EFFECTS OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT ON HEAVY RAINFALL DISTRIBUTION1

ABSTRACT: A network of 225 recording raingages was operated over an area of 5200 km² in the St. Louis region during 1971-1975, in conjunction with an extensive investigation of urban effects on precipitation. Study of urban-induced effects on the frequency of heavy rainstorms has revealed a pronounced increase in the occurrence of storms producing 25 mm (1 inch) or more of rain. The increase is greatest in an area that is frequently in the path of storms passing across two urban-industrial regions. Analyses of raincells (rain intensity centers) within heavy convective storms shows a pronounced increase in water yield from cells exposed to potential urban effects, compared with those exposed only to the surrounding rural environment. Naturally-occurring heavy cells tend to undergo the greatest enhancement from urban exposure. Other analyses indicate an above-average frequency of excessive rain rates for periods of five minutes to two hours downwind of the urban-industrial complex. It is concluded that urban-induced intensification of short-duration rainstorms is sufficient to merit inclusion in the design and operation of urban-area hydrologic systems that control the flow of surplus storm water.     

USE OF RADAR TO DERWE A STORM INTENSITY-DURATION CURVE1

ABSTRACT: Rainstorms which exceed the design capacity of conveyance systems and cause extensive damage to structures and property, occur frequently in Alberta. After such a severe storm, an early and quick assessment of the storm's location and magnitude and the corresponding frequency for various duration (storm intensity-duration curve) is often required to estimate the damage. The storm intensity-duration curve is produced with information obtained from a sparse network of recording raingages, thus, creating a high degree of uncertainty in the result. Short-duration precipitation is usually quite variable in Alberta; hencea very dense network of recording precipitation stations would be required to provide precise measurements of the storm intensity-duration curve at all locations. Such a dense network does not exist in Alberta; it would be very expensive to install, maintain, and thus difficult to justify financially. One solution for obtaining a large amount of closely spaced in-intensity-duration values is to use weather radar. Using weather radar data, intensity-duration curves could be produced routinely for any set of prespecified locations. The radar data thus have the potential for facilitating the identification of the return period of rainfall events quickly, cheaply, and precisely when the long-term intensity-duration curves are available. As a pilot project to demonstrate the feasibility of the method and the potential of the radar data, computer software was developed to derive from archived radar data, intensity-duration values for up to a 2,500 2 area for a given storm.     

STORM CHARACTERISTICS OF CONVECTIVE-SCALE PRECIPITATION1

A classification scheme for convective precipitation, having applications in both analysis and modeling of meteorological and hydrological events, is presented. The method is based upon observations of rainfall at the ground, radar scans of storm events, and visible and infrared satellite imagery of larger storm systems. Empirical and theoretical frequency distributions are derived for total storm rainfall, rainfall duration and time between storms for each of the convective categories. This stratification is directly applicable to the experimental design and evaluation of weather modification projects and may be useful for the development and interpretation of meteorological and hydrological models. When atmospheric conditions limit storm development to cells, rainfall was seldom observed. Small clusters also produce small amounts of rainfall but have a longer lifetime than cells and are likely candidates for cloud seeding attempts to encourage their growth to large clusters. Large and nested clusters usually produce large amounts of natural precipitation. A few large storms account for most of a season's rainfall.     

CHARACTERISTICS AND CONTRIBUTING CAUSES OF AN ABNORMAL FREQUENCY OF FLOOD-PRODUCING RAINSTORMS AT CHICAGO1

ABSTRACT: Major hydrometeorological factors pertinent to defining and understanding the hydrologic characteristics of urban and other small-basin storms were investigated using data from a continuous 44-year operation of a recording raingage network in Chicago. Factors included: the frequency distribution of basin mean rainfall and its relation to storm maximum precipitation; the spatial distribution characteristics of each storm, including storm rainfall reduction factors which are widely used in hydrologic design problems; and weather-related causes related to the frequency and intensity of severe rainstorms in the Chicago area in recent years. Results have indicated that urban mean rainfall frequencies were overestimated in earlier studies in which they were derived from point/areal mean rainfall ratios obtained from much shorter records on rural networks. Reduction factors were found to vary between urban and rural storm systems due to urban-related effects. Two factors were found to be potential contributors to the characteristics of severe rainstorm occurrences at Chicago. These include urban-induced rain enhancement and an upward climatic trend in the occurrence of heavy rainfall events during the sampling period. Study results should be generally applicable to other large urban areas in the Midwest and other regions of similar precipitation climate.     

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NILE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL FORECAST SYSTEM1

ABSTRACT: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is developing a river forecast system for the Nile River in Egypt. The river forecast system operates on scientific work stations using hydrometeorological models and software to predict inflows into the high Aswan Dam and forecast flow hydrographs at selected gaging locations above the dam The Nile Forecasting System (NFS) utilizes satellite imagery from the METEOSAT satellite as the input to the forecast system. Satellite imagery is used to estimate precipitation over the Blue Nile Basin using five different techniques. Observed precipitation data and climatic statistics are used to improve precipitation estimation. Precipitation data for grid locations are input to a distributed water balance model, a hill slope routing model, and a channel routing model. A customized Geographic Information System (GIS) was developed to show political boundaries, rivers, terrain elevation, and gaging network. The GIS was used to develop hydrologic parameters for the basin and is used for multiple display features.     

DETERMINING RAINS OF HYDROLOGIC CONSEQUENCE IN CHICAGO FOR FORECASTING APPLICATIONS1

ABSTRACT: Accurate forecasting of heavy rainstorms that affect the Chicago Metropolitan area and lead to the undesirable release of storm runoff into Lake Michigan is a major objective. These releases (overflows) were found to be produced by storm events yielding 2 inches or more in a few hours, although only 24 percent of such ≥ 2-inch storms in the area during 1948-1981 produced overflows. Failure to forecast properly or to be able to react to these 2-inch overflow producing events has occurred most often in the spring and fall, although relatively often in June and July in recent years. These overflows have exhibited an inexplicable trebling during 1972-1981 without an increase in ≥ 2-inch storm events. This type of troublesome storm can be reliably predicted, using a recently developed radar man forecast system for the Chicago area.     

PRECIPITATION MEASUREMENT BIASES IN THE UNITED STATES1

ABSTRACT: Gage-induced biases in monthly precipitation are estimated and removed at 1818 stations across the continental United States from 1950 through 1987. Deleterious effects of the wind and wetting losses on the interior walls of the gage were considered. These “corrected” estimates were obtained using site-specific information including wind speed, shelter-height air temperature, gage height, and sheltering. Wind speed and air temperature were interpolated at stations for which these data were not available using a spherically-based, nearest neighbor interpolation procedure. Results indicate that, as expected, biases are greater in the winter than the summer owing to the increased problems (particularly wind-induced) of measuring snowfall. In summer, percent errors range between 4 and 6 percent over nearly three-quarters of the United States with slightly larger errors over the Rocky Mountains. By contrast, winter biases are highly correlated with snowfall totals and percentage errors increase poleward, mimicking patterns of snowfall frequency. Since these biases are not trivial, they must be accounted for in order to obtain accurate and reliable time-series. If these biases are not properly addressed, serious errors can be introduced into climate change, hydrologic modeling, and environmental impact research.     

HISTORY OF THE FEDERAL-STATE COOPERATIVE WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH INSTITUTE PROGRAM1

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a condensed history of the State Water Resources Research Institute Program, which evolved from the Water Resources Research Act of 1964, as amended, the Water Research and Development Act of 1978, Public Law (P.L.) 96–457, and the Water Research and Development Act of 1984. These laws authorized the following components of the Institute Program: (1) the annual allotment and matching grants program for the Institutes, and (2) the additional and saline water research programs for organizations in addition to the State Water Resources Research Institutes. The paper covers the legislative history of the Institute Program and reviews authorized and appropriated funds for the program from fiscal year 1965 to fiscal year 1986. It also discusses the Institutes’role in conducting and sponsoring water-resources research and development, training of scientists and engineers, and coordinating, disseminating, and transferring water-research results. The State Water Resources Research Program has been administered by the Office of Water Resources Research (OWRR) (1964–1974), the Office of Water Research and Technology (OWRT) (1974–1982), the Office of Water Policy (OWP) (1982–1983), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (1983-present).     

ESTIMATING RUNOFF VOLUMES FROM URBAN AREAS1

ABSTRACT: Estimations of runoff volumes from urban areas can be made by the equation Q = a A σ(P_e– b), where Q is the runoff volume, a is the part of the total area A Contributing to runoff, P_e is the rainfall amount for a single event, and b is the initial rainfall losses. For the evaluation of a and b, rainfall/runoff measurements were made in five areas of sizes between 0.035 km² and 1.450 km². By linear regression analysis of rainfall volumes versus runoff volumes, the initial rainfall losses were found to vary from 0.38 mm to 0.70 mm for the different areas. The parts of the areas contributing to runoff were found to be proportional to the impermeable parts of the mas. The equation is applicable in urban areas with well defined paved surfaces and roofs and with a negligible amount of runoff from permeable areas.     

EXTRA URBAN AND INTRA URBAN RAINFALL ENHANCEMENT BY A MEDIUM SIZED CITY1

An experiment on urban effects of warm season rainfall of a moderately sized city and its downwind towns found no evidence of global enhancement. However, there are grounds for believing that the intra urban distribution of precipitation is influenced by urban variables among which air pollution and urban roughness are considered primary. The presence of an urban heat island did not appear to improve rainfall. On the contrary, it appears to be a factor in the relative aridity of the downtown sector of the city.     

THE COMPLETE DRAINAGE PROGRAM - MORE THAN AN ORDINANCE1

ABSTRACT. An ever increasing number of communities throughout the nation are being forced by Federal legislation and local pressures to adopt land use and control measures related to drainage and flood protection. In many instances communities are hastily adopting ordinances and regulations which later prove difficult to administer and enforce. In addition, many of these ordinances and regulations are not producing the results originally anticipated. This paper discusses the basic elements of a drainage ordinance and evaluates the role of the ordinance in a comprehensive drainage program. This evaluation is based on the results of a two year study of drainage programs in five urban areas which produced a model urban drainage ordinance and recommendations on the administration of the ordinance. Personal interviews and local documents are used as the data base in formulating conclusions and recommendations.     

MEASURING INTANGIBLE BENEFITS -SOME NEEDED RESEARCH1

ABSTRACT. Society has long sought to maximize the welfare of its members by allocating its limited resources so as to provide maximum satisfaction. As long as all of the values that society gains or loses are measured in the market place in terms of price, the process of maximizing through economic models is relatively straightforward. In fact, however, the total value that society receives from the use of its resources is not completely measured through the private market transactions. There are some values created which are external to the market system. The resulting underinvestment in natural resources by the private sector necessitates the entry of the public sector. The presence of intangible benefits and intangible costs has long been recognized, but completely satisfactory methods for including these in the quantitative analysis of benefit-cost have not been developed. Some progress has been made in including recreational values in project analysis via the expenditures method, the Gross National Product method, consumer surplus method, cost method, market value method, and monopoly and discriminating monopoly methods, but little has been done in the area of aesthetic values. Techniques for including such values in project evaluation need to be further researched. Tradeoff models developed by market researchers, the advertising industry, social psychologists and sociologists may have some applicability. Methodology for including proposed multiple objective functions in project analysis is also a critical need.     

PREDICTING MEASUREMENT ERROR OF AREAL MEAN PRECIPITATION DURING EXTREME EVENTS1

ABSTRACT: The areal mean precipitation (AMP) over a catchment is normally calculated using point measurements at rainfall gages. Error in AMP estimates occurs when an insufficient number of gages are used to sample precipitation which is highly variable in space. AMP error is investigated using historic, severe rainfalls with a set of hypothetical catchments and raingage networks. The potential magnitude of error is estimated for typical gage network densities and arrangements. Possible sources of error are evaluated, and a method is proposed for predicting the magnitude of error using data that are commonly available for severe, historic rainfall.     

HYDROLOGIC AND HYDRAULIC RESEARCH IN MOUNTAIN RWERS1

ABSTRACT: Although our current (1990) knowledge of hydrologic and hydraulic processes is based on many years of study, there are river environments where these processes are complex and poorly understood. One of these environments is in mountainous areas, which cover about 25 percent of the United States. Use of conventional hydrologic and hydraulic techniques in mountain-river environments may produce erroneous results and interpretations in a wide spectrum of water-resources investigations. An ongoing U.S. Geological Survey research project is being conducted to improve the understanding of hydrologic and hydraulic processes of mountainous areas and to improve the results of subsequent hydrologic investigations. Future hydrologic and hydraulic research needs in mountainous areas are identified.     

A PROGRAM TO CALCULATE CHANNEL SCOUR AND FILL1

ABSTRACT: A computer program written in BASIC calculates net changes in stream channel cross-sections. Calculations are based on dividing the channel cross-section into discrete regions of scour and fill. Internal boundaries of these regions (along the x-axis of the cross-section) are determined by the location of vertical depth measurements taken at two distinct times. The right and left boundaries of the cross-section can be specified so that scour or fill can be calculated for any portion of the profile desired.     

DATA REQUIREMENTS OF A WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM1

ABSTRACT: Routine data collection currently consumes a large amount of the total resources devoted to water quality management. All too often data collection becomes an end in itself, with little thought given to the purpose of the data collection. The problem generally stems from a lack of proper routine surveillance system design and a failure on the part of the designers to initially identify the data needs of the management program. This study attempts, in a general way, to delineate the data needs of a water quality management program. This first required an identification of the activities involved in water quality management. The activities were then discussed in terms of the types of information needed to successfully complete their assigned tasks. Several detailed examples are given. The results of the discussion are summarized and several strategies are proposed to relate the results to surveillance system design.     

COMPUTER-OPTIMIZED STORMWATER TREATMENT (COST) PROGRAM: PHILADELPHIA CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: Two computer models, the Continuous Stormwater Pollution Simulation System (CSPSS) and the Computer Optimized Storm-water Treatment Program (COST), were developed to aid in performing water quality planning. This paper describes COST and its site specific applications to the Philadelphia urban area, using the results from an updated CSPSS receiving water simulation. COST provides a planning and conceptual design tool to identify the economically optimum combination of wet weather and dry weather pollution abatement alternatives. Economic analysis procedures incorporated are based on production theory and marginal cost analysis. This study demonstrates that by transforming BOD removal to reduction in low DO events, using CSPSS results, the benefits associated with pollutant removal can be accounted for explicitly by COST simulations. This is important because a pound of BOD removed from combined sewer overflow may be of more benefit to the receiving water than a pound of BOD removed from urban stormwater runoff. The selection of a pollution control strategy is often a difficult decision which should consider social, political, financial, and regulatory factors. It is suggested that such a selection can be based on evaluating the tradeoffs between total annual costs and receiving water improvements, as determined using the COST and CSPSS programs.