Basic

Hydrology
Hydrology, water cycle or hydrologic cycle
• Hydrology – the study of water; the science that encompasses the
occurrence, distribution, movement and properties of the waters of the
earth and their relationship with the environment within each phase of the
hydrologic cycle.
• Water cycle, or hydrologic cycle, is a continuous process by which water is
purified by evaporation and transported from the earth's surface (including
the oceans) to the atmosphere and back to the land and oceans.
• Hydrologic cycle - All of the physical, chemical and biological processes
involving water as it travels its various paths in the atmosphere, over and
beneath the earth's surface and through growing plants
HYDROLOGY AND WATER BALANCE
The science of hydrology describes and predicts,
occurrence, circulation and distribution of earths water.

Global Hydrologic Cycle:

• Transfer of water between land, ocean and
atmosphere

Land Phase Hydrologic Cycle:

• Movement of water on and under land surface
• Physical and chemical interactions with earth
materials and biological processes affecting
movement.

• (Davie, 2008)
Watershed and Forest Hydrology (FAO 2013)
• In the study of hydrology the spatial
unit we are pertaining to and mostly
concerned with are the catchment or
river basin or watersheds.

• Watersheds are area of land form

that is topographically delineated
and where water flows towards a
river system and ultimately ends in
the sea.
 THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
from surface bodies and
transpiration from
vegetation
Sub- Divides of
sub-
watersheds watershed

and
tributaries

Divide of
main
drainage
basin
The Importance of Hydrology

Human systems, communities and economies are

shaped and dependent on the availability and access
to water resources for various uses:

• Household
• Agriculture and Forestry
• Manufacturing
• Mining
• Recreation

Water as the universal solvent dissolves more substances

than any other liquid. Wherever water goes, it takes along
dissolved substances from land surfaces where they come
from.
Attributes of Water

1. Quantity—the amount of water available for humans and

the environment.
2. Quality—the physical, biologically or chemically-influenced
usefulness of water for different purposes.
3. Timing—including floods and low flows.
4. Location—moving water to where we need it or storing it
in a strategic location.
 Precipitation (Rainfall) –Major source of water
• About two-thirds of the precipitation that reaches the land surface return to the
atmosphere by evaporation from water surfaces, soil, and vegetation, and through the
plant transpiration.
• The remainder of the precipitation returns ultimately to the ocean through surface or
underground channels.
a) Groundwater and Surface water
b) Surface water consists of freshwater that flows and collects in rivers, lakes, or
reservoirs.
c) Groundwater are stored in underground rocks, known as aquifers, and renewed
through time by rain percolation.
d) Groundwater cannot be easily recharged (or not at all), once it is depleted.
e) Water sustainability from aquifers depends on proper management - available water
supply will not be withdrawn above the replenishment levels.
Thematic Problems with Water
Hydrology applies scientific knowledge and
mathematical principles to solve water-related
problems in society:
• Problems of quantity - supply from both surface
and groundwater
• Problems of quality – potability and safety for
certain use
• Problems of availability – access by various users
 Change in Water Quality

• Water bodies provide environmental service using them as

receptacle of wastes as a non-consumptive use.
• This leads to the deterioration of the water quality, which further
aggravates the availability of water for consumptive purposes.

• Main problems affecting the quality of water resources in the

Philippines:
✓ groundwater -- salt water intrusion, leachate from wastes
✓ surface water -- pollution, siltation, and sedimentation.
Comparison of
surface and
groundwater
 HOW DO WE
ESTIMATE
WATER
RESOURCES IN A
WATERSHED?
Data from the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources
showed that around 6.8 million
hectares of watershed areas were
assessed as vulnerable to
deforestation, biodiversity loss,
erosion, floods, landslides and water
pollution, while 14.2 million hectares
were identified as critical for the
NEDA. Environmental and Natural Resources
national irrigation system. Accounting
 The Water Balance
Method
Total Annual Rainfall = Actual
Evapotranspiration + Runoff + Ground
Water Recharge (GWR)

Annual Water Surplus = Runoff + GWR

Units in MCM = million cubic meters or

Units in mm
Surface Water -
A basin or watershed is the area tributary to a given point on a
stream and it is separated from adjacent basins by a divide or
ridge, which can be traced on topographic maps.

The following components require measurement:

a) streamflow
b) precipitation
c) evaporation
d) soil moisture
e) groundwater
Measuring Runoff Water or Discharge

Q= AV where A = area and V = velocity

Source : ERDB
✓ With an average annual rainfall of 2,400 mm, the
mean annual run-off is estimated at about 257,000
million cubic meters (MCM), ninety percent (90%) of
the time (Concepcion, 2004).

✓ The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) reports

that the dependable surface water supply is estimated
at 206,230 MCM per year (MCM/yr) and 125,790
MCM/yr, for probabilities 50% and 80%, respectively
(NWRB, 2006).
Recharge –
The water balance computations presented in the IDRC- UP-
NHRC (1993) study show that only about 5.8 percent of the
rainfall recharges the aquifer.

In the case of other regions, the estimated inflow was based on

the assumption that 10 percent of rainfall recharged the
aquifers, but 50 percent of this mixed with salt water (NEDA,
1981).
Average annual
precipitation in
the Philippines
Climatic Water Balance Methodology - The basin
water balance defines the limits of the water resources of the
basin and forms the basis for allocating available resources to
different competing users.
P = AE + RO + GWR
Where:
P = precipitation or rainfall,
AE = actual evapotranspiration,
RO = total surface run-off,
GWR = net groundwater recharge
All the variables are in millimetre (mm) or expressed in cubic
meters
For purposes of the Water
Balance Study and the
management of DRB, the
Davao river basin with its 78
sub-watersheds has been
divided into 8 sub-basins.
Example: DRB Mean Annual Rainfall in mm
Values for the DRB Climatic Water Balance Study

P = AE + RO + GWR

Where:
P =Mean annual rainfall (MAR) of DRB, mean annual rainfall of each
sub-watershed)
AE =average of 30% of MAR
GWR = 2% of mean annual rainfall
 Summary of Annual Water Balance for Davao River Basin and Sub-basins at Existing Conditions

Actual Evapotrans- Net GW Recharge

Name Area, km2 Unit Rainfall [RF] Total Runoff [RO]
piration [AE] [GWR]
mm 2652 781 1821 51
Davao River Basin 1772.8
MCM 4702 1384 3228 90
mm 2491 798 1641 52
Davao Sub-Basin 1 243.3
MCM 606 194 399 13
mm 2602 788 1762 52
Davao Sub-Basin 2A 270.7
MCM 704 213 477 14
mm 1868 776 1062 30
Davao Sub-Basin 2B 99.5
MCM 186 77 106 3
mm 3196 774 2362 59
Davao Sub-Basin 3A 234.2
MCM 748 181 553 14
mm 1834 779 1027 28
Davao Sub-Basin 3B 261.3
MCM 479 204 268 7
mm 3467 771 2630 65
Davao Sub-Basin 4A 310.7
MCM 1077 240 817 20
mm 3467 791 2599 77
Davao Sub-Basin 4B 139.2
MCM 483 110 362 11
mm 1946 759 1156 30
Davao Sub-Basin 4C 229.1
MCM 446 174 265 7
 Summary of Annual Water Balance for DRB Sub-basins at Existing Conditions in MCM
Unit = % of Mean Net GW % of Mean
Area Actual Evapotrans- Total Runoff Annual Annual
DRB/Sub-Basins Million Cu Rainfall [RF] Recharge
(Ha) piration [AE] [RO] Rainfall Rainfall
M [GWR]

Davao Sub-Basin 1 24,458 MCM 606 194 399 65% 13 2%

Davao Sub-Basin 2A 27,459 MCM 704 213 477 68% 14 2.0%

Davao Sub-Basin 2B 8,184 MCM 186 77 106 57% 3 1.6%

Davao Sub-Basin 3A 23,398 MCM 748 181 553 74% 14 1.9%

Davao Sub-Basin 3B 30,100 MCM 479 204 268 56% 7 1.5%%

Davao Sub-Basin 4A 27,798 MCM 1077 240 817 76% 20 1.8%

Davao Sub-Basin 5A 13,861 MCM 483 110 362 75% 11 2.2%

Davao Sub-Basin 5B 20,702 MCM 446 174 265 59% 7 1.6%

 MCM = million cubic meters

3,320 MCM
ANNUAL WATER = 3,230 MCM + 90 MCM NET
GROUNDWATER
SURPLUS IN DRB TOTAL RUNOFF RECHARGE

2% of Mean Annual Rainfall

69% of Mean Annual Rainfall

Surface water is more abundant than groundwater stock

Estimates of Actual Evapotranpiration and
Ground Water Recharge

7.1 Average estimate of actual At least 28-30% of total average

evapotranspiration (Philippines) annual precipitation (mean annual
(from J Perino; Roxas 2013) rainfall (MAR)

7.2 Range of % groundwater

0-10% of total precipitation or
recharge from precipitation (various
mean annual rainfall (MAR)
studies)
Conversions

1 mm= 0.001 m
1 liter = 0.001 cubic meter
1 metric ton= 1000 kg
1 ha= 10,000 square m
1 km= 1000 m
Exercise on the Basic Procedures and Data
Requirements – Estimating Available Water
Resources in a Watershed
1. Gather or estimate required data –
• area of each sub-watershed in each watershed
• Average of 5-10 year total annual precipitation (rainfall in mm) per sub-
watershed for each watershed in URB – use the estimates provided by
DOST or data from PAG-ASA weather stations or other weather stations
2. Get estimates from previous hydrology study (this is derived data)
or national average estimates for the following:
• Actual evapotranspiration data (percent of mean annual rainfall or MAR)
• Net ground water recharge (percent of mean annual rainfall or MAR)
3. Estimate the total available water – run off and ground water
recharge – of the sub-watershed and for the whole watershed or
URB