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HydraulicDesignManual:HydrologyStudyDataRequirements

Section5:HydrologyStudyDataRequirements
Strictlyspeaking,thetermdatareferstomeasurementsorobservations,andtheterminformationrefersto
resultsofanalysisorsynthesisofdata.Bothdataandinformationareneededforhydrologicstudies,andthe
termsareusedinterchangeablyhere.Todeterminewhatdataareneeded,thedesignermustdeterminewhich
hydrologicanalysismethod(s)willbeused.
Themajortaskofahydrologystudyistocomputedesignflow.Thereareconceptualmethodsandempirical
methodsforcomputationofdesignflow.

HydrologyAnalysisMethods
Conceptualmethodsinthiscategorysimulate,withamathematicalmodel,channelflowandwatershedrunoff
processes.Movementandstorageofwaterthroughthewatershedaresimulatedatvaryingtimeandspace
scales,withvaryingdegreesofcomplexity,omitting,including,orcombiningelements,dependingonthe
modelusedandtherequirementsofthestudy.
ConceptualmethodsthatTxDOTdesignersmayuseincludetherationalmethod(looselyclassifiedasa
conceptualmethodhere)andthehydrographmethod.
Likeconceptualmethods,empiricalmethodsalsouseamathematicalrelationthatpredictsthedesignflow,
givenpropertiesofthewatershed,channels,rainfall,orstreamflow.However,therelationshipdoesnot
representexplicitlythephysicalprocesses.Instead,therelationshipsarederivedwithstatisticalanalyses.
(Someanalystsevenrefertoempiricalmethodsasblackboxmethodsbecausethepresentationoftheprocess
isnotvisibleandobvious.)
EmpiricalmethodsthatTxDOTdesignersmayuseincludefloodfrequencyanalysisofstreamflow
observationsandregressionequations.Withfloodfrequencyanalysis,theempiricalrelationshippredictsthe
designflowfromstatisticalpropertiesofthehistoricalstreamflowinthewatershed.Withregressionequations,
thedesignflowispredictedwithanequationthatisdevelopedbycorrelatingflowsobservedwithwatershed,
channel,andrainfallproperties.

DataRequirementsVarywithMethodUsed
Dataandinformationrequiredforhydrologicanalysisvariesfrommethodtomethod.Theconceptualmethods
requiresomewhatdetailedinformationaboutthewatershedandchannelproperties,whereastheempirical
methodsrequirestreamflowdatatoestablishtherelationshipsandonlylimiteddataonwatershedandchannel
propertiestousethederivedrelationship.
SpecificrequirementsforthedifferentmethodsarecalledoutinlatersectionsofthisChapter,butbroad
categoriesofdatarequiredincludethefollowing:
Geographicandgeometricpropertiesofthewatershed.
Landuse,naturalstorage,vegetativecover,andsoilpropertyinformation.
Descriptionofthedrainagefeaturesofthewatershed.
Rainfallobservationsandstatisticsoftheprecipitation.
Streamflowobservationsandstatisticsofthestreamflow.

GeographicandGeometricPropertiesoftheWatershed

AllhydrologicanalysesforTxDOTstudiesrequirecollectionofdataaboutthegeographicandgeometric
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HydraulicDesignManual:HydrologyStudyDataRequirements

AllhydrologicanalysesforTxDOTstudiesrequirecollectionofdataaboutthegeographicandgeometric
propertiesofthewatershed.Thesedatainclude,butarenotlimitedto,thefollowing:
Geographiclocationofthepointatwhichdesignflowmustbecomputed.
Locationoftheboundariesofthewatershedfromwhichrunoffcontributestoflowatthepointof
interest.Thisinformationwill,forexample,governselectionofdesignrainfallintensitiesthatwillbe
usedwiththerationalmethodifthatisselectedfordesignflowcomputation.
Propertiesofthewatershedwithinthoseboundaries.Thesepropertiesincludearea,slope,shape,and
topographicinformation.Thisinformationisneeded,forexample,todevelopamodelwithwhichto
simulateoverlandflow,asshowninFigure49wherebywaterpondedonthesurfacemovesacross
thewatershedintochannels.

LandUse,NaturalStorage,VegetativeCover,andSoilPropertyInformation
Datathatdescribethewatershedpropertiesareneededfortheconceptualmodels,andtoalimitedextent,by
certainempiricalmodels.
Aconceptualmodelofwatershedrunoff,withcomponentsasillustratedinFigure49,representsprocessesof
infiltrationandoverlandflow.Todoso,themodelmustbeconfiguredandcalibratedwithknowledgeofthe
propertiesofthewatershedthatwillaffectinfiltrationandoverlandflow.Thoseinclude:
Landuseinthewatershed.Especiallyimportantinthisisgatheringinformationaboutthedistribution
ofimperviousandperviouscoverinthewatershed.Rainthatfallsonimpervioussurfaces,suchas
parkinglotsandrooftops,willrunoffasoverlandflow.Rainthatfallsonapervioussurfacemay
infiltrate,enteringthesoillayers,andnotrunningoffimmediatelyoratall.Therateofthis
infiltrationisrelatedwithlanduse,aswell.
Naturalstorageinthewatershed.Waterthatpondsinnaturaldepressions,lakes,andsimilarfeatures
inawatershedwillnotrunofformayrunoffwithsomedelayandwithreducedrates.Thelocation
of,capacitiesof,andbehaviorofstoragemustbeidentifiedifthisistoberepresentedin
computationsofdesignflows.
Vegetativecoverandsoilpropertyinformation.Ratesofinfiltrationdependonpropertiesofsoilsin
thewatershedanduponthepresenceofvegetation.Forexample,waterpondedonsandysoilsmay
infiltrateatfourorfivetimestherateofwaterpondedonclaysoils.Andcropsplantedonclaysoils
willincreasetherateofinfiltrationthere.Thus,thedesignermustgatherinformationonthecover
andsoils.Thatinformationshoulddefinethespatialvariationsacrossthewatershed.
Thesedataareneededwithconceptualmodelsthatdonotseektorepresentingreatdetailthephysical
processes.Forexample,withtherationalmethod,arunoffcoefficientrelatesrunoffrateandrainfallrate.That
coefficientisrelatedtolandusewithinthewatershed.Andknowledgeoflanduse,particularlyknowledgeof
presenceorabsenceofimperviousarea,iscriticalforassessingtheapplicabilityofregressionequations.

DescriptionoftheDrainageFeaturesoftheWatershed
Channels,ponds,reservoirs,culverts,andothernaturalorconstructeddrainagefeaturesinawatershedaffect
therunofffromthewatershed.Thusdatathatdescribethosemustbecollected.
Foraconceptualmodel,dataaboutthefeaturesareneededtomakeadecisionaboutwhichmodeltouseand
configurethemodelappropriately.Forexample,withahydrographmethod,datadescribingchannelsare
neededtoselect,calibrate,andusearoutingmethodthataccountsfortheimpactofachannelonthedesign
floodpeak.
Foranempiricalmodel,dataondrainagefeaturesisneededfirsttoenablewisedecisionsaboutwhich
model(s)touse,andsecond,toestimatemodelparameters.Forexample,floodfrequency(streamgauge)
analysisproceduresrequirethatthestreamflowrecordsbewithoutsignificantregulation.Todetermineifthis
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analysisproceduresrequirethatthestreamflowrecordsbewithoutsignificantregulation.Todetermineifthis
isso,thedesignermusthaveinformationonregulationinthewatershed,includingdescriptionsofponds,
reservoirs,detentionstructures,anddiversionsinthewatershed.

RainfallObservationsandStatisticsofthePrecipitation
Conceptualmodelssimulateconversionofrainfalltorunoffbysimulatingsomeoralloftheprocesses
illustratedinFigure49.Thus,touseaconceptualmodel,rainfalldataarerequired.Thesedataincludeboth
observationsofrainfallatgaugesinthewatershedandstatisticsonrainfallfromwhichdesignstormsare
developed.
Withobservationsofrainfallatgauges,modelscanbecalibratedandtestedtoensurethattheytrulyrepresent
thebehaviorofthewatershed.
Withstatisticsofrainfalldepths,adesignstormcanbedeveloped,andtherequireddesignflowcanbe
computedfollowingthedesignstormassumption.Thisassumptionisthatifmedianoraveragevaluesofall
otherparametersareused,thefrequencyofthederivedfloodshouldbeapproximatelyequaltothefrequency
ofthedesignrainfall(PilgrimandCordery1975).

StreamflowObservationsandStatisticsoftheStreamflow
Streamflowobservationsatorneartothelocationofinterestarethedesignersbestindexofhowawatershed
willbehaveunderconditionsexistinginthewatershedatthetimeofobservationoftheflow.Thesedataserve
thefollowingpurposes:
Calibrationofstatisticalmodel.Ifavailable,longrecordsofannualmaximumstreamflowpermit
floodfrequencyanalysisanddesignflowdetermination.
Calibrationandverificationofconceptualmodel.Shorterrecordsofrunofffromindividualfloods
permitcalibrationandverificationofconceptualmodelsoftherainfalltorunofftransformation,if
correspondingrecordsofrainfallareavailable.Inthisprocess,modelparametersareestimated,
runofffromobservedrainfalliscomputed,andthecomputedflowsarecomparedtotheobserved.
Parametersareadjustedifthefitisnotacceptable.
Assessmentofreasonablenessofresults.Recordsofannualmaximumflowsatasiteforlimited
periodspermitassessmentofreasonablenessofpredicteddesignflows.Forexample,ifarecordof
annualmaximumflowsfor12yearsatasiteincludessixpeaksthatexceedthepredicted10%chance
designflow,adesignercanapplythebinomialstatisticaldistributiontodeterminethattheprobability
isonly0.0005thatthiscouldhappen.Thisissounlikelythatitraisesdoubtabouttheestimated10%
chancedesignflow.

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