Design Hydrographs in Small Watersheds from General Unit Hydrograph Model and NRCS-NOAA Rainfall Distributions
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 28, Issue 5
Abstract
It is time to shift our paradigm of small watershed design from a graphic (or tabular) to a theoretical method, because (1) the recent general unit hydrograph (UH) model can convert a design hyetograph to a design hydrograph simply, accurately, and theoretically; (2) the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has recommended that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 rainfall data of depths and distributions at a specific site, which is often called the NRCS-NOAA rainfall distributions, should be used for small watershed design if runoff data are unavailable; and (3) in this paper, we have presented a design procedure that formulates design hydrographs from the NRCS-NOAA Atlas 14 rainfall distributions and the general UH model automatically, using the MATLAB convolution function. A literature review indicated that the current practice for design hydrographs in small watersheds from hyetographs is laborious because both hyetographs and UHs are discrete. By contrast, the theoretical general UH model can significantly simplify this process. In this research, we first found analytic design hydrographs from rectangular and triangular hyetographs, which were next used to validate the MATLAB convolution method. We then proposed a double exponential rainfall distribution for both asymmetric and symmetric hyetographs. After that, we modified the symmetric exponential distribution model to describe NRCS-NOAA Atlas 14 data for site-specific hyetographs, which are finally convolved with the general UH model for site-specific design hydrographs, using the MATLAB convolution function. It is noteworthy that the proposed method extends the classic rational method from the peak discharge to the whole hydrograph; and it is valid for both continuous and discrete hyetographs. Hence, it provides a powerful tool in urban development, agriculture land use, roadway planning, and airport construction; it can also be used to evaluate an existing drainage system under various meteorologic–hydrologic conditions. Finally, we expect that this research will shift our current design practice and university UH teaching from an empirical to a theoretical paradigm in the near future.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The author thanks Prof. Witold F. Krajewski for comments on ungauged watershed design during a seminar in the University of Iowa, Prof. David A. Chin in the University of Miami for comments on the general unit hydrograph model, and Prof. Stephen J. Burges in the University of Washington Seattle who provided classic references. The author also appreciates the constructive comments offered by the three anonymous reviewers, the Associate Editor, and the Editor, who helped improve this paper during its preparation.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 28 • Issue 5 • May 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 25, 2022
Accepted: Jan 13, 2023
Published online: Mar 15, 2023
Published in print: May 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Aug 15, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Climates
- Design (by type)
- Engineering fundamentals
- Environmental engineering
- Hydraulic design
- Hydrographs
- Hydrologic data
- Hydrologic engineering
- Hydrologic models
- Hydrology
- Meteorology
- Model accuracy
- Models (by type)
- Precipitation
- Rain water
- Rainfall
- Rainfall-runoff relationships
- River engineering
- River systems
- Water (by type)
- Water and water resources
- Water management
- Watersheds
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