Watershed Time of Concentration

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http://www.lmnoeng.com/Hydrology/TimeConc.php

Compute watershed time of

concentration using FAA equation
(rational method), Kirpich equation, or
Kerby equation
Register to enable "Calculate" button.
Time of concentration calculation is mobile-device-friendly as of June 11, 2014
2014 LMNO Engineering, Not registered user
Research, and Software, Ltd.
Rational runoff coefficient, c:
Watercourse slope, S:
Longest flow length, L:
Time of concentration, t: Will be computed
Velocity, V: Will be computed

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Select Equation and Units:

ft/ft or m/m

Units for time of concentration calculation: ft=foot, km=kilometer, m=meter, min=minute,

s=second.
Fig. 1. Sample Watershed.
Heavy black line indicates watershed boundary
Heavy blue line indicates longest watercourse.
Length of longest watercourse = 4500 ft. (curvy length)
Slope of longest watercourse = (980-760) ft / 4500 ft = 0.0489 ft/ft = 0.0489 m/m

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Introduction to Time of Concentration

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Watershed Time of Concentration

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http://www.lmnoeng.com/Hydrology/TimeConc.php

Time of concentration is a fundamental watershed parameter. It is used to compute the peak

discharge for a watershed. The peak discharge is a function of the rainfall intensity, which is
based on the time of concentration. Time of concentration is the longest time required for a
particle to travel from the watershed divide to the watershed outlet. Each of the three
equations used in our time of concentration calculation require inputs for the longest
watercourse length in the watershed (L), the average slope of that watercourse (S), and a
coefficient representing the type of ground cover. Usually L and S can be obtained from
topographic maps as in Fig. 1 above. The coefficient is determined from photographs of the
watershed or field reconnaissance. Our calculation computes the time of concentration and
average velocity in the longest watercourse. A variety of units may be selected.
Our time of concentration calculation uses the FAA, Kirpich, and Kerby equations. The FAA
(U.S. Federal Aviation Administration) equation is the most commonly used of the three
because it uses the widely recognized Rational Coefficient to describe watershed ground
cover. The ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) recommends its use. The Kirpich
equation, developed in 1940, is the oldest of the three equations and is probably the most
widely recognized, but no longer the most commonly used. The Kerby equation is the least
common of the three equations and has the most limitations. Please see the section below for
applicability of the equations. There are other equations for time of concentration, but most of
them require rainfall intensity as an input. Thus, using those other equations to determine the
rainfall intensity for computing peak discharge results in an iterative process because the
rainfall intensity itself is a function of the time of concentration.
Equations for Time of Concentration
The following equations are used for the calculation. All of the equations shown below use the
English units indicated in the Variables section. Of course, our calculation uses a variety of
units with all of the unit conversions handled internally by the program. The equations can be
found in Chin (2000), Chow et al. (1988), Corbitt (1999), and Singh (1992).
FAA equation: t = G (1.1 - c) L0.5 / (100 S)1/3
Kirpich equation: t = G k (L / S0.5) 0.77
Kerby equation: t = G (L r / S0.5) 0.467
Recommendations
The FAA method was developed from data obtained from airport runoff but has been
successfully applied to overland flow in urban areas.
The Kirpich equation was developed from data obtained in seven rural watersheds in
Tennessee (USA). The watersheds had well-defined channels and steep slopes of 0.03 to 0.1
ft/ft (3 to 10%) and areas of 1 to 112 acres. It is used widely in urban areas for both overland
flow and channel flow; and it is used for agricultural watersheds up to 200 acres (80 hectares).
The Kerby equation was developed from data obtained in watersheds having watercourses
less than 1200 ft. (365 m), slopes less than 0.01 ft/ft (1%), and areas less than 10 acres (4
hectares).
Variables for Time of Concentration
The units refer to the units that must be used in the equations shown above. However, a
variety of units may be used in our calculation.
c = Rational method runoff coefficient. See table below.

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http://www.lmnoeng.com/Hydrology/TimeConc.php

G = Constant. FAA: G=1.8, Kirpich: G=0.0078, Kerby: G=0.8268

k = Kirpich adjustment factor. See table below.
L = Longest watercourse length in the watershed, ft.
r = Kerby retardance roughness coefficient. See table below.
S = Average slope of the watercourse, ft/ft or m/m.
t = Time of concentration, minutes.
V = Average velocity in watercourse, ft/min. V=L/t.
Table of Coefficients
Ground Cover
Lawns
Forest
Cultivated land
Meadow
Parks, cemeteries
Unimproved areas
Pasture
Residential areas
Business areas
Industrial areas
Asphalt streets
Brick streets
Roofs
Concrete streets

Ground Cover
General overland flow and natural grass
channels
Overland flow on bare soil or roadside ditches
Overland flow on concrete or asphalt surfaces
Flow in concrete channels

Ground Cover
Conifer timberland, dense grass
Deciduous timberland
Average grass
Poor grass, bare sod
Smooth bare packed soil, free of stones
Smooth pavements

Rational Runoff Coefficient for FAA

Method, c (Corbitt, 1999; Singh, 1992)
0.05 - 0.35
0.05 - 0.25
0.08-0.41
0.1 - 0.5
0.1 - 0.25
0.1 - 0.3
0.12 - 0.62
0.3 - 0.75
0.5 - 0.95
0.5 - 0.9
0.7 - 0.95
0.7 - 0.85
0.75 - 0.95
0.7 - 0.95
Kirpich Adjustment Factor, k (Chow et al.,
1988; Chin, 2000)
2.0
1.0
0.4
0.2
Kerby Retardance Coefficient, r (Chin,
2000)
0.80
0.60
0.40
0.30
0.10
0.02

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http://www.lmnoeng.com/Hydrology/TimeConc.php

Error Messages given by calculation

"Need S>0", "Need L>0". Initial input checks. Slope and Length must be positive numbers.
"Need 0<c1 for FAA". c must be in this range for the FAA equation.
"Need k>0 for Kirpich", "Need r>0 for Kerby". Input checks.
References
Chin, David A. 2000. Water-Resources Engineering. Prentice-Hall.
Chow, Ven Te, David R. Maidment, and Larry W. Mays. 1988. Applied Hydrology.
McGraw-Hill.
Corbitt, Robert A. 1999. Standard Handbook of Environmental Engineering. McGraw-Hill.
2ed.
Singh, Vijay P. 1992. Elementary Hydrology. Prentice-Hall.
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LMNO Engineering, Research, and Software, Ltd.
7860 Angel Ridge Rd. Athens, Ohio 45701 USA +1 (740) 592-1890
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