Open AccessGreenfield run off and flood estimation on small catchments
Author(s) -
Faulkner D.S.,
Francis O.,
Lamb R.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of flood risk management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.049
H-Index - 36
ISSN - 1753-318X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-318x.2011.01128.x
Subject(s) - flood myth , estimation , environmental science , scale (ratio) , hydrology (agriculture) , statistics , computer science , mathematics , geography , geology , cartography , engineering , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , systems engineering
Abstract Using evidence from 46 gauged small catchments in the U nited K ingdom, this paper demonstrates that the methods most commonly used for estimating design flows and greenfield run off rates on small catchments do not perform as well as alternative methods. Their results show larger error and a bias towards underestimation of the median annual flood. In contrast, newer methods from the F lood E stimation H andbook ( FEH ), when applied to small catchments, tend to have lower error and less bias. The paper investigates the theoretical and empirical support for four methods: Institute of H ydrology R eport 124, Agricultural Development and Advisory Service ( ADAS ) Report 345, the FEH Statistical method and the R evitalised F lood H ydrograph method. It compares the results from all four methods with those from direct analysis of flood peak data and discusses the implications of scaling down flows to the development plot scale. The paper recommends that the many guidance documents on run off estimation and urban drainage are amended to recommend use of F lood E stimation H andbook methods.