AE 302

ENGINEERING HYDROLOGY

Engr. Dr. Taj Ali Khan

Meritorious Professor
UET Peshawar 1
 Course Outline

Introduction
Meteorology
Precipitation
Evaporation and Transpiration

Runoff
Stream Gauging
Hydrograph Analysis
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 BOOKS
Text
Awan, N.M. (1981). Surface Water Hydrology, Vol I & II,
National Book Foundation, Islamabad.
Shaw, E. M. (1994). Hydrology in Practice. 3rd edition.
Chapman & Hall, London.

Reference
Ghumman, A. R. (2006). Engineering Hydrology: An
Introduction. Prosperous Pakistan Publishers, Lahore.

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 Grading Criteria

1. Final Term Exam 50 %

2. Mid Term Exam 25 %
3. Assignments 10 %
4. Quizzes 10 %
5. Attendance 05 %

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 HYDROLOGY
The study of water, including rain, snow and water
on the earth’s surface, covering its properties,
distribution, utilisation, etc.
(Chambers Science and Technology Dictionary)

The study of water in all its forms, and from its

origins to all its destinations on the earth.
(Bras, 1990)

The science dealing with the waters of the earth,

their occurrence, distribution and circulation, their
chemical and physical properties, and their
interaction with the environment.
(Ward & Robinson, 1999)
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 Main Branches
HYDROLOGY

Surface Water Ground Water

Hydrology Hydrology
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 Scope of Hydrology
• Water is one of the most valuable natural resources
essential for:
• Human and Animal Life,
• Industry and Agriculture.
• Power Generation,
• Navigation and
• Fisheries.

• Tremendous importance is given to the hydrology all

over the world in the development and management of:
• Water Resources for Irrigation,
• Water Supply,
• Flood Control,
• Water-logging and Salinity Control,
• Hydro Power and Navigation. 7
 Engineering Hydrology

• It uses hydrologic principles in the solution of

engineering problems arising from human exploitation of
water resources of the earth.

• The engineering hydrologist, or water resources engineer,

is involved in the planning, analysis, design, construction
and operation of projects for the control, utilization and
management of water resources.

• Hydrologic calculations are estimates because mostly the

empirical and approximate nature of methods are used to
describe various hydrological processes.

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 Problems Related to Hydrology
Quantity of water available from a catchment ?

Quality of water in a catchment eg. sediment & phosphate content ?

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Peak discharge expected in a stream during a storm ?

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The design of hydraulic structures eg. dams/ reservoirs, bridges
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Damage caused by Peak Floods

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 Uses of Engineering Hydrology
Engineering Hydrology seeks to answer questions of the following types:

• What is the maximum probable flood at a proposed dam site?

• How does a catchment’s water yield vary from season to season and from year to
year?

• What is the relationship between a catchment’s surface water and groundwater

resources?

• What flood flows can be expected over a spillway, at a highway culvert, or in an

urban storm drainage system?

• What reservoir capacity is required to assure adequate water for irrigation or

municipal water supply in droughts condition?

• What hydrologic hardware (e.g. rain gauges, stream gauges etc) and software
(computer models) are needed for real-time flood forecasting?
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 Major Aspects of Hydrology
The main jobs of a hydrologist are collection and analysis of
data, and making prediction out of this data.
1. Collection of Data: The hydrologic data comprises:
Rainfall data, snowfall and snowmelt data, runoff data,
topographic maps, groundwater data.
2. Analysis of Data
Analysis of hydrologic data includes checking it for
consistency and homogeneity as well as finding its various
statistical parameters.
3. Prediction
Means to find design values and maximum possible events
(rainfall, floods, droughts). Various approaches used are:
Statistical, Physical, Deterministic 14
 Hydrologic Data
The
hydrologic
data
comprises
:
Groundwater Rainfall Data
Data

Topographic Snowfall and

Maps, Satellite Snowmelt
Imageries, and Data
Runoff Data
(Catchment
Runoff and
Stream Flows)
 HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
• The hydrologic cycle describes the continues re-circulating
transport of the waters of the earth, linking atmosphere, land and
oceans.

• To explain it briefly, water evaporates from the ocean surface,

driven by energy from the Sun, and joins the atmosphere,
moving inland as clouds. Once inland, atmospheric conditions
act to condense and precipitate water onto the land surface,
where, driven by gravitational forces, it returns to the ocean
through river and streams.

• The process is quite complex, containing many sub-cycles.

• Engineering Hydrology takes a quantitative view of the

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hydrologic cycle.
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 Hydrological Processes
• Precipitation
• Interception
• Evaporation
• Transpiration
• Infiltration
• Overland flow
• Surface Runoff
• Groundwater outflow

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 Hydrologic Equation

• The quantification of the hydrologic cycle which is an

open system, can be represented by a mass balance
equation, where inputs minus outputs are equal to the
change in storage.
I - O = DS
• The water holding elements of the hydrological cycle are:
1. Atmosphere 2. Vegetation
3. Snow packs 4. Land surface
5. Soil 6. Streams, lakes and rivers
7. Aquifers 8 Oceans

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 Water Balance Components
Inflow:
1. Precipitation
2. Import defined as water channeled into a given area.
3. Groundwater inflow from adjoining areas.

Outflow:
1. Surface runoff outflow
2. Export defined as water channeled out of the same area.
3. Evaporation
4. Transpiration
5. Interception

Change in Storage: This occurs as change in:

1. Groundwater
2. Soil moisture
3. Surface reservoir water and depression storage
4. Detention Storage

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 Global Hydrologic Cycle

• The global hydrologic cycle can be represented as a system

containing three subsystems:
the atmospheric water system,
the surface water system, and
the subsurface water system.

• Block-diagram (flow chart) representation of GHC is shown

in Figure#1.

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 Precipitation Evaporation
Atmospheric Water

Interception 

Transpiration

Runoff to streams
Surface
Water

Overland flow Surface runoff and ocean


Subsurface Water

Infiltration Subsurface flow

Groundwater Groundwater
recharge flow

Block-diagram representation of the global hydrologic system (Chow et al. 1988).

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 Mois ture ove r land39

Pre cipitation
Pre cipitation on ocean
on land 385
100
Evapotranspiration
from land
61

Infiltration Evaporation
Surface from oce an
flow
424
Surface outflow 38
Groundwate r flow
Groundwate r
outflow
1

Global Water Balance of

The hydrological cycle
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 Global Water Balance
In the atmosphere:
Precipitation (P) = Evapotranspiration (ET)
100+385 = 61+424

On land:
P = Evapotranspiration (ET) + Surface runoff (R) +
Groundwater outflow
100 = 61 + 38 + 1

Over oceans and seas:

Ocean precipitation + Surface runoff + Groundwater
outflow = Evaporation (E)
385 + 38 + 1 = 424

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 Table 1. Estimated Distribution of World's Water.

Component Volume 1000 km3 % of Total Water

Atmospheric water 13 0.001

Surface Water
Salt Water in Oceans 1320000 97.2
Salt water in lakes & inland seas 104 0.008
Fresh water in lakes 125 0.009
Fresh water in stream channels 1.25 0.0001
Fresh water in glaciers and icecaps 29000 2.15
Water in the biomass 50 0.004

Subsurface water
Vadose water 67 0.005
G/W within depth of 0.8 km 4200 0.31
G/W between 0.8 and 4 km depth 4200 0.31

Total (rounded) 1360000 100

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 Catchment and Basin
A catchment is a portion of the earth’s surface that collects
runoff and concentrates it at its furthest downstream point,
referred to as the catchment outlet.

The runoff concentrated by a catchment flows either into a

larger catchment or into the ocean.

The place where a stream enters a larger stream or body of

water is referred to as the mouth.

The terms watershed and basin are commonly used to refer

to catchments. Generally, watershed is used to describe a
small catchment (stream watershed), whereas basin is
reserved for large catchments (river basins).
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 Regional Water Balance (Water Budget)
Precipitation (P) Evapotranspiration (ET)

Surface
runoff (R)

Infiltration (F)

A mass balance over time from t = 0 to T, i.e.

Inputs - Outputs = Change in Storage
P - (R+ET+F) = ΔS

All terms in the hydrologic equation should be in the same units.

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Schematic representation of the mass balance equation

Precipitation (P) Evapotranspiration (ET)

Time t = T
Time t = 0
Change in storage (DS) Surface runoff (R)

Storage (S)

Infiltration (F)

DS = P - (R + F + ET)
DS = +ve if P > (R + F + ET)
DS = -ve if P < (R + F + ET)
DS = 0 if P = (R + F + ET)
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Problem #1

In a given year, a catchment with an area of 2500 km2 received

1.3 m of precipitation. The average rate of flow measured in a
river draining the catchment was 30 m3s-1.

(i). How much total river runoff occurred in the year (in m3)?

(ii). What is the runoff coefficient?

(iii).How much water is lost due to the combined effects of

evaporation, transpiration, and infiltration. (Express in m).

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 Problem #1

Solution

(i). Total runoff volume

= number of seconds in a year  average flow rate
= 31 536 000  30
= 9.4608108 m3

(ii). Runoff coefficient

= runoff volume/ precipitation volume
= (9.4608108) / (1.3  2500  106)
= 0.29 (29 %)

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 Problem #1
(iii). The water balance equation can be arranged to produce:

ET+F= P - R - ΔS
where:
P = (1.3  2500106)
= 3.25109 m3

R = 9.4608108 m3 (from [i])

ΔS = 0 (i.e. no change in storage)

So,
ET + F = 3.25109 - 9.4608108
= 2.30392109 m3

= (2.30392109) / (2500106)
= 0.92 m 33
Problem #2
Water at a constant rate of 370 cumec was observed to be entering
into Tarbela Reservoir in a certain season. If outflow from the
reservoir including infiltration and evaporation losses is 280 cumec,
find out the change in storage of reservoir for 10 days. Also convert
your answer into Hectare-meter.

I = 370 cumec O = 280 cumec

∆t = 10 days = 10 x 24 x 3600 = 864,000 sec
∆S = ?
According to water balance equation
∆S/∆t = I – O = 370 – 280 = 90 cumec
Total change in storage = ∆S = 90 x 864,000 = 7776000 m3
= 7776000/10000 = 777.6 hectare-m
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Problem #3
In a given year, a catchment with an area of 1750 km2 received 1250
mm of precipitation. The average rate of flow measured in a river
draining the catchment was 25 m3s-1.

(i). Calculate how much total river runoff occurred in the year
(in m3).

(ii).Calculate the runoff coefficient. What is the percentage

runoff ?
Area of the catchment = 1750 km2 = 1750 x 10^6 m2
Flow rate in the river = 25 m3/s
Precipitation received = 1250 mm = 1.25 m

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 Problem #3

Solution:

Total annual precipitation = (1.25) x (1750 x 10^6)

= 2187.5 x 10^6 m3

Flow rate during the year = 2187.5 x 10^6 / (365 x 24 x 60 x 60)

= 69.36 m3/s

Runoff Coefficient = Actual flow in river / Total

precipitation occurred
= 25 / 69.36
= 0.36

Percentage of flow = 0.36 x 100 = 36%

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