHARGES (For large channels)
• AREA-VELOCITY METHOD
Measurement of the mean flow velocity over a
determined cross-sectional area yields the stream flow rate.
Q=A x V
where:
A= Cross-sectional area
V= Velocity
Q= Discharge
Example:
What is the discharge of a stream that has a
velocity of 4m/s, a width of 5m, and a depth of 2m?
Formula: Q=A x V
Solution:
A= 5m x 2m
V= 4m/s
Q= 5m x 2m x 4m/s
Q= 40m^3/sec
Example:
What is the discharge of a stream which has a velocity of 3
ft/sec, a width of 20 ft, and a mean depth of 5 ft?
Formula: Q=A x V
Solution:
A= 5 ft x 20 ft
V= 3 ft/sec
Q= 5 ft x 20 ft x 3 ft/sec
Q= 300 ft^3/sec
MANNING’S EQUATION (Gauckler Manning Strickler
Formula)
Manning’s Equation is an empirically derived formula for
estimating the average velocity of a liquid flowing in an open
channel. The formula utilizes the cross-sectional average velocity,
hydraulic radius, roughness coefficient, and the slope of the
channel.
Q= A(R^2/3)(S^1/2)/n
where:
A= area of a channel Q= flow rate
R= hydraulic radius.
S= slope of the channel
n= roughness coefficient
Example:
Determine the normal discharge D=1.8m, n=0.015, and
S=0.0020 having a rectangular section with a width of 6.1m.
Q=A(R^2/3)(S^1/2)/n
R= A/P =(6.1)(1.8)/6.1+2(1.8)
=1.13 m
Q= (6.1x1.8x1.13^2/3)(0.0020^1/2)/0.015
Q= 35.51 m^3/s