United States

Department of Part 630 Hydrology

Agriculture

Natural
National Engineering Handbook
Resources
Conservation
Service

Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land

Use and Treatment

Rain clouds
Cloud formation

Precipitation

n
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Evaporation
n

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tio

Transp
soil
ta

from oc
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ve

fr o m
m

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fr o

ti o

s
am
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ir a
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Tr

Surfa E
fr o

ce ru
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Infiltration

Soil
Percolation

Rock Ocean
Ground water
Deep percolation

(210-VI-NEH, September 2000)

Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land Use Part 630
and Treatment National Engineering Handbook

Issued September 2000

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Acknowledgments

Chapter 12 was originally prepared by Victor Mockus (retired) in 1956 and

was reprinted with minor revisions in 1971. This version was prepared by
the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) under guidance of
Donald E. Woodward, national hydraulic engineer, Washington, DC.

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Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land Use Part 630
and Treatment National Engineering Handbook

12ii (210-VI-NEH, September 2000)

Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land
Use and Treatment

Contents: 630.1200 General 121

630.1201 Volume effects 121

630.1202 Lag effects 122

630.1203 Determination of effects 123

(a) Determination of effects on volume ......................................................... 123
(b) Determination of effects on lag ................................................................. 123
(c) Determination of effects on snowmelt runoff ......................................... 126
(d) Determination of surface storage effects ................................................ 127

630.1204 References 128

Tables Table 121 Principal effects of land use and treatment measures 122
on direct runoff

Table 122 Relative effects of land use and treatment measures 122
on types of lag

Table 123 Sample working table for estimation of effects of future 123
land use and treatment on direct runoff volumes

Figures Figure 121 Typical peak-volume relationship 121

Figure 122 Volume effects of land use and treatment 124

Figure 123 Effects of land use and treatment on lag 125

Figure 124 Percent peak reduction by increasing lag 0.33 hour 126
and the corresponding increase in Tp

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Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land Use
and Treatment

630.1200 General 630.1201 Volume effects

The hydrologic effects described in chapter 12 are Land use and treatment measures reduce the volume
changes in volumes of direct runoff and changes in lag of direct runoff during individual storms by either
that affect peak rates of direct runoff. increasing infiltration rates or surface storage, or both.
Other factors influencing runoff volume generally are
of minor importance. Interception increases, for
instance, are appreciable only under certain climatic
and vegetative conditions and generally need not be
Figure 121 Typical peak-volume relationship
considered in Natural Resources Conservation
Service's (NRCS) watershed studies.

The unit hydrograph principle states that with other

10,000 things constant, the peak rate of flow varies directly
with the volume of flow. This principle is the basis for
proportionate reductions in peaks when volumes are
reduced (see National Engineering Handbook (NEH)
630, chapter 16). Figure 121 shows a typical peak
8,000
versus volume relation. The straight line is drawn so
that some points are on the line, if possible, with half
Peak rate, ft3/s

of the remaining points on one side of the line and the

other half on the other side. Drawing a curve is not
6,000 justified because other important relations must be
accounted for (see NEH 630, chapter 16) if greater
accuracy is required. The figure shows that a 30 per-
cent reduction in volume gives a 30 percent reduction
4,000 in the peak rate, and so on.

Table 121 shows the principal effects of land use and

treatment measures on direct runoff. The degree of
2,000 effect of any single measure generally depends on the
Annual floods at quantity that can be installed. Contour furrows, how-
Eagle Creek, Indianapolis, Ind.
A=170 square miles
ever, can be made to have a small or a large effect by
changing the dimensions of the furrows. The effect of
a land use change depends on the change in cover. A
0
0 1 2 3 4 change from spring oats to spring wheat would ordi-
Volume of direct runoff, inches narily be hardly noticeable, while a change from oats
to a permanent meadow could have a large effect.
Graded terraces with grass outlets to some extent
increase overall infiltration and overall storage. These
effects are also confused with a lag effect. Lime and
fertilizers, by increasing plant or root density, can
indirectly reduce direct runoff volumes.

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Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land Use Part 630
and Treatment National Engineering Handbook

Table 121 Principal effects of land use and treatment

measures on direct runoff
630.1202 Lag effects
Measure Reduction in direct runoff volume because of:
Increasing Increasing
infiltration surface Lag, as used here, means the delay between the pro-
rates 1/ storage duction of direct runoff on upland areas and its ap-
pearance at a given cross section in a stream channel.
Lag is also described in NEH 630, chapter 15.
Land use that increases X
plant or root density 2/
Land use and treatment measures can produce lag
Increasing mulch or litter X effects by
Contouring X increasing infiltration (reducing surface runoff)
Contour furrowing X and causing the increased infiltration to appear
some time later as subsurface flow, or
Level terracing X
causing a delay in the arrival of surface runoff by
Graded terracing X increasing the flow length or reducing the veloc-
1/ Assuming soils not frozen. ity of flow.
2/ Example: Row crop to grass for hay; poor pasture to good
pasture. Either effect is best studied by the methods described
in NEH 630, chapters 15 and 16. Table 122 shows the
relative effects of land use and treatment measures on
the two types of lag. The subdivisions of small and
large watersheds do not depend solely on size in
square miles. The methods of chapters 15 and 16 are
necessary in quantitative studies of lag.

Table 122 Relative effects of land use and treatment measures on types of lag

Measure Effect on subsurface flow 1/ Effect of increasing surface flow

length or decreasing velocity
Small watersheds Large watersheds Small watersheds Large watersheds

Land use changes that increase Can be large Can be large Not usually considered
plant or root density 2/
Increasing mulch or litter Can be large Can be large Not usually considered
Contouring Can be large Usually negligible Can be large Negligible
Contour furrowing Can be large Can be large Not usually considered
Level terracing Can be large Can be large Not usually considered
Graded terracing Usually negligible Usually negligible Can be large Negligible
1/ Assuming soils not frozen.
2/ Examples: Row crop to grass; poor pasture to good pasture.

122 (210-VI-NEH, September 2000)

Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land Use Part 630
and Treatment National Engineering Handbook

Step 4. Plot the corresponding present and future

630.1203 Determination of values as shown on figure 122. For example, plot 0.23
versus 0.02, 0.60 versus 0.l8, and 1.10 versus 0.43, and
effects draw in the curve for ARC I. Do the same for the other
conditions.

(a) Determination of effects on Step 5. Enter figure 122 with the present volume and
volume condition for a storm or flood in the evaluation series
and find the future volume on the appropriate curve.
The same procedure used in determining the present
hydrologic conditions of a watershed is used to esti-
mate future hydrologic conditions. The future effects
(b) Determination of effects on
of land use and treatment changes can be estimated
lag
with relatively little additional work. Assuming that
present conditions have been studied, the procedure Increased infiltration appearing some time later as
is: subsurface flow is seldom easy to evaluate quantita-
tively. Fortunately, however, in most flood prevention
Step 1. Determine the hydrologic soil-cover complex surveys the changes in the hydrograph because of this
number and antecedent moisture condition (ARC) II lag effect can generally be neglected. Where they
for future land use and treatment conditions. (See cannot, special studies are needed to determine the
NEH 630, chapters 7, 8 and 9.) source areas (which may vary with infiltrated vol-
umes) and watershed retention. The techniques for
Step 2. Obtain complex numbers for ARC I and III. these special studies have not been fully developed,
(See table 101 in NEH 630, chapter 10). however, and the results may be controversial.
Step 3. Prepare a working table similar to table 123.

Table 123 Sample working table for estimation of effects of future land use and treatment on direct runoff volumes

Selected values of P Direct runoff for selected values of P (from fig. 101)
- - - - - - ARC* I - - - - - - - - - - - - ARC* II - - - - - - - - - - - - ARC* III - - - - - -
Present Future Present Future Present Future

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - inches - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
0.5 0 0 0 0 0.08 0
1 0 0 .02 0 .35 .12
2 0 0 .38 .11 1.15 .70
3 .23 .02 .97 .50 2.05 1.45
4 .60 .18 1.68 1.03 3.00 2.30
5 1.10 .43 2.46 1.65 3.95 3.20

Curve numbers: 57 45 75 65 91 83
* ARC is antecedent runoff condition.

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Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land Use Part 630
and Treatment National Engineering Handbook

Figure 122 Volume effects of land use and treatment

8,000
with future land use and treatment in place
Direct runoff in inches

6,000
ct III
fe on
ef iti
no nd
of Co
ne
4,000 Li

II
tion
ndi
Co
2,000

I
ition
nd
Co
0
0 1 2 3 4
Direct runoff in inches
present land use and treatment

124 (210-VI-NEH, September 2000)

Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land Use Part 630
and Treatment National Engineering Handbook

Quite often the first type of lag (producing increased q1 q 2

infiltration) can be assumed to take place in the man- since =
Q1 Q 2
ner of the second type of lag which causes a delay in
surface runoff arrival. The technique that follows can when runoff is uniformly (or nearly so) distributed on
be used to estimate expected changes in hydrograph each watershed, but the actual value for Watershed W-
quantities. 5 is 0.87 inch per hour. The difference is primarily
because of a lag caused by graded terraces and
The effect of causing a delay in the arrival of surface open-end level terraces (which tend to grade).
runoff by increasing the distance of flow is easily
computed when it must be considered. Figure 123 Following the methods described in NEH 630, chap-
shows hydrographs for adjacent treated and untreated ters 15 and 16, the additional lag can be computed
watersheds. Additional information is given in J.A. from data in figure 123. The time to peak (Tp) for W-3
Allis' article "Runoff from Conservation and Non- is about 0.72 hour, and for W-5, about 1.05 hours. The
Conservation Watersheds" (Allis, 1953). Two effects increase in lag (since storm D is essentially identical
are evident. Some of the reduction in peak rate is a for both hydrographs) is:
result of the lesser amount of runoff from the treated 1.05 0.72 = 0.33 hour
watershed. Given the data as shown, the expected
peak for the treated watershed would be:
(1.35) = 1.40 in / hr
(1.68)
1.74

Figure 123 Effects of land use and treatment on lag

2.00

1.80
Watershed W-3
Area: 481 acres
1.60
Untreated
Peak rate: 1.74 inches per hour
1.40 Total rainfall: 2.63 inches
Total runoff: 1.68 inches

1.20
Inches per hour

1.00

.80
Watershed W-5
Area: 411 acres
.60 Treated
Peak rate: 0.87 inches per hour
Total rainfall: 2.84 inches
.40 Total runoff: 1.35 inches

.20

0
6:00 am 7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00
July 10, 1951

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Since Tp consists of storm duration and time of con- (c) Determination of effects on
centration (see NEH 630, chapter 16), the changes in snowmelt runoff
either (or both) factors can be studied in a graph
similar to that of figure 124. The graph shows that, for The effects of land treatment on snowmelt runoff may
this case, the second type of lag effect becomes rela- vary considerably from the effects on runoff from
tively insignificant at about Tp = 5 hours. rainfall. The principal changes in effects partly result
from the changes in the measures themselves, and
In practice, the second type of lag effect is ordinarily partly because of frost action.
neglected. The technique given above can be used
when the second type must be evaluated and, quite By the time the snow season arrives, cultivation and
often, for evaluations of the first type of lag effect. The weathering generally have eliminated the mechanical
altered hydrographs can be reproduced by the meth- distinction between straight row and contour farming
ods described in NEH 630, chapter 16. on cultivated lands. Other effects of contouring gener-
ally are small enough to be overshadowed by varia-
tions in areal distribution of precipitation and are
usually neglected. Graded terracing effects would be
confined to the second type of lag and are determined
by the method shown. Closed-end level terraces and
contour furrows are usually dependent on storage, not
infiltration, for their effect, which is therefore calcu-
lable. The effect of land use or cover on cultivated
land and pasture is small enough to be obscured by the
effects of topography, fences, roads, and nearby trees

Figure 124 Percent peak reduction by increasing lag 0.33 hour and the corresponding increase in Tp

40
Percent reduction in peak

30

20
Reduction resulting from increasing given
Tp by the additional lag of 0.33 hours.

Reduction in percent = 33
Tp + 0.33
10

0
0 10 30 40
Tp in hours

126 (210-VI-NEH, September 2000)

Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land Use Part 630
and Treatment National Engineering Handbook

and shrubs on the distribution of snow on the ground. When Ss exceeds Qo, only the storage equal to Qo is
The effect of crop rotation is similarly obscured. effective. For example, if Ss = 3.0 inches and Qo = 1.2
inches, then 1.8 inches of storage have not been used
For land treatment measures to be effective through and the effective storage is 1.2 inches. For example,
the snow season, they must either maintain high when Ss>Qo, use As (Qo Ss) = 0.
infiltration rates on soils that have a large water stor-
age potential or maintain surface storage, but seldom Note: Equation 121 and subsequent equations 122,
both at once. High infiltration rates are maintained by 124, 125a, and 125b are for use when runoff and
vegetation that provides heavy litter or large depths of storage volumes are distributed uniformly (or nearly
humus. Ordinary practices on cultivated land and so) on a watershed. When the distribution is not uni-
pasture seldom provide sufficient residue, and such form, the watershed is divided into subwatersheds on
areas need not be considered. Permanent meadows which the distribution may be considered uniform. See
generally provide enough litter and humus to prevent remarks accompanying equations 125a and 125b.
mild frost action, but not enough to be effective
against heavy freezes. Commercial forest and wood- Infiltration in the storage area, including that caused
land effectively maintain infiltration and, when located by increased head, is generally assumed to offset
on a soil with sufficient internal storage capacity, storm rainfall on the storage pond area. When this
effectively reduce flood runoff from snowmelt. The infiltration is significantly large or small, it can be
exception of this is areas of swamps and spruce flats. accounted for on a volumetric basis by changing
The Forest Service procedure given in NEH 630, equation 121 to read:
chapter 9 (see fig. 91) covers the evaluation of com-
mercial forest and woodland. Qs =
( ) ( )( )
A p P F + A s A p Qo S s + A oQo
[122]
A s + Ao
Surface storage in closed-end level terraces and in
contour furrows can effectively reduce snowmelt where:
runoff as described in the next section. On field-size Ap = average pond surface area, in square miles
watersheds, the storage generally must be quite large P = storm rainfall, in inches
to control the additional volumes of snowmelt from F = total infiltration on the area occupied by the
snow drifting from adjacent smooth fields and caught pond, in inches.
by the earthwork.
If P is less than F, use (P F) equal to zero. When
other data are lacking and the average depth of the
(d) Determination of surface pond is less than about 3 feet, F may be approximated
storage effects using the following equation:
F = D fc (1.5h + 1) [123]
Storage in closed-end level terraces and contour
furrows can be evaluated on a watershed or
subwatershed basis using the equation: where:
F = total infiltration on the pond area, in inches
Qs =
( )
A s Qo S s + A oQo
[121]
D = storm duration for equation 122, or snowmelt
A s + Ao duration for equation 124, in hours
fc = minimum infiltration rate, in inches per hour
h = average depth of pond during time D, in feet
where:
Qs = runoff with storage in effect, in inches
Acres or square feet may be used instead of square
As = area draining into storage including storage
miles in equations 121 and 122, but the unit chosen
pond area, in square miles
must be used for all the areas in a particular computa-
Ss = storage, in inches
tion.
Qo = runoff with no storage, in inches
Ao = area not draining into storage, in square miles

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Chapter 12 Hydrologic Effects of Land Use Part 630
and Treatment National Engineering Handbook

The effect of storage on snowmelt runoff is generally

computed using equation 121 because the increase in References
infiltration caused by head in the pond area is usually
negligible because of the temperature. When this
infiltration is important, equation 122 becomes Allis, J.A. 1953. Runoff from conservation and non-

Qs =
(A s A p )(Qo S s ) + A oQo A p (Qo F) [124]
conservation watersheds. Agricultural
Engineering, Vol. 34, No. 11.
A s + Ao
United States Department of Agriculture, Natural
unless there is rainfall on the pond surface during the Resources Conservation Service. 1999. National
melt period, in which case equation 122 is used. The Engineering Handbook, Part 630 Hydrology,
effect of the earthwork in increasing the average depth chapters 9, 10, 15, and 16.
of snow in an area (by catching drifting snow) is
important only in small areas and is generally ignored.

According to unit hydrograph theory, the effect of

surface storage on peak rate of flow is proportional to
the effect on volume of flow when the storage and
runoff are about equally distributed over the water-
shed:
qs Qs
= [125a]
q o Qo
or
Qs
q s = qo [125b]
Qo

where
qs = reduced peak
qo = original peak

Equation 125b is adequate for many watersheds.

However, when the distribution of Qo and Ss is not
sufficiently uniform or when a watershed has a com-
plex drainage pattern, is unusually shaped, or has
channel improvements, qs must be determined by
determining the storage effects on a
subwatershed basis,
preparing hydrographs on a subwatershed basis,
and
routing floods.

This routing procedure is often needed for large water-

sheds because the distribution of Qo and Ss is nearly
always nonuniform on these watersheds.

128 (210-VI-NEH, September 2000)