10/14/2016

HydraulicDesignManual:HydrologyPoliciesandStandards

Section3:HydrologyPoliciesandStandards
TxDOTusesthedrainagepracticesanddesignstandardsdescribedinthismanualfordesigningdrainage
facilitiesandfloodcontrolworksassociatedwithtransportationprojects.Theyarealsousedforevaluatingthe
design,construction,andperformanceofprojectsinTxDOTsrightofway.

GeneralGuidelines
Thedesignershouldkeepthefollowinginmindwhenusingthismanual:
Thestandardsandmethodsinthismanualareaimedatsoundplanninganddesigntheyare
guidelinesratherthansteadfastrules.
Thedesignstandardsinthischapterrepresentminimums.Alternativesthatmeetahigherstandard
thanpresentedhereinmaybeapprovedbytheTxDOTdistrictoffice.
ExceptionstothesedesigncriteriamaybeallowedbyTxDOTwhentheyareinthebestinterestof
thepublicandthealternativewillbeequivalenttothenormallyacceptedmethod.
Errorsinpeakflowestimates,whetherduetocomputationalerrorsorerrorsinjudgment,mayresult
inadrainagestructurethatiseitherundersized,whichcouldcausedrainageproblems,oroversized,
whichcostsmorethannecessary.Ontheotherhand,anyhydrologicanalysisisonlyan
approximation.Althoughsomehydrologicanalysisisnecessaryforallhighwaydrainagefacilities,
theextentofsuchstudiesshouldbecommensuratewiththehazardsassociatedwiththefacilitiesand
withotherconcerns,includingengineering,economic,social,andenvironmentalfactors.
Designdetailsaretheresponsibilityofthedesignengineerandwillbedeterminedbygood
engineeringpractice.

ThirdPartyStudies
Ifthirdpartystudies(previousstudiesbyothers)areavailableandappropriatefortheprojectarea,TxDOT
may,butisnotrequiredto,usethesestudies.Insomecircumstances,TxDOTmayberequiredtousethird
partystudies,suchasforcompliancewiththeFederalEmergencyManagementAgencys(FEMA)National
FloodInsuranceProgram(NFIP.)Theuseofthirdpartystudiesshouldbeclearedwiththedistrictoffice.

HydraulicDesignforExistingLandUseConditions
Alldrainagefacilitiesshallbedesignedforexistinglanduseconditions.Drainagedesignmustinclude
capacitytoconveyrunofffromallexistingadjacentproperties.Thedistrictofficemayconsiderrunofffrom
futurelanduseconditionsatitsdiscretionafterconsultingwithandreceivingapprovalfromtheDistrict
HydraulicsEngineer(DHE.)

EffectonExistingFacilities
TxDOTdrainageprojectsmustbedesignedsothattheydonothaveanegativeimpactonexistingfacilities
eitherupstreamordownstreamoftheproject.Achannelshydraulicgradelinemustbecheckedtoensurethat
afloodingproblemisnotpropagatedupstream.Thedesignermustdefinetheupstreamanddownstreamwater
surfacesuntiltheeffectsofthenewdrainagefacilitymatchthepreprojecthydraulicgradeline.Theproposed
projectmustnotinducefloodingduringtheeventforwhichitwasdesigned.

http://onlinemanuals.txdot.gov/txdotmanuals/hyd/hydrology_policies_and_standards.htm

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