DRAINAGE ENGINEERING

BY
Dr. Abdullahi Sule Argungu
 URBAN DEVELOPMENT
• URBAN CONDITIONS EXACERBATE drainage
problems; runoff is increased by impermeable
urban surfaces and, due to inadequate
development control mechanisms and their
incompetent enforcement, settlements are
constructed with little consideration for
stormwater drainage.
 Inadequate Drainage
• Physical impacts e.g. Damage to
highway structures
• Environmental health impacts
 Physical impacts
• flooding can cause widespread disruption to
transportation, power and communication
systems, as well as structural damage to
buildings and infrastructure.
• The disruption, damage to properties, loss of
possessions, as well as financial worries and
other stresses from living in damp houses
mean that flood events can place a
considerable strain on households.
 Environmental health impacts
• Flooding and poor drainage have a significant
impact on the prevalence of illness, and that
large-scale flooding may disrupt water supply and
sanitation systems and result in disease
epidemics.
• In poorly drained areas with inadequate
sanitation, urban runoff mixes with excreta-
spreading pathogens around communities and
increasing risks to health from various
waterborne diseases.
 Environmental health impacts
• Infiltration of polluted water into low-pressure water
supply systems can contaminate drinking water and is
frequently a source of gastrointestinal disorders.
• Wet soils in poorly drained areas, which become
faecally contaminated due to poor sanitation, also
provide ideal conditions for the eggs of parasitic
worms, such as roundworm and hookworm, which can
cause debilitating intestinal infections.
• Flooded septic tanks and leach pits, and blocked drains
provide breeding sites for Culex mosquitoes, which
transmit filariasis, a condition that can lead to
elephantiasis and its painful swelling of the legs.
 Environmental health impacts
• Aedes mosquitoes, which transmit yellow fever,
dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever. (These
mosquitoes often breed in containers which fill
with water during rain, such as domestic water
storage containers, discarded cans, tyres, plastic
bags and coconut shells).
• Anopheles mosquitoes, which transmit malaria,
they lay their eggs in still, unpolluted water, for
instance in wetlands and on pond surface waters,
which are commonly found where drainage is
poor.
 Table 1:
Flood Types Characteristics of flooding and impacts

Type A Localized flooding caused by inadequate drainage of stormwater

runoff, which can happen virtually every time it rains where the
provision of drainage infrastructure is very poor. The main impacts of
these events are related to a deterioration in environmental health
conditions – notably those related to water-related diseases.
Type B Flood events of this type occur less frequently than type A floods, but
affect larger areas. The impacts may include temporary disruption to
transportation systems and inconveniences to city life.
These events contribute to the propagation of water-related diseases
and can cause structural damage, but not as severe as
those related to type C events.
Type C Large-scale inundation causing widespread disruption and damage
affecting communities and businesses throughout cities. These
events are infrequent and often reach the headlines due to the
dramatic scale of the impacts and structural damage.
 STORM WATER MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS
• The system can be separate, combined or hybrid.
• They can be minor or major in construction
• The minor system consist of storm sewers that
route the design runoff to receiving waters, and it
is typically designed to handle runnoff events
with return periods of 2 to 10 years.
• The major consist of above ground conveyance
routes that transport storm water from lager
runoff events with return periods from 25 to
100years.
 DESIGN OF STORM WATER
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
• They are designed to control the quantity,
quality, timing and distribution of runoff
resulting from storm events.
• Erosion control
• Reuse storage and
• Groundwater recharge.
 Surface Drainage
• Two types of water
–Surface water – rain and snow
–Ground water – can be a problem
when a water table is near surface
 Surface Drainage System Design
Three phases
1. Estimate of the quantity of water
to reach the system
2. Hydraulic design of system
elements
3. Comparison of different materials
that serve same purpose
 Hydrologic Analysis
Analysis Considerations
• Drainage Basin Characteristics
• Size
• Slope
• Land use
• Soil Type
• Surface Infiltration/cover
• Storage
 Hydrologic Analysis
Analysis considerations: Flood plain characteristics
• Rainfall amount and storm distribution
• Ground cover
• Type of soil
• Prior moisture condition
• Watershed development
• Terrain
 Hydrologic Analysis
There are many different approved methods:
• For urban drainage areas the method most generally
used is the Rational Method, More detail to come
• FHWA method
• “Hydrology Manual for North Dakota” published by the
Natural Resources Conservation Service.
• Suitable hydrograph methods may be used for routing
• calculations to decrease peak flows, after the peak flow has
• been determined
 Hydrologic Analysis: Rational Method
Useful for small, usually urban, watersheds
(<10acres, but sometime applied to <200acres)

Q = CIA (English) or Q = 0.0028CIA (metric)

Q = runoff (ft3/sec) or (m3/sec)
C = coefficient representing ratio or runoff to
rainfall
I = intensity of rainfall (in/hour or mm/hour)
A = drainage area (acres or hectares)
 Rational method
• used for mostly urban applications
• limited to about 10 acres in size
• Q = CIA
• Calculate once C, I, and A have been found
 Runoff Coefficient
o Coefficient that represents the fraction of
rainfall that becomes runoff
o Depends on type of surface
 Runoff Coefficient depends on:
• Character of soil
• Shape of drainage area
• Antecedent moisture conditions
• Slope of watershed
• Amount of impervious soil
• Land use
• Duration
• Intensity
Runoff Coefficient - rural
Runoff Coefficient - urban
Runoff Coefficient For High Intensity
Event (i.e. 100-year storm)
 Runoff Coefficient
• When a drainage area has distinct parts
with different C values
• Use the weighted average

C = C1A1 + C2A2 + ….. + CnAn

ΣAi
 Watershed Area
• For rational method measured in hectares
• Combined area of all surfaces that drain to a
given intake or culvert inlet
• Determine boundaries of area that drain to
same location
– i.e high points mark boundary
– Natural or human-made barriers
 Watershed Area
Determine Contributing Drainage Area
• Topographic maps (Look at contour maps)
• Aerial photos
• Digital elevation models
• Drainage maps
• Field reviews
• Consider structures and manmade changes
• Use your common sense and best engineering
judgment
 Intensity
• Average intensity for a selected frequency and
duration over drainage area for duration of
storm
• Based on “design” event (i.e. 50-year storm)
– Overdesign is costly
– Underdesign may be inadequate
• Duration is important
• Based on values of Tc and T
• Tc = time of concentration
• T = recurrence interval or design frequency
 Design Event Recurrence Interval
• 2-year interval -- Design of intakes and spread
of water on pavement for primary highways
and city streets
• 10-year interval -- Design of intakes and
spread of water on pavement for freeways
and interstate highways
• 50 - year -- Design of subways (underpasses)
and sag vertical curves where storm sewer
pipe is the only outlet
• 100 – year interval -- Major storm check on all
projects
 Time of Concentration (tc)
• Time for water to flow from hydraulically most
distant point on the watershed to the point of
interest
• Rational method assumes peak run-off rate
occurs when rainfall intensity (I) lasts
(duration) >= Tc
• Used as storm duration
 Time of Concentration (tc)
• Manning’s Kinematic Solution
• Kinematic Wave Equation
• FAA Method (Federal Aviation Administration)
• Nomograph
 Time of Concentration (Tc)
• Depends on:
– Size and shape of drainage area
– Type of surface
– Slope of drainage area
– Rainfall intensity
– Whether flow is entirely overland or whether some is
channelized
 Manning’s Kinematic Solution
Tt=[0.007(nL).8]/[P2.5 S.4]

• Tt is travel time (hrs)

• n-Manning’s coefficient (dimensionless )
• L is flow length (ft)
• P2 is 2-yr, 24-hr rainfall (in)
– Local IDF curve (change intensity to inches)
• S is slope (decimal format)
 Kinematic Wave Equation
tco=[56(Lo).6 (n).6]/[So.3 i.4]
• tco is travel time (sec)
• n-Manning’s coefficient (dimensionless)
• Lo is overland flow length (ft)
• i is rainfall intensity for a desired frequency (in/hr)
– TR-55 Appendix B (change inches to intensity) or
– Local IDF curve
• So is overland slope (decimal format)
 Kinematic Wave Equation
• Includes the rainfall intensity for a desired
frequency
• Must use iterative approach
1. Assume a rainfall intensity
2. Calculate travel time
3. Set storm duration = travel time
4. Look up intensity from IDF curve and compare to
assumed value
5. If intensity differs go back to step 1
 Kinematic Wave- IDF Curve is needed
IDF Curve

9.0

2-year frequency
8.0

5-year frequency
7.0
10-year frequency
6.0
Rainfall Intensity (in/hour)

25-year frequency

5.0
50-year frequency

4.0 100-year frequency

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Storm Duration (minutes)
 FAA Equation
t=[1.8(1.1-C)(Lo).5 ]/[S.333]
 t is travel time (min)
 C-rational coefficient (dimensionless)
 Lo is overland flow length (ft)
 So is overland slope (decimal format)
Nomograph
 Manning’s Equation: Flow---Metric
Q=A(1/n)(Rh2/3)(S).5
Q is flow rate (cms)
n-Manning’s coefficient (dimensionless)
Rh is hydraulic radius (m)
Wetted area / wetted perimeter
S is slope (decimal format)
 Sustainable drainage system
Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are a
natural approach to managing drainage in
and around properties and other
developments. SuDS work by slowing and
holding back the water that runs off from a
site, allowing natural processes to break
down pollutants.
Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) can be used in all
types of development to provide a natural approach to
managing drainage.

SuDS prevent water pollution and flooding in urban areas.

SuDS also create green spaces and habitat for wildlife in
towns and cities.

SuDS are a legal requirement for all new developments in

Scotland, except for surface water drainage from single
dwellings and developments that drain to coastal waters.
Run-off from hard paving is likely to be
contaminated by oil, organic material or toxic
metals. Where there is a high risk of
contamination by oil, you may need to install
an appropriate oil separator in the drainage
system.
 permeable or porous paving as a source control measure
for small roads, pavements, car parks and yards. Source
control measures are sustainable drainage systems (SUDS)
that deal with run-off at, or close to, the surface where
rainfall lands.
Rain passes through the surface, either through gaps
between individual blocks or permeable material such as
gravel or porous asphalt, trapping pollutants below. Once
there, many pollutants are broken down by natural
processes.
Large amounts of water can be stored temporarily under
the surface. This reduces the chances of flooding.
Where rainfall lands on a surface, source control
sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS)
techniques can be used to control run-off at, or
close to, the source.
To deal with heavy or persistent rain which
produces more ,run-off, you can use site
control SUDS, which are downstream of source
controls, to manage the surface water run-off
from larger areas
Detention basins
This can be used to store run-off from large
areas.
Detention basins let run-off spread across a
wide floor area and only fill after heavy
rainfall, when they will hold large volumes
of water. This lets pollutants settle out
before the water soaks away or discharges
slowly downstream.
THANKS