Dr.

Muhammad Shahid
NUST Institute of Civil Engineering (NICE)
School of Civil & Environmental Engineering (SCEE)
National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST)
Islamabad, Pakistan
 RUNOFF
Runoff is that balance of rainfall which flows or
runs over the natural ground surface after losses by
evapotranspiration, interception and infiltration.
Excess rainfall becomes runoff and eventually
streamflow.
The catchment yield (usually means annual
yield) is the net quantity of water available for
storage, after all losses, for the purposes of water
resources utilization and planning, like irrigation,
water supply, etc.
 Runoff vs. Streamflow
 Runoff is the result of  Streamflow is baseflow
a precipitation event + runoff that makes it to
the stream channel.
 Classification of Runoff
1. Basin Recharge
2. Direct Runoff
 Surface Runoff or Overland Flow
 Subsurface Runoff or Interflow or Through Flow

3. Groundwater Flow or Base Flow

 Mechanism of Runoff Generation
 Runoff is generated by three mechanisms

I. Hortonian/ Horton overland flow

II. Subsurface flow
III. Saturation overland flow
 Factors Affecting Runoff
 Storm or Precipitation Characteristics
 Shape and Size of Catchment
 Topography
 Geological Characteristics
 Meteorological Characteristics
 Character of Catchment Surface
 Storage Characteristics
 Factors Affecting Runoff
 Storm or Precipitation Characteristics
 Type or nature of storm and season
 Intensity, Duration, and Frequency
 Areal extent or distribution
 Antecedent precipitation
 Direction of storm movement
 Factors Affecting Runoff
 Shape and Size of Catchment
High peak for wider catchment than for narrow
catchment.
 Topography
More runoff for smooth, steep and windward side
catchment.
 Geological Characteristics
Greater runoff for impervious, rocky, surface and
subsurface strata.
 Meteorological Characteristics
Temperature, Humidity, Wind speed, Wind direction,
and Pressure variation
 Factors Affecting Runoff
 Character of Catchment Surface
More absorption for catchment with no natural
drainage. Less runoff for cultivated, vegetated, and
unsaturated surface.
 Storage Characteristics
Depressions, Pools and ponds/lakes, Stream
Channels, Upstream reservoirs or tanks or weirs,
Floodplain swamps, Groundwater storage in
pervious deposits. All storages tend to reduce the
peak flow.
 Runoff Estimation
The runoff from rainfall may be
estimated by the following methods:
Empirical formulae, curves and tables
Infiltration method
Rational method
Unit hydrograph method
Runoff Estimation
 Computation of Runoff by Formulae and
Tables
 Runoff Coefficient Formula
R= k*P
R = Runoff
k = Runoff Coefficient
P = Precipitation
Area Type k value
Commercial and Industrial 0.9
Asphalt or Concrete Pavement 0.85
Urban Residential (Garden Apartment) 0.5
Urban Residential (Single House) 0.3
Park, Farmland, Pasture 0.05 – 0.3
Forest Areas 0.05 – 0.2
 Computation of Runoff by Formulae and
Tables
 Barlow’s Table (U.P. India, for small catchments)
(area ~130 km2)
 Strange’s Tables and Curves
Daily Runoff (%) and Yield (mm) when the original state of ground is:
rainfall
(mm) Dry Damp Wet
% Yield (mm) % Yield (mm) % Yield (mm)
6.25 8 0.50
12.50 6 0.75 12 1.50
18.75 8 1.50 16 3.00
25.00 3 0.75 11 2.75 18 4.50
31.25 5 1.56 14 4.37 22 6.88
37.50 6 2.25 16 6.00 25 9.37
43.75 8 3.50 19 8.31 30 13.10
50.00 10 5.00 22 11.00 34 17.00
62.50 15 9.37 29 18.15 43 26.90
75.00 20 15.00 37 27.75 55 41.25
100.0 30 30.00 50 50.00 70 70.00
 Computation of Runoff by Formulae and Tables
 Inglis’s Formula (for Bombay – Deccan catchment & plains)
R = 0.85 P – 30.5 R  0.85P  15
 P7
R  P
 100 
where P and R are in cm. Catchment
Class
S Factor Monsoon Class F Factor

 Lacey’s Formula A 0.25 Very Short 0.50

(for Indo-Gangetic plains)
B 0.60 Standard Length 1.00

P
R
C 1.00 Very Long 1.50

120 F D 1.70
1
PS
E 3.45
F = Monsoon duration factor
S = Catchment slope factor
Computation of Runoff by Formulae and Tables
 Khosla’s Formula
(for North India) T  32
R  P
9.5
where T = mean temp. in oF on the entire catchment
 R = P – 5T where,
R = Runoff in mm
P = Average precipitation in mm
T = Average temperature in °C
 Parker’s Formula
 R = 0.94P-14 for British Isles.
 R = 0.94P-16 for Germany.
 R = 0.80P-16.5 for East USA.
 Computation of Runoff by Infiltration
Method
 Infiltration Capacity
Maximum rate at which water enters the soil in a
given condition
 Infiltration Rate
Rate at which water actually enters the soil during
a storm and is equal to the infiltration capacity or
the rainfall rate, whichever is less
 Infiltration Index
Average rate of loss such that volume of rainfall in
excess of that rate will be equal to direct runoff
 Infiltration Indices
 Estimates of runoff volume from large areas are
sometimes made by the use of Infiltration Indices,
which assume a constant average infiltration rate
during a storm, although in actual practice the
infiltration will be varying with time.

 Φ-Index
The Φ-index is defined as that rate of rainfall above
which rainfall volume equals the runoff volume.

Φ-index = (P – R) / tr
 Infiltration Indices
 W-Index
The W-index is the average infiltration rate during the
time rainfall intensity exceeds the infiltration capacity.
W = Fp / tr = (P – Q – S)/tr
W = Index, cm/hr
Fp = Total Infiltration, cm
P = Precipitation, cm
Q = Surface Runoff, cm
S = Effective Surface Retention, cm
tr = Duration of Storm during which i > fp , hr
i = Rainfall Intensity, cm/hr
fp = Infiltration Capacity, cm/hr
Computation of Runoff by Rational Method
 Yield, R = C A P
R = Runoff (Mm3 )
A = Area of Catchment (km2 )
P = Precipitation (m)
C = Runoff Coefficient
 Runoff Coefficients
Type of Catchment C Value
Rocky & Impermeable 0.8-1.0
Slightly permeable bare 0.6-0.8
Cultivated, Vegetated 0.4-0.6
Cultivated absorbent soil 0.3-0.4
Sandy Soil 0.2-0.3
Heavy Forest 0.1-0.2
Computation of Runoff by Unit Hydrograph
Method
 Unit Hydrograph
Hydrograph or direct surface discharge
measured at the outlet of drainage area
which produces a unit depth of direct runoff
resulting from a unit duration storm over
the entire area of the catchment is called
unit hydrograph of that duration.