Streamflow Measurement

 Streamflow representing the runoff phase of the hydrologic cycle is the most important
basic data for hydrologic studies.
 A stream can be defined as a flow channel into which the surface runoff from a specified
basin drains.
 The measurement of discharge in a stream forms an important branch of Hydrometry, the
science and practice of water measurement.
 Streamflow measurement techniques can be broadly classified into two categories as:
o Direct determination of stream discharge:
1. Area-velocity methods,
2. Dilution techniques
3. Electromagnetic methods
4. Ultrasonic method
o Indirect determination of streamflow:
1. Hydraulic structures, such as weirs, flumes and gated structures and
2. Slope-area method

Classification of Streams
 1. Perennial Streams - Water flows in these streams throughout the year. The primary water
source can be from ground water, surface water, or a combination of both.
2. Intermittent Streams - Intermittent streams flow for part or most of the year but may carry
no water during the dry season.
3. Ephemeral Streams - These streams flow only for a short time, usually after a large storm
or snowmelt when there is an increase in water runoff. Ephemeral streams are very small
and normally have a dry channel during the year.

Measurement of Stage

The stage of a river is defined as its water surface elevation measured above datum. This
datum can be mean-sea level (MSL) or any arbitrary datum, connected independently to the mean-
sea level.

Manual Gauges

 Staff Gauge – The simplest of stage measurements are made by noting the elevation of the
water surface in contact with a fixed graduated staff. The staff is made of a durable material
with a low coefficient of expansion with respect to both temperature and moisture. It is
fixed rigidly to a structure, such as an abutment, pier, wall, etc.

o The staff may be vertical or inclined with clearly and accurately graduated
permanent markings.
 o The markings are distinctive, easy to read from a distance and are similar to those
on a surveying staff.
o Sometimes, it may not be possible to read the entire range of water-surface
elevations of a stream by a single gauge and
o In such cases the gauge is built in sections at different locations. Such gauges are
called sectional gauges.
o When installing sectional gauges, care must be taken to provide an overlap between
various gauges and to refer all the sections to the same common datum.
 Wire Gauge – It is a gauge used to measure the water- surface elevation from above the
surface such as from a bridge or similar structure. In this, a weight is lowered by a reel to
touch the water surface. A mechanical counter measures the rotation of the wheel which is
proportional to the length of the wire paid out. The operating range of this kind of gauge is
about 25 m.
 Automatic Stage Recorders – The staff gauge and wire gauge described earlier are manual
gauges. While they are simple and inexpensive, they have to be read at frequent interva ls
to define the variation of stage with time accurately. Automatic stage recorders overcome
this basic objection of manual staff gauges and find considerable use in stream- flow
measurement practice.
 Float-Gauge Recorder – The float-
operated stage recorder is the most
common type of automatic stage
recorder in use. In this, a float
operating in a stilling well is
balanced by means of a
counterweight over the pulley of a
recorder. Displacement of the float
due to the rising or lowering of the
water-surface elevation causes an
angular displacement of the pulley
and hence of the input shaft of the
recorder. Mechanical linkages
 convert this angular displacement to the linear displacement of a pen to record over a drum
driven by clockwork. The pen traverse is continuous with automatic reversing when it
reaches the full width of the chart. A clockwork mechanism runs the recorder for a day,
week or fortnight and provides a continuous plot of stage vs time. A good instrument will
have a large-size float and least friction.
 Bubble Gauge – In this gauge, compressed air or gas is made to bleed out at a very small
rate through an outlet placed at the bottom of the river. A pressure gauge measures the gas
pressure which in turn is equal to the water column above the outlet. A small change in
the water-surface elevation is felt as a change in pressure from the present value at the
pressure gauge and this in turn is adjusted by a servo-mechanism to bring the gas to bleed
at the original rate under the new head. The pressure gauge reads the new water depth
which is transmitted to a recorder.
o The bubble gauge has certain specific advantages over a float-operated water stage
recorder and these can be listed as under:
 There is no need for costly stilling wells;
 A large change in the stage, as much as 30 m, can be measured;
 The recorder assembly can be quite far away from the sensing point; and
 Due to constant bleeding action there is less likelihood of the inlet getting
blocked or choked.
Methods of Streamflow Measurement

Volumetric method and gravimetric method

 The first two methods are applicable if the channel or the stream cross sectional area is
small, and the flow is relatively slow/laminar. It is the simplest and quickest method of
determining the flow, thus may cause inaccuracies on flow measurement of large channels.

Slope-Area Method

 This method is most used by civil engineers in the design of channels (canals and drainage
systems). It follows the Manning’s Rational equation wherein the following figure
represents the cross-sectional area of the channel:

1 2/3 1/2
𝑣= 𝑅 𝑆
𝑛

where:

v = velocity

n = Manning’s roughness coefficient (see table below)

R = hydraulic radius, computed by dividing the channel area, A with its wetted
perimeter, P

R=A/P

S = slope of the channel

a. Float Method

A wooden float travelled 50 m distance for 30 minutes. Considering that the river is 20
m wide with 1.0 m average depth of water. Calculate the water velocity and rate of discharge
of the river: Answer: 0.55 cu.m/s

b. Current Meter

To determine the velocity of the stream using the current meter,

𝑣 = 𝑎𝑁𝑠 + 𝑏

Where:

v = velocity

Ns = number of revolutions per second of the meter

a, b = constants of the meter

The use of these structures is that these structures provide a unique control section in the
flow such that the discharge will become a function of the water surface elevation measured
from the specific datum.

Q=f(H)

Where H is the water surface elevation measured from the specified datum.

There are different categories of hydraulic structures:

thin plate structure (orifice)

long base weirs (broad crested structures)

flumes (made of concrete, masonry, metal sheets)