Environmental Modelling & Software 19 (2004) 875–879

www.elsevier.com/locate/envsoft

Short communication

ArcCN-Runoff: an ArcGIS tool for generating curve number

and runoff maps
Xiaoyong Zhan a,
, Min-Lang Huang b
a
Kansas Geological Survey, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
b
Disaster Prevention and Research Center, National Cheng-Kung University, Taiwan, People’s Republic of China

Received 16 February 2004; received in revised form 16 March 2004; accepted 29 March 2004

Abstract

The development and the application of ArcCN-Runoff tool, an extension of ESRI@ ArcGIS software, are reported. This tool
can be applied to determine curve numbers and to calculate runoff or infiltration for a rainfall event in a watershed. Implemen-
tation of GIS techniques such as dissolving, intersecting, and a curve-number reference table improve efficiency. Technical proces-
sing time may be reduced from days, if not weeks, to hours for producing spatially varied curve number and runoff maps. An
application example for a watershed in Lyon County and Osage County, Kansas, USA, is presented.
# 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Curve number; Runoff; Watershed; Modeling; Hydrology; GIS

Software availability means low runoff and high infiltration (dry soil). The
curve number is a function of landuse and hydrologic
Name of software ArcCN-Runoff soil group. The Soil Conservation Service (SCS; now
Developers Xiaoyong Zhan and Min-Lang Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS))
Huang curve-number method is the most common method for
Contact address Kansas Geological Survey, The predicting storm runoff volume. Many watershed mod-
University of Kansas, 1930
els such as AGNPS (Young et al., 1987), EPIC (Wil-
Constant Ave., Lawrence, KS
liams, 1995), SWAT (Arnold et al., 1996), and WMS
66047, USA
(http://www.ems-i.com/WMS/WMS_Overview/wms_
Tel.: +1-785-864-2173
overview.html) use this method to determine runoff.
Fax +1-785-864-5317
Sediment and nutrient transports are then calculated
E-mail xyz@ku.edu
Availability http://arcscripts.esri.com/ based on the runoff. Some applications of this method
details.asp?dbid=13311 with watershed models in Kansas were reported
recently (Bhuyan et al., 2002, 2003; Tsou and Zhan,
2004; Misgna et al., 2004).
1. Introduction Traditionally, an area weighted average curve num-
ber for the entire watershed is used to study the runoff
In hydrology a curve number (CN) is used to deter- of a watershed. The details of the spatial variation in
mine how much rainfall infiltrates into soil or an aqui- the watershed are often lost. An ArcGIS tool, named
fer and how much rainfall becomes surface runoff. A ArcCN-Runoff, is therefore developed to facilitate
high curve number means high runoff and low infil- watershed-modeling work. Unlike raster mode,
tration (urban areas), whereas a low curve number ArcCN-Runoff is designed for any shape of polygon in
order to keep irregular boundaries unaltered. Appli-


Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-785-864-2173; fax: +1-785-864-
cation of dissolving techniques reduces processing time
5317. significantly. The curve-number database implemented
E-mail address: xyz@ku.edu (X. Zhan). provides a flexible way to use a reference table for the
1364-8152/$ - see front matter # 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2004.03.001