Synthetic Unit Hydrograph

Unit Hydrographs developed from rainfall and streamflow data on a watershed apply
only to that watershed and for the point on the stream where the streamflow data were measured.
A synthetic unit hydrograph is a unit hydrograph derived following an established
formula, without the need for rainfall-runoff data analysis. Synthetic unit hydrographs are
derived for ungauged watersheds by computing various coefficients based on the physical
features of the watershed. The coefficients are computed with the help of data obtained from
gauged watershed provided that the gauged and ungauged watershed are hydrologically the
same.
Synthetic unit hydrograph methods usually relate time base to catchment lag. In turn,
catchment lag is related to the timing response characteristics of the catchment, including
catchment shape, length and slope. Therefore, catchment lag is a fundamental parameter in
synthetic unit hydrograph determinations. There are two methods for the calculation of synthetic
unit hydrographs, the Snyder and the Soil Conservation Service methods.

Snyder’s Synthetic Unit Hydrograph

In 1938, Snyder introduced the concept of synthetic unit hydrograph. The synthetic unit
hydrograph of Snyder is based on the relationship found for some characteristics of a standard
unit hydrograph, which Snyder derived based on a study of many watersheds located in the
Appalachian highlands and led to the following formula for lag.
1. Basin lag: tl = Ct (LLc )0.3
where tl = basin lag time (hr.)
Ct = coefficient for types and location of streams ranging
from 1.8 to 2.2
L = length of basin outlet to the basin divide (mile or km)
Lc = length along the mainstream to a point nearest to a
basin centroid (mile or km)

C2 C p A
2. Peak Discharge: Qp =
tl
where Qp = peak discharge (m3/s or ft3/s)
A = drainage area (mi2 or km2)
Cp = storage coefficient ranging from 0.56 to 0.69
C2 = 2.78 if metric system and 645 if English system

t
3. Time base: tb = 3 + ( l )
8

where tb = time base (days)

tl
4. Duration of excess rainfall: tr =
5.5
where tr = standard duration of excess rainfall (hr.)

t R−t r
5. Adjusted lag time: tla = tl + ( )
4
21 t
tla = tl + R
22 4

where tla = adjusted lag time (hr.)

tR = desired duration (hr.)
 C2 C p A
6. Adjusted peak flow: Qpa =
t la

Q p -1.08
7. Width at 50% of peak discharge : W50 = Cw ( ¿
A
where Cw = 2.14 in metric system and 770 English system

Q p -1.08
Width at 75% of peak discharge : W75 = Cw ( )
A
where Cw = 1.22 in metric system and 440 in English system
Usually, 1/3 of its width is distributed before the peak time and 2/3 after the peak time

tR
8. Time to peak: Tp = + tla
2
where Tp = time to peak (hr.)

Item Catchment M Catchment N

Lca 76 km 52 km

L 148 km 106 km

A 2718 km2 1400 km2

Example:
Characteristics of two catchments M and N measured from a map are given below.

For the 6-h unit hydrograph in catchment M, the peak discharge is at 200 m3/s and occurs at 37 h
from the start of the rainfall excess. Assuming the catchments M and N are meteorologically
similar; determine the elements of the 6-h synthetic unit hydrograph for catchment N by using
Snyder’s method.
For catchment M
Qp = 200 m3/s
Tp =37h
tR = 6h
Solution:
t 21 t C2 C p A
TP = R + tla tla = tl + R tl = Ct (LLc )0.3 Qp =
2 22 4 tl
 6 21 6 2.78C p (2718)
37 = + tla 34 = tl + 34.048 = Ct (76×148)0.3 200 =
2 22 4 34.048

tla = 34h tl = 34.048h Ct =2.074 Cp = 0.901

For catchment N
Q pa -1.08
tl = Ct (LLc )0.3 W50 = Cw ( ¿
A
126.367 -1.08
tl = (2.074) (106×52)0.3 W50 = 2.14 ( ¿
1400
tl = 27.5h W50 = 28.739h

tl Q pa -1.08
tr = W75 = Cw ( )
5.5 A
27.5 126.367 -1.08
tr = W75 = 1.22( )
5.5 1400
tr = 5h W75 = 16.384h

t R−t r t la
tla = tl + ( ) tb = 3 + ( )
4 8
6−5 27.75
tla = 27.5 + ( ) tb = 3 + ( )
4 8
24 hr
tla = 27.75h tb = 6.5 days × = 156h
1day

C2 C p A tR
Qpa = Tp = + tla
t la 2
2.78(0.901)(1400)
Qpa = Tp =
27.75
6 Point Time(hr.) Flow(m3/s)
+ 27.75
2
Qpa = 126.367 m3/s O 0 0 Tp =
30.75h
A 21.2 63.2

B 25.3 94.8

C 30.75 126.367

D 41.7 94.8

E 49.9 63.2

F 156 0
SCS Synthetic Unit hydrograph

The SCS synthetic unit hydrograph is the dimensionless unit hydrograph developed by
Victor Mockus in the 1950’s. This hydrograph was developed based on the analysis of a large
number of natural unit hydrographs from a wide range of catchment sizes and geographic
locations. The method has come to be recognized as the SCS synthetic unit hydrograph and has
been applied to midsize catchments throughout the world. It uses a constant ratio of actual time
base to time-to-peak, tb/tp=5. The method requires only the determination of the time peak and
the peak discharge.

To calculate catchment lag, SCS method uses the following two methods: (1) the curve
number method and (2) the velocity method. The curve number method is limited to catchments
of areas less than 16 km2.

In the curve number method, the lag is expressed by the following formula:

L0.8 (2540−22.86 CN )0.7

tl = (Metric system) ………. (eqtn.1)
14104 CN 0.7 Y 0.5

L0.8 (1000−9CN )0.7

tl = (English system) ………. (eqtn.2)
1900 CN 0.7 Y 0.5

in which tl = catchment lag in hours; L = hydraulic length (m or ft); CN = runoff curve number;
and Y = average catchment slope.

The velocity method is used for catchments larger than 16km2, or for curve numbers
outside the range of 50-95. The lag is estimated as:

tl = 0.6 tc …………………. (eqtn.3)

in which tl = lag and tc = concentration time.

In the SCS method the ratio of time-to-peak to unit hydrograph duration is fixed at

tp
=5 …………………. (eqtn.4)
tr
Assuming uniform effective rainfall for simplicity, the time-to-peak is by definition equal
to
tr
tp = + tl …………………. (eqtn.5)
2

eliminating tr from eqtns. 4 and 5, lead to

t p 10
= ………………. (eqtn.6)
tl 9

Therefore:
 tr 2
= …………………. (eqtn.7)
tl 9
and

tr 2
= ………………….. (eqtn.8)
tc 15

given eqtns. 3and 5 the time-to-peak can be calculated as:

tp = 0.5tr + 0.6tc …………………. (eqtn.9)

The peak flow formula is given as:

2.08 A
Qp = (metric system) ……………… (eqtn.10)
tp

484 A
Qp = (English system) …………. (eqtn.11)
tp

in which Qp = unit hydrograph peak flow(m3/s or ft3/s); A = catchment area(km2 or mi2); and tp =
time-to-peak(hr.).
Gamma Equation:
Q
Qp
= еm (t/tp)m (e)-m(t/tp)

Q
where: = ratio of discharge at a certain time to the peak discharge of UH
Qp
m = 3.7; gamma equation shape factor
t
= ratio of the time base to time to peak of UH
tp

Example:

Calculate the SCS synthetic unit hydrograph for a 6.42 km 2 catchment with the following data:
Hydraulic length L = 2204m; runoff curve number CN = 62; average land slope Y = 0.02.

Solution:

L0.8 (2540−22.86 CN )0.7 tb

tl = =5
14104 CN 0.7 Y 0.5 tp
 22040.8 (2540−22.86 ×62)0.7
tl = tb = 5(2)
14104 (62)0.7 (0.02)0.5
tb = 10h
tl = 1.8h

t p 10 2.08 A
= Qp = tp
tl 9

10 2.08(6.42)
tp = 9 (1.8) Qp =
2

tp = 2h Qp = 6.68 m3/s

(Qp = 6.68m3/s; tp = 2h)