Watershed Hydrology
• The study of the distribution and movement of water both
on and below the surface of the Earth.
• The circulation of water from ocean to land, and then
back to ocean is known as hydrological cycle.
• The land unit of hydrology is watershed.
Watershed
• The branch of hydrology that deals with how water
moves on a certain geographic area, basin or catchment.
Fig 1
Watershed Boundary
• The highest elevations surrounding a river, lake or an
ocean. Watershed contains water, soil, vegetation etc.
within its boundary.
Fig 2
Drainage System of a Watershed
• The network of stream system to drain the rain water in
river, lakes or oceans.
Fig 3
Watershed Gauge
• Measuring of rainfall, runoff and other hydrological
factors within a watershed.
Fig 4
Watershed Classification by Size
There are two classifications of watershed on the basis of
size:
1. Small Watersheds
• Abundantly present.
• Allow short duration rainwater flow.
• Size less than 250 km2
2. Large Watersheds
• Developed paths.
• Allow intensity rainwater flow.
• Small watersheds drain into large watersheds.
• Size more than 250 km2
Fig 5
Watersheds Classification by Land Use
There are seven classifications on the basis of land use:
1. Agricultural Watersheds
• Include agricultural activities such
as cultivation, contours, meadows, etc.
• Increases infiltration and decreases runoff.
Fig 6
2. Forest Watersheds
• Water is caught by trees and ground,
results in infiltration into the soil.
• Flood damage is reduced due to trees.
Fig 7
3. Urban Watersheds
• Include buildings, roads, streets, parking lots etc.
• Reduces infiltration due to cemented materials.
Fig 8
4. Desert Watersheds
• They have sandy soil and receives
less rainfall.
• Rainwater can be stored in an oasis.
• Rainfall is absorbed by the porous soil.
Fig 9
5. Mountainous Watersheds
• They are mountainous in nature.
• Due to steep slope, infiltration is low
and runoff is high.
Fig 10
6. Coastal Watersheds
• Influenced by the backwater of waves
and tides.
• Receive high rainfall and vulnerable
to flooding. Fig 11
• Infiltration is high.
7. Wetland Watersheds
• Lands are almost flat and comprised of swamps,
marshes, water courses, etc.
• Evaporation is dominant, so when rainfalls, a small
amount of water infiltrates.
Fig 12
Components of Watersheds
There are five components of watershed:
1. Upland
• High lands.
• Covered by forests.
• Comprises of 99% of the areas of watershed.
2. Floodplain
• A flat area of land.
• Serves as a natural storage for excess water during the
heavy rain or snowmelt events.
3. Stream Channel
• A path through which water flows in rivers or oceans.
• Depends on the shape, size and slope of watershed.
• Comprises of only 1% of the areas of watershed.
4. Groundwater
• Serves as a natural reservoir, storing water over long
periods of time.
• Used for drinking, irrigation, industrial usage etc.
• Joins surface water when water table meets the land
surface or when natural springs appear.
5. Riparian Zone
• Means ‘of the river’.
• Zone adjacent to rivers, streams, lakes, or other water
bodies within a watershed.
• Filters pollutants and sediments through vegetation and
soil before discharge.
• Riparian vegetation include trees and shrubs etc.
• Stabilizes the banks of rivers and streams.
Fig 13
Functions of Watershed
1. Water Capture
• A process in which water from the atmosphere is stored in the
soil.
• Water infiltrates and percolates in the soil.
2. Water Storage
• Retention storage occurs when water is stored within the
watershed for a long period of time.
• Detention storage is a type of storage which temporary stores
water within the watershed.
3. Water Release
• Discharge of water from water storages into rivers, lakes and
oceans.
• Subsurface Flow (the flow of water below the land surface).
• Overland Flow (Overland flow is the flow of water over the
land surface).
Watershed Variables
There are 6 variables of watershed:
1. Climate
• Climatic factors influences different types of soil and
vegetation.
• Precipitation, temperature, wind speed etc. determines
flow of water in watershed.
2. Hydrology
• Precipitation and the amount of water a watershed is
carrying can change land surface.
3. Geology
• Material determines the geology of a watershed.
• Runoff is high if the material is highly non-permeable.
4. Soil Type
• Physical, chemical, and biological properties such as
texture, water-holding capacity determines soil quality.
• If soil in a watershed is high permeable, then a huge
amount of water infiltrates before its discharge in rivers,
lakes or oceans.
5. Slope
• Slope has an affect on watershed.
• Greater the slope, greater will be the speed of water in
watershed.
6. Land Use and Land Cover
• Vegetation creates a barrier that reduces the velocity of
water flow and allows infiltration into the soil surface.
• Construction of streets, parking lots, and rooftops do no
let water to penetrate, leads to more runoff.
Watershed Characteristics
Fig 14
Watershed Management
• Planning and coordinating of a specific geographic area,
a watershed, to manage its land, water, and natural
resources.
• Helps to prevent soil erosion, water pollution and
conserve water quality.
Principles
• Land utilization according to its capability.
• Saving as much rainwater.
• Diverting extra water to storage ponds.
• Maximizing productivity per unit area.
• Growing more crops by using cropping methods.
Fig 15
Importance of Watershed Management
• Provides clean water for drinking, agriculture, industry,
ecosystems etc.
• Regulates water flow, thus, reducing risk of floods by
slowing down its speed.
• Support wetlands, forests, and aquatic habitats.
• Influences fishing, boating, hiking etc. and other
activities.
• Stabilizes soil and flow of sediments into river and stream
with the help of vegetation.
• Controls humidity, precipitation and temperature patterns.
• Helps to fill up ground water tanks through infiltration.
Estimation of a Runoff
Runoff can be estimated within a watershed by the
following methods:
• Digitize small watersheds using Cadastral maps in
ArcMap.
• Save it as a Tiff file.
• Open the file in Arc Info.
• Use Arc Info to create stream flow boundary, watershed
boundary, contours, etc.
• Use three-dimensional models of watershed to estimate
runoff.
Fig 16 (a) Fig 16 (b)
References
• Ayuba, S.M. (2017) SLM 310 Watershed Hydrology,
National Open University of Nigeria . Available at:
https://nou.edu.ng/coursewarecontent/SLM 310
Watershed Hydrology.pdf.
• Prasad, Dr.R. (2020) Watershed Hydrology (SWC-201)
(instructor, https://www.rpcau.ac.in/. Available at:
https://www.rpcau.ac.in/wp-
content/uploads/2020/03/SWC-201_Watershed-
Hydrology_All-lectures.pdf
Thank You
