Engr. Ramon P. Velasco Jr.

BASIC HYDROLOGY
Engineering Hydrology
 Engineering hydrology is the branch of hydrology whi
ch deals with estimation of water resource.
 It also investigates hydrologic problems such as floods
and droughts, and develops strategies to mitigate the
m.
Floods
Droughts
Need for the Hydrologic Studies
 The need of the hydrologic studies arises from the foll
owing problems:
 Uncertainty of precipitation and its seasonal occurrence
 Seasonal flow of rivers, and
 Population growth and rising standards of living
Need for the Hydrologic Studies
Necessary because of the
 Increased population and
 Rising standards of living have greatly incr
eased
 Hydrologic studies are of utmost importa
nce for planning and development of wate
r resources to meet these demands.
Importance of Hydrology in Civil/Sanitary
/other Engineering Discipline
 Important role in
 Design and Operation of water resources engineeri
ng projects like
 Irrigation
 Flood control
 Water supply schemes
 Hydropower projects and
 Navigation

Continued….
Major Aspects of Hydrology
 The main jobs of a hydrologist are collection and analy
sis of data, and making predictions out of this analysis.
 Collection of Data
 The hydrologic data comprises (few are mentioned below as fo
r example):
 a. Rainfall Data
 b. Snowfall Data (and snow melt data)
 c. Runoff Data (Catchment Runoff and Stream Flows), and
 d. Groundwater Data

Continued….
Major Aspects of Hydrology
 Analysis of Data
 Analysis of hydrologic data includes checking it for consistency
and
 Homogeneity as well as finding its various statistical parameter
s.
 Prediction
 Prediction means finding design values and maximum possible
floods and droughts. Various approaches for prediction of hydr
ologic values are:
 Statistical Approach
 Physical Approach
 Deterministic Approach (Model or approach that does not consider rando
mness, given input will always produce the same output)
Sciences Involved
 Hydrology is a very broad subject and it needs support
from allied sciences such as
 Physics,
 Mathematics,
 Geology,
 Geography,
 Meteorology,
 Forestry,
 Agriculture and
 Hydraulics.
Major Hydrologic Projects
 Engineering Hydrology provides hydrologic data e
ssentially required for a variety of projects, such as:
 Hydraulic Structures like
 Dams, Bridges,
 Head-works,
 Spillways and
 Culverts etc.

 Hydroelectric Power Generation

 Flood Control Projects
 Irrigation Projects
 Environmental Pollution Control, and
 Planning and Execution of Water Resources Developme
nt Projects
Continued….
Major Hydrologic Projects
 Prediction and Forecasting of:
 Contamination effects on rivers and lakes
 Contamination propagation in groundwater
 Effect of drainage on flood flows
 Environmental impact of water resources projects
 Environmental impact of deforestation
 Environmental impact of urbanization
 Environmental impact of chemical leaks from tanks
 Environmental impact of global climate change
Hydrologic Cycle
 Journey of water from the ocean to atmosphere and back to
the earth and ultimately to the ocean through the processes
of evaporation, precipitation, percolation, runoff and retur
n to the ocean is called hydrologic cycle.
 Schematic flow chart of the hydrologic cycle is shown in ne
xt slide. The hydrologic cycle can be broadly divided into t
wo phases –
 land phase, and
 atmospheric phase.

Continued….
Hydrologic Cycle

Continued….
Hydrologic Cycle
 Before discussing the two phases of hydrologic cycl
e, some of the related terms are defined below:
 Infiltration
 Precipitation falling on the ground is, to some extent, ab
sorbed by the land. This absorption of precipitation wat
er by land from the surface of earth is called infiltration.
 Interception
 A part of the precipitation is obstructed by vegetation an
d temporarily remains there. This process is called interc
eption. Later the intercepted water is either evaporated
or infiltrated.
Hydrologic Cycle
 Depression Storage
 A part of precipitation is stored in depressions on the cat
chment area. This is called depression storage.
 Detention Storage
 When the precipitation occurs for a longer duration and
at a rate greater than the rate of infiltration some water i
s collected on the surface of the earth up to a certain dep
th. On attaining a certain depth, the action of gravity ma
kes this water flow. Before it starts flowing, the water sto
red on the surface of earth is called detention storage.

Continued….
Hydrologic Cycle
 Runoff
 After the detention storage is built up, as explained abov
e, the water will start flowing over the ground and is call
ed runoff.
 Inter Flow
 The part of infiltrated water which moves laterally throu
gh the upper soil layers above the groundwater level and
soon joins the stream is called inter flow.

Continued….
Hydrologic Cycle
 Total Runoff
 A part of infiltrated water moves in the form of inter flo
w which soon joins the stream, the remaining portion of
infiltrated water percolates to deeper layers of the groun
d and is stored as groundwater. This groundwater someti
mes also joins the stream flow through springs and seep
age process.
 The stream flow is then called the total runoff i.e. it is s
um of all the components of precipitation water. Direct r
unoff plus the losses gives total runoff.
 The runoff can be expressed in depth units for a certain
area or it can be expressed in volume units. It can also be
expressed in discharge units for a specified time.

Continued….
Hydrologic Cycle
 Atmospheric Phase of Hydrologic Cycle
 Atmospheric phase of hydrologic cycle starts with the formation of
clouds after vaporization from water bodies and ends after the occur
rence of precipitation.
 Land Phase of Hydrologic Cycle
 After occurrence of precipitation, water comes in contact with the e
arth surface and hydrologic cycle enters the land phase. Part of prec
ipitation is infiltrated and a part of it, depending upon circumstanc
es, is intercepted by trees and vegetation. If there are depressions in
the surface upon which precipitation falls, a part of precipitation wil
l be stored in the depressions in the form of depression storage. All
of these parts are liable to vaporization. Rainwater stands on the sur
face of earth where it falls, after various losses, depending upon the
rate of rainfall when the depth of standing water becomes sufficient
it starts flowing over the ground surface in the form of surface runof
f. Continued….
Hydrologic Cycle
 Example 1.1
 A precipitation measuring 125 mm occu
rred over a catchment. If the infiltratio
n, interception, depression storage and
other losses are 50 mm, find direct run
off and total runoff.
Solution
Precipitation P = 125 mm
Losses L = 50 mm
Direct runoff (DRO) = P – L = 125 – 50 = 75 mm
Total runoff = DRO + L = 75+50 = 125 mm

 Note that ‘x’ mm of runoff means that water is spread unifo

rmly over the catchment having ‘x’ mm depth. Runoff in vo
lume units can be obtained by multiplying the depth with t
he area of the catchment.
Hydrologic Equation / Equation of Conti
nuity
 The hydrologic equation states that for a given time interval, difference of infl
ow to and outflow from a system is equal to change of storage of the system.
 Mathematically

I - O = ∆S/∆t
Where,
I = Rate of volume inflow (volume/time), measured in
m3/sec, ft3/sec, etc.

O = Rate of volume outflow (volume/time) measured in

m3/sec, ft3/sec, etc.

∆S/∆t = Rate of change of storage in time (‘S’ represents

storage and ‘t’ represents time i.e. Volume/time)

 The above equation is a storage equation which only approximates some hydr
ologic processes.
Continued….
Hydrologic Equation / Equation of Continuit
y

 Components of Inflow
 There are two components of inflow
 precipitation over the catchment and reservoir, and
 surface or groundwater flow from other catchment areas.
 Components of Outflow
 Three components of outflow are:
 surface evaporation
 groundwater seepage, and
 direct runoff i.e water taken for irrigation or to spill ways for p
roducing power

Continued….
Hydrologic Equation / Equation of Conti
nuity
 If we fix the time and take the volume units, then t
he hydrologic equation can be written as

Total volume inflow – The volume outflow = To

tal change in volume of the system

Continued….
Hydrologic Equation / Equation of Conti
nuity

 This is the hydrologic or storage equation. It is use

d in many different ways. If, for example, assuming
inflow changes linearly from ‘I1’ to ‘I2’ in ti
me ‘∆t’, the outflow changes linearly from ‘O
1’ to ‘O2’ and storage changes from ‘S1’ to
‘S2’ in this time, the equation can be written as:

( I1 + I2 ) / 2 - ( O1 + O2 ) / 2 = ( S2 – S1 ) / ∆t

Continued….
 Example 1.2
 Flow of River Chenab at Marala Barrage varied linearly fr
om 34 cum/sec (m3/sec) to
283 cum/sec in 10-hours during a flood. The flow variati
on at Khanki Barrage, downstream of Marala was observ
ed to be from 28 to 255 cum/sec during the above menti
oned time. Assuming no lateral flow in or out of the reac
h, find out the rate of change of storage of the river reach
between Marala and Khanki. What is total change in sto
rage of the reach in this period?

Continued….
Solution
I1 = 34 cum/sec I2 = 283 cum/sec
O1 = 28 cum/sec O2 = 255 cum/sec
I = ( I1 + I2 ) / 2 = ( 34 + 283 ) / 2 = 158.5 cum/sec
O = ( O1 + O2 ) / 2 = ( 28 + 255 ) /2 = 141.5 cum/sec
∆S/∆t = ?
According to hydrologic equation
( I1 + I2 ) /2 - ( O1 + O2 ) / 2 = ∆S/∆t
158.5 - 141.5 = ∆S/∆t = 17 cum/sec
∆t = 10 hours = 10 x 60 x 60 = 36,000 sec
Total change in storage = ∆S = (∆S/∆t) x ∆t
= 17 x 36,000 = 612 x 10³ m3

Continued….
Catchment Area, Watershed or
Basin
 The area of land draining into a stream or water course
at a given location is known as Catchment Area. It is al
so known as Drainage Area or Drainage Basin as well as
the Watershed.
 A catchment area is separated from its neighboring are
as by a ridge called a divide.
Water Budget Equation
 If we fix time ‘∆t’ and talk about total inflow in
certain time ‘∆t’, total outflow and total chang
e in storage in that time, the hydrologic equation c
an be written as:

Volume inflow-Volume outflow = Total change

in storage

Continued….
Water Budget Equation
 If further, we fix the area of the system (for example,
we talk of a catchment) and assume inflow as precipi
tation ‘P’, the Surface Runoff ‘R’, net gorund
water flow out of the catchment ‘G’; evaporation
‘E’, Transpiration ‘T’, and Change in Storage
‘∆S’. Water Budget for for a catchment for a time int
erval of ‘∆t’ is written as:
P-R-G-E-T = ∆S
All terms in the equation has dimensions of volume.

NOTE: All the terms can be expressed in terms of de

pth over the catchment
Continued….
Water Budget Equation
 Example 1.3
 Water at a constant rate of 370 cum/sec wa
s observed to be entering into Tarbela Res
ervoir in a certain season. If outflow from
the reservoir including infiltration and ev
aporation losses is 280 cum/sec, find out t
he change in storage of reservoir for 10 suc
h days.
Continued….
Water Budget Equation
Solution
I = 370 cum/sec
O = 280 cum/sec
ΔS = ?
According to hydrologic equation,
I - O = ΔS / Δt
370 – 280 = ΔS / Δt =90 cum/sec
Δt=10 x 24 = 240 hours = 240 x 60 x 60 = 864x10³ sec
Total change in storage = ΔS = (ΔS / Δt) x Δt
=90 x 864x10³ = 777.6x104 m3
Water Budget Equation
 Example 1.4
 A part of catchment area of Hub River measuring 78 km²
received 100 mm of rainfall in 3 hours due to a storm. A
drainage stream joins this part of catchment to the Hub
River. The stream was dry before rainfall and there was fl
ow in the stream for a period of 2.5 days with an average
discharge of 10 cumecs. After the storm runoff, the strea
m again became dry. Find the losses, direct runoff and to
tal runoff in cum/sec and Hectare-meter.

Continued….
Water Budget Equation
Solution
According to hydrologic equation,
Area of catchment A = 78 km2 =78x106 m2
P = 100 mm =0.1 m
Q = 10 m3/sec
t = 2.5 days = 2.5 24x60x60 sec
Total runoff = PxA = ( 0.1 ) x 78 x 106 = 7.8x106m3
= 7.8x106 / 104
DRO = 10x2.5x24x60x60=2.16x106 m3

L=P-R = 7.8x106 - 2.16x106 = 5.64x106m3

Continued….
Good Aftern
oon!
Assignment
 Example 1.5
 Assume that Mangla Reservoir has surface area of 39 sq.
km in the beginning of a certain month and the water de
pth is 76.20 m for this whole surface of the lake. Further
assume that sides of reservoir are nearly vertical. Now in
that month the reservoir received an average inflow of 2
26.50 cum/sec as a direct runoff, and direct precipitation
of 125 mm. The outflow from the reservoir was 170 cum/
sec and evaporation and seepage losses were estimated t
o be 113 mm during that month. Find out depth of reserv
oir at the end of that month and total increase or decrea
se in the storage.

Continued….
Assignment
 Problem
 A lake had a water surface elevation of 103.2 m above datum at
the beginning of a certain month. In that month the lake rece
ived an average inflow of 6.0 m3/s from surface runoff sources
. In the same period the outflow from the lake had an average
value of 6.5 m3/s. Further, in that month, the lake received a r
ainfall of 145 mm and the evaporation from the lake surface w
as estimated as 6.10 cm. Write the water budget equation for t
he lake and calculate the water surface elevation of the lake at
the end of the month. The average lake surface area can be tak
en as 5000 ha. Assume that there is no contribution to or fro
m the ground water storage.
Continued….
Assignment
 Problem
 A small catchment of area 150 ha received a rainfall of 10.
5 cm in 90 minutes due to a storm. At the outlet of catch
ment, the stream draining the catchment was dry before
the storm and experienced a runoff lasting for 10 hours
with an average discharge value of 2.0 m3/sec. the stream
was again dry after the runoff event.
 A) what is the amount of water which was not available t
o runoff due to combined effect of infiltration , evaporat
ion and transpiration?
 B) What is the ratio of runoff to precipitation?

Continued….