CE- 42026, Engineering Hydrology

Reference text book:

Engineering Hydrology(Third Edition)
K Subramanya

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 Chapter (1)
Introduction
What is hydrology?
- Hydrology means the science of water that deals with the occurrence, circulation and
distribution of water of the earth and the earth’s atmosphere.
-Hydrology is an applied science. To further emphasize the degree of applicability, it is
classified as
❖ Scientific hydrology
❖ Engineering or applied hydrology

Engineering hydrology deals with

❖ estimation of water resources,
❖ the study of processes such as precipitation, runoff, evatranspiration and their
interaction and
❖ the study of problems such as floods and droughts, and strategies to combat them.
❖ Hydrologic Cycle

❖ Water occurs on the earth in all its three states- liquid, solid and gaseous, and in
various degrees of motion.
❖ Evaporation of water from water bodies such as oceans and lakes, formation and
movement of clouds, rain and snowfall, streamflow and groundwater movement
are some examples of the dynamic aspects of water.
❖ The various aspects of water related to the earth can be explained in terms of a
cycle known as the hydrologic cycle.
❖ A schematic representation of the hydrologic cycle is shown in Figure(1.1). A
convenient starting point to describe the cycle is in the oceans.
❖ Water in the oceans evaporate due to the heat energy provided by solar radiation.
❖ The water vapour moves upwards and forms clouds. While much of the clouds
condense and fall back to the oceans as rain, a part of the clouds is driven to the
land areas by winds. There they condense and precipitate onto the land mass as
rain, snow, hail, sleet, etc.
❖ A part of the precipitation may evaporate back to the atmosphere even while
falling.

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❖ Another part may be intercepted by vegetation, structures and other such surface
modifications from which it may be either evaporate back to atmosphere or move
down to the ground surface.
❖ A portion of the water that reaches the ground enters the earth’s surface through
infiltration, enhance the moisture content of the soil and reach the groundwater
body.
❖ Vegetation sends a portion of the water from under the ground surface back to the
atmosphere through the process of transpiration.
❖ The precipitation reaching the ground surface after meeting the needs of
infiltration and evaporation moves down the natural slope over the surface and
through a network of gullies, streams and rivers to reach the ocean.
❖ The groundwater may come to the surface through springs and other outlets after
spending a considerably longer time than the surface flow.
❖ The portion of the precipitation which by a variety of paths above and below the
surface of the earth reaches the stream channel is called runoff. Once it enters a
stream channel, runoff becomes stream flow.

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Figure 1.1 Hydrologic Cycle
Catchment area (Drainage area or drainage basin)
-the area of land draining into a stream or a water course at a given location

Figure 1.2 Schematic Sketch of Catchment of River A at Station M

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Water Budget Equation
Mass inflow – mass outflow = change in mass storage
Vi – Vo = ΔS
Where, Vi = inflow volume of water into the problem area during the time period
Vo = outflow volume of water into the problem area during the time period
ΔS = change in the storage of water volume over and under the given area
during the given period
R=P–L
Where, L = Losses = water not available to runoff due to infiltration, evaporation ,
transpiration and surface storage
R = surface runoff
P = precipitation

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Example 1.1 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 received 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 rainfall of 145 mm and the evaporation from the lake surface
was estimated as 6.10 cm. Write the water budget equation for the lake and calculate the water
surface elevation of the lake at the end of the month. The average lake surface area can be taken
as 5000 ha. Assume that there is no contribution to or from the groundwater storage.
Solution: Inflow volume – outflow volume = change in storage of the lake
ഥ Δt + EA ) = ΔS
(Iҧ Δt + PA) – (Q
Δt = 1 month = 30 x 24 x 60 x 60 = 2.592 x 106 s = 2.592 s
Iҧ Δt = 6 x 2.592 = 15.552 Mm3
ഥ Δt = 6.5 x 2.592 = 16.848
Q
14.5 ×5000 ×100 ×100
PA = 6 = 7.25 Mm3
100 ×10
6.1 ×5000 ×100 ×100
EA = = 3.05 Mm3
100 ×106
ΔS = 15.552 + 7.25 – 16.848 – 3.05 = 2.904 Mm3
ΔS
Δz = = 0.058 m
𝐴
New water surface elevation at the end of the month = 103.2 + 0.058 = 103.258 m above the
datum 8
Example 1.2 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 the catchment, the stream draining the
catchment was dry before the storm and experienced a runoff lasting for 10 hours with
an average to combined effect of infiltration, evaporation and transpiration? What is the
ratio of runoff to precipitation?

Solution: Note that the rainfall occurred in the first 90 min and the rest 8.5 hrs the
precipitation was zero.
R=P–L
P = 150 x 100 x 100 x (10.5/100) = 157500 m3
R = 1.5 x 10 x 60 x 60 = 54000 m3
L = 157500 – 54000 = 103500 m3
Runoff/ rainfall = 54000/157500 = 0.343

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Applications in Engineering
- Design and operation of water-resources engineering projects, such as
❖ Irrigation
❖ Water supply
❖ Flood control
❖ Water power, and
❖ Navigation
In all these projects hydrological investigations for the proper assessment of the
following factors are necessary:
❖ The capacity of the storage structures such as reservoirs.
❖ The magnitude of the flood flows to enable safe disposal of the excess flow.
❖ The minimum flow and the quantity of flow available at various seasons.
❖ The interaction of the flood wave and the hydraulic structures, such as levees,
reservoirs, barrages and bridges.
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Problem

1.1 Estimate the constant rate of withdrawal from a 1375 ha reservoir in a month of 30
days during which the reservoir level dropped by 0.75 m in spite of an average inflow
into the reservoir of 0.5 Mm3 /day. During the month the average seepage loss from the
reservoir was 2.5 cm, total precipitation on the reservoir was 18.5 cm and the total
evaporation was 9.5 cm.

1.2 Two and half centimeters of rain per day over an area of 200 km2 is equivalent to
average rate of input of how many cubic meters per second of water to that area?

1.3 A catchment area of 140 km2 received 120 cm of rainfall in a year. At the outlet of
the catchment the flow in the stream draining the catchment was found to have an
average rate of 2.0 m3/s for 3 months, 3.0 m3/s for 6 months and 5.0 m3/s for 3 months.
(i) What is the runoff coefficient of the catchment? (ii) If the afforestation of the
catchment reduces the runoff coefficient to 0.05, what is the increase in the abstraction
from precipitation due to infiltration, evaporation and transpiration, for the same annual
rainfall of 120 cm?
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