CHAPTER 5

Stream Flow

River Stage
Measurement of Depth
Measurement of Discharge
 COVERAGE
• Introduction to stream flow
measurement (explanation on
measurement of stage and velocity).
• Calculation of its discharge using
velocity area method.
 STREAM FLOW MEASUREMENT
• Stream Flow/Stream Discharge – Quantity of
water flowing in a stream
• Discharge expressed in terms of volume per unit
INTRODUCTION

time passing any given point in a stream

• SI unit for discharge – cubic meters per second
(m3/s)
• Reach of Stream – relatively constant slope, cross
section & discharge
• Importance
– To plan any surface water supply project
– To design a hydraulic structure (tidal gate for paddy fields)
• Method – Measure stream flow by setting up a
network of stream gauging station
 STREAMFLOW MEASUREMENT
• Stream flow varies with time & season
• Dry season
INTRODUCTION

– stream flow low

– can cause environmental problems – ex. If
stream receives wastewater treatment plants –
less water to dilute the wastewater
– Cause problem if the stream used source of
water supply
• Wet season – stream flow increases
tremendously which associate with rainfall
events
– can cause floods
 STREAMFLOW MEASUREMENT
• STAGE
– Water level of the stream or river
RIVER STAGE

measured with respect to some

horizontal datum
– Datum based on a standard reference
level – mean sea level or arbitrary level
chosen for convenience
– Can be measured using non recording or
recording gauges
 STREAMFLOW MEASUREMENT

• Non recording gauges manually operated

– staff gauge fixed to a bridge or control structure
RIVER STAGE

– Stream is deep use two or more staff gauges

• Recording gauges
– Self recording
– Automatic gauges to provide continuous record
of stage
– Two common automatic gauges –float recorder
gauges and bubble gauge
NON RECORDING GAUGE
RIVER STAGE

Measurement of river stage using staff gauge

RECORDING GAUGES
RIVER STAGE

Bubble gauge Float recorder gauges BACK

MESUREMENT OF DEPTH
RIVER STAGE
• Stream cross section divided into
vertical sections as many as possible
so that not more than 10% of flow
passes through any one section
• For selected section of the stream –
measurement of depth for the vertical
sections are need to determine the
location of current meter for velocity
measurement
MEASUREMENT OF DEPTH
RIVER STAGE

METHODS OF
MEASURING
DEPTH

SOUNDING
WADING ROD SONIC SOUNDER
WEIGHT
 MEASUREMENT OF DEPTH

• Wading Rod
WADING ROD

– Graduated steel rod of hexagonal or

round shape 12 mm in size
– Place in stream so that the plate rest on
the stream bed
– Depth of water is read on
the graduated rod
WADING ROD
MEASUREMENT OF DEPTH
 MEASUREMENT OF DEPTH
• Can be suspended either by a hand line or reel
line
SOUNDING WEIGHT

• Not possible to use wading rod due to deep or

swift water – sounding weight is suspended
below the current meter by a hand line
• Assembly is attached to a cable and used from
a bridge, boat or cableway
• Deep water measurements requiring heavier
weight – suspended by a reel line
• Drum for winding the sounding cable, a crank
and ratchet assembly for lowering, raising and
holding the current meter as well as a weight
assembly and a depth indicator
 SOUNDING WEIGHT
A stream gauging is conducted using sounding weight
suspended by a hand line from a bridge. The total depth of
the sound line from the rail of the bridge is 8.25m. The depth
up to the water surface is 4.4 m. If distance from the center
EXAMPLE 5.1

of the current meter to the bottom of the weight is 0.3m,

determine the position of the current meter at 0.2d and 0.8d
in the stream.

d
b e

Flow

c
SOUNDING WEIGHT
MEASUREMENT OF DEPTH
SOUNDING WEIGHT
MEASUREMENT OF DEPTH

Sounding Weight Crane Reel

Handline
 MEASUREMENT OF DEPTH
• Works based on a principle of echo
sounding
SONIC SOUNDER

• Provides continuous strip chart record of the

depth of the stream
• Portable set operates on a 6V or 12V
storage battery
• Transducer releases pulses of ultrasonic
energy at fixed intervals
• Measures the time taken by these pulses to
travel to the stream bed
• Velocity of sound in water known – sonic
sounder calculates and records the depth of
stream
 MEASUREMENT OF DEPTH
• Sounding Weight
SOUNDING WEIGHT

– aef – total depth of sounding line

– bc – depth of water in the stream
– ef – wet line depth
• Position of the current meter at 0.2d
– 0.2d = ab + 0.2bc + distance from the
bottom of weight to current meter
• Position of the current meter at 0.8d
– 0.8d = aef – 0.2bc + distance from the
bottom of weight to current meter
SONIC SOUNDER
MEASUREMENT OF DEPTH

BACK
 SOUNDING WEIGHT
Solution:
SOLUTION EXAMPLE 5.1

aef = 8.25 m; ab = 4.4 m

Distance from the bottom of weight to current meter =0.3 m
Depth of water, bc = aef – ab = 8.25 – 4.40 = 3.85 m

Position of current meter at 0.2d is;

0.2d = ab + 0.2bc + distance from the bottom of weight to
current meter
= 4.4 + 0.2(3.85) + 0.3
= 5.47 m from bridge rail

Position of current meter at 0.8d is;

0.8d = aef – 0.2bc + distance from the bottom of weight to
current meter
= 8.25 – 0.2(3.85) + 0.3
= 7.78 m from the bridge rail
VELOCITY MEASUREMENT
MEASUREMENT FOR VELOCITY
• Velocity of water can be measured
using float or current meter
• Use of float for velocity measurement
– Can only give surface velocity &
correction factor must be applied to get
the average velocity over a depth
• Two types of current meters
– Cup type
– Propeller type
FLOATS
VELOCITY MEASUREMENT
CUP TYPE CURRENT METERS
VELOCITY MEASUREMENT

• Assembly of six cups revolving round a vertical

axis
• Need to be calibrated to obtain relationship
between rate of revolutions of cup and the
velocity
PROPELLER TYPE CURRENT METERS
VELOCITY MEASUREMENT

• Single propeller rotating around horizontal axis

• Need to be calibrated to obtain relationship
between rate of revolutions of the propeller and
the velocity
VELOCITY MEASUREMENT
MEASUREMENT FOR VELOCITY

Current meter Float

Current meter
LOCATION OF CURRENT METER
VELOCITY MEASUREMENT

Figure above show location of CM & river cross section divided into many
vertical sections

• At each vertical – velocities measured at a number of depths

to define and the velocity distribution
• Fastest way to measurement velocity - at 0.2d and 0.8d and
then calculate the mean velocity for vertical
• Shallow depth – take a single reading at 0.6d as being the
representative of mean velocity
• Discharge of each section – calculate using mean and mid
section method shown in the next slide
METHODS MEASURING DISCHARGE
MEASUREMENT OF DISCHARGE
METHODS OF MEASURING
DISCHARGE

VELOCITY AREA
METHOD

MEAN VELOCITY METHOD MID SECTION METHOD

DILUTION GAUGING
METHOD

CONSTANT METHOD INTEGRATION METHOD

CONTROL STRUCTURES
METHOD

INDIRECT METHOD
VELOCITY AREA METHOD
METHODS FOR MEASURING DISCHARGE

• Velocity measured and multiplied by

an area to obtain discharge
Q = (vi ai)
• Where,
– Q = stream flow
– vi = mean velocity of flow in subsection
– ai = individual subsection area
 VELOCITY AREA METHOD
Stream cross section has been divided into five
subsections as shown in the figure. The area of
subsection and its mean velocity are given in table
EXAMPLE 5.2

5.1. Calculate the stream flow of the cross section.

Subsection Area, ai Mean Velocity, vi

(m2) v (m/s)
I 10.0 0.05
II 15.4 0.07
III 25.0 0.10
IV 32.4 0.08
V 12.0 0.06
SOLUTION EXAMPLE 5.2
VELOCITY AREA METHOD

I II III IV V

Subsection Area a (m2) Mean velocity v Discharge Q

(m/s) (m3/s)
I 10.0 0.05 0.50
II 15.4 0.07 1.08
III 25.0 0.10 2.50
IV 32.4 0.08 2.59
v 12.0 0.06 0.72
 DISCHARGE CALCULATION USING MEAN
& MID SECTION METHOD
MEAN SECTION METHOD

• Averages the mean

velocities in the
verticals and depth at
the boundaries of a
section sub division are
taken and multiplied by
the width of sub
division to compute
discharge

v i-1 = mean velocity of preceding vertical

v i = mean velocity of the vertical
 v + v  d + d  di-1 = depth of preceding vertical
Q =   i −1 i  i −1 i (b i − b i−1 ) di = depth of vertical
 2  2  b i-1 = distance of preceding vertical
b i = distance of the vertical
 DISCHARGE CALCULATION USING MEAN
& MID SECTION METHOD
• Mean velocity and
MID SECTION METHOD

depth measured at a
subdivision point are
multiplied by the width
of sub division
measured between
mid points of
neighboring segments
to give the discharge

v i = mean velocity of the vertical


Q =   (v i d i )
(b i + 1 − b i−1 )  di = depth of vertical
 b i-1 = distance of preceding vertical
 2 
b i +1 = distance of the following vertical
 DISCHARGE CALCULATION USING
MEAN & MID SECTION METHOD
Based on current meter gauging data given in the
table, compute stream flow using mean section
method and mid section method.
EXAMPLE 5.3

Distance from left bank Depth Mean Velocity

b (m) d (m) v (m/s)
0.4 0.000 0.000
9.0 1.131 0.330
12.0 1.740 0.357
15.0 1.993 0.358
18.0 2.057 0.353
21.0 2.057 0.340
24.0 1.905 0.346
27.0 1.753 0.341
30.0 1.753 0.314
33.0 1.600 0.322
 DISCHARGE CALCULATION USING MEAN
& MID SECTION METHOD
CONT. EXAMPLE 5.3

Distance from left bank Depth Mean Velocity

b (m) d (m) v (m/s)
36.0 1.295 0.318
39.0 1.436 0.247
42.0 1.308 0.181
45.0 1.640 0.104
48.0 1.512 0.066
52.0 0.000 0.000
 DISCHARGE CALCULATION USING MEAN & MID SECTION
METHOD
SOLUTION EXAMPLE 5.3

Mean Section Method Mid section

method
bi di vi v i −1 + v i di −1 + di b i − b i −1 qi b i +1 − b i qi
(m) (m) (m/s) 2 2 (m3/s) 2 (m3/s)
4.0 0.000 0.000 (0+0.33)/2 (0+1.131)/2 (9-4) 0.466 0 (0*0*0)
= 0.165 = 0.565 = 5.0 0.000
9.0 1.131 0.330 (0.33+0.357) (1.131+1.74 (12-9) 1.477 (12-4)/2 (1.131*
/2 0)/2 = 3.0 = 4.0 0.330*
= 0.343 = 1.435 4.0)
1.493
12.0 1.740 0.357 (0.357+0.35 (1.740+1.99 (15- 2.005 (15- 9)/2 (1.740*
8)/2 3)/2 12) = 4.0 0.357*
=0.358 = 1.867 = 3.0 3.0)
1.864
15.0 1.993 0.358 (0.358+0.35 (1.993+2.05 (18- 2.163 (18-12)/2 (1.993*
3)/2 7)/2 15) = 3.0 0.358*
=0.356 = 2.025 = 3.0 3.0)
2.140