Design of Flood Control

and Other Drainage

Structures

ENGR. MONTREXIS T. TAMAYO

Objectives

By the end of the session, the participants will be able

to
1. Learn the basics of Flood Control Design;
2. Know the design Criteria and Standards pertaining
to
Flood Control and other Drainage Structure
Design ;
and
3. Understand the principles of the design of
drainage
structures.

Contents:
I.

Flood
1. Definition of flood
2. Different causes of flood
3. Various types of flood
II. Design of Flood Control Structures
(Dike/Embankment/Revetment)
1. Design Data Required
2. Design Criteria and Standards
3. Design Procedures
4. Hydrology
III. Design of Drainage Structures
1. Design data required
2. Design Criteria and Standards
3. Design Procedures

I. Flood

What is a flood?
Flood is a temporary covering of land by water
outside its normal confines. This includes floods
from rivers, mountain torrents and floods from
the sea in coastal area.

Causes of Flood
Excessive Rainfall (inland flooding)

Excessive
Rainfall

Causes of Flood
Excessive Rainfall (inland flooding)
Storms (Storm Surge)

Storm Surge (Yolanda Nov. 8,

2013)

Causes of Flood
Excessive Rainfall (inland flooding)
Storms (Storm Surge)
Earthquakes (Tsunamis)

Tsunami (Japan March 11,

2011)

Causes of Flood
Excessive Rainfall (inland flooding)
Storms (Storm Surge)
Earthquakes (Tsunamis)
Flood Control Structure Breaks (man induced)

Flood Control Structure Breaks

Causes of Flood
Excessive Rainfall (inland flooding)
Storms (Storm Surge)
Earthquakes (Tsunamis)
Flood Control Structure Breaks (man induced)

Types of Flood:
Coastal Flood
Urban Flood
Pluvial Flood (Ponding)
Fluvial Flood (Rise of river water surface)
Flash Flood
Semi-Permanent Flood (Land Subsidence)
movie.wmv

Aftermath of a flash
flood

Design of Flood Control

Structures
(Dike/Embankment/Revetment)

Required Design Data

A. Field Survey Information
1. Topographic Survey
2. Cross-section Survey
3. Soils Subsurface and Surface Exploration
B. Hydrologic Data
1. Precipitation
2. Discharge
3. Sediment Transport

C. Other Requirements
1. Topographic map of the proposed project area with
0.50 m contour interval at a scale of 1:10,000 m.
2. Ground profiles along the banks at horizontal and
vertical scales of 1:1,000 m and 1:100 m respectively.
3. Water surface profile indicating maximum experienced
flood level, design water level, and minimum water
level at horizontal and vertical scales of 1:1,000 m.
1:100 m respectively.
4. Profile of the riverbed along the centerline of the river
channel at horizontal and vertical scales of 1:1,000 and
1:100 m respectively.
5. Cross-sections facing downstream at 100 meters interval
for straight and uniform section, 25 meters for river bends
and 20 meters for sharp bends, indicating thereon the

proposed structures, maximum experienced flood level and

ordinary water level as well as design water level and
character of bank and river bed material.
6. Soil investigation data and analysis.
7. Hydrologic and hydraulic design analysis supported by
topographic map showing the watershed area and point
of interest.

Design of Dikes/Embankments
A ridge constructed of earth, stone, or other material to
Prevent water from passing beyond desirable limits.
Also known as bank.
A. Location and Alignment
B. Freeboard
C. Slopes
D. Height
E. Top Width
F. Berms

Design of Revetments
Revetments are flood control structures constructed along
river banks subjected to direct attack of the river flow
and along second dike slopes for protection against
scouring and wave wash.
A. Location and Alignment
B. Freeboard
C. Slope
D. Height

Design Criteria and Standards

1. Design of Dikes/Embankments/Levees

The term dike/levee is an embankment constructed parallel to the

banks of a stream, river, lake or other body of water for the purpose
of
protecting the landside from inundation by floodwater, or to confine the
stream flow within its regular channel.
a) Types of Levee
1. Urban Levees - Levees that are constructed to provide
protection of the densely populated communities, including their
industrial, commercial, and residential facilities against flooding.
2. Agricultural Levees - Levees that provide protection from
flooding in lands used for agricultural purposes.

b. Classification of Levees According to Use.

1. Mainline and Tributary Levees Levees that
lie along a mainstream and its tributaries,
respectively.
2. Ring Levees Levees that completely
encircle or ring an area subject to
inundation from all directions.
3.Setbacks Levees Levees that are built
landward of existing levees that have
suffered distress or are in some way being
endangered, as by river migration.

A. Location and Alignment

1. Embankment should be located along high ridges
or natural banks where materials for construction
of same are available.
2. Embankment should not be close to the river
banks otherwise it will be in danger of being
undermined by the caving of the river bank.
3. The embankment should be well away from the
estimated meander belt of the meandering river.
4. The alignment should be as straight as possible,
as sharp curves are subject to direct attack
from flow and should be avoided.

B. Freeboard
The freeboard allowance corresponding to the
Design flood discharge
DESIGN DISCHARGE, Q
(M3 /S)

FREEBOARD, Hf
(m)

Less than 200

0.60

200 to less than 500

0.80

500 to less than 2000

1.00

2000 to less than 5000

1.20

5000 to less than 10,000

1.50

More than 10,000

2.00

C. Top width
Top width of the embankment may not be of special importance
if ample freeboard and side slopes are already provided. However,
adequate widths of the top embankment may be required to serve as
a road for facilitating the transport of materials during the
construction stage and maintenance operations. Below are the
recommended top widths for the given design discharges.

Design Discharge (m3/s)

Less than 500

500 and over, but less than 2,000
2,000 and over, but less than 5,000
5,000 and over, but less than 10,000
10,000 and over

Top Width (m)

3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00

D. Slope
1.
the

The normal side slopes on both landside and riverside of

embankment are 2:1 for low embankment (<4) and 3:1 for
high embankment (>4).
2.
A side slope of 4:1 is usually used for embankment
consisting of sand and shall be protected by providing a cover of
good soil sodded at least 500 mm thick.
3.
For landside side slope, the coarser or more permeable the
material is, the flatter would be the side slope.

E. Height
The height of the embankment is reckoned from the design flood
elevation plus an additional freeboard allowance depending on
design discharge as shown in Table 3.1.

D.Slopes

Hf

Hf

DFWL

1
RIVERSIDE

DFWL

1
EMBANKMENT

1
2

LANDSIDE

RIVERSIDE

FOR LOW EMBANKMENT

Hf

EMBANKMENT

FOR HIGH EMBANKMENT

DFWL

1
RIVERSIDE

EMBANKMENT

FOR SAND EMBANKMENT

LANDSIDE

LANDSIDE

F. Berm
Berm are provided along the slopes of high embankments as an erosion
control measure and also to improve the stability of the side slopes:
1. Riverside
When the crest height from river bed is more than
6.00 metres, berms
shall be provided at every 3.00 to 5.00 metres in height from crest elevation
with a width of 1.00 metre or more.
2. Landside
When the crest height from existing ground is more than 4.00 metres,
berms shall be provided at every 2.00 metres to 3.00 metres in height from
crest elevation with a width of 3.00
metres or more.
3.
Masonry dike may have a minimum berm width of 1 metre
necessary, for stability purposes.

when

2. Design of Revetment
A. Location and alignment
1.

Along meander bends of the river.

2. At downstream and upstream of hydraulic and other related

structures where turbulent flow usually occurs.
3.
It should be smooth to prevent formulation of vortices and
dead
water zones.
4.

Along side slopes of irrigation canals to prevent loss of water

due to percolations.
Revetment

Scouring and
Degradation Part

Sand Bar
Formation

Figure 3.5 Location of Revetment of River Bend

B. Freeboard
Generally, a minimum free board allowance of
0.60 m above the maximum experienced flood
level or design flood level, as the case may be, is
provided for revetments confining flood flows.

C. Slope
Slope of revetment will depend on the kind of
materials used and protection works required for
the structures. Table 3.3 shows the recommended
slopes of revetment with respect to the kind of
materials to be used in the construction of said
structure.

D. Height
Heights of revetment will depend on the maximum experienced
flood level or design flood level. For other cases when combined
with flood control works such as levee/embankment, the height of the
revetment is up to the designed height of the structures due to the
possibility of the occurrence of floodwaters that may exceed the
design flood level or the crest of the dike. If the height of revetment
is more than 5.0 meters, berm must be provided in order to separate
the revetments into segments, as well as in consideration of site and
geological condition and structural stability of the revetment. Berms
shall be at least 1.0 meter in width for maintenance purposes.
Freeboard
DFL

Figure 3.6 a H < 5 meters

Figure 3.6 b H >5 meters

Berm
(banquette)
H

E. Depth of Foundation
.

a. For a narrow river (less than 50 meters in width) the

minimum depth of revetment foundation should be 1.0 meter
below the deepest elevation of the original or design riverbed,
where soil materials are subject to erosion/scouring.
b. For a wide river (more than 50 meters in width) and
subjected to river bed degradation, more than 1.0-meter depth
of revetment foundation should be considered. In case of a
wide river where the velocity is generally mild and when the
mainstream course is fixed and flowing more than 20 meters
away from the bank, the foundation may be placed 1.0 meter
below the existing toe of the bank. If the mainstream course
has a tendency to change, the foundation depth should be
determined.
c. If the construction of the revetment foundation below the
original or designed riverbed is not possible due to high water
level, the used of sheet piles or other types of revetment
should be considered.

Revetment
Toe
1.0 M

1.0 M
Deepest riverbed

> 20.0 M

Figure 3.7 Depth of Revetment Foundation

F. Segment Length
The length of one segment of revetment along the longitudinal
direction should not be more than 50 meters in order to prevent
damage on the adjoining section of the revetment once it
collapses. Edge of the segment shall be provided with end
protection and adequately filled with joint filler or sealer to
connect with the adjoining section.

G. Thickness
The thickness of revetment is generally based on the flow
velocity, sediment runoff, topography, geological conditions,
scouring and degradation and soil and groundwater pressure at
the back of revetment and other factors. Minimum thickness
should be 300 mm for all types of revetment, except for
reinforced concrete type.

H. Weepholes
Revetment should be provided with weepholes ranging from
50 75 mm in diameter PVC pipes spaced at 2.00 meters on
center and staggered. Pervious materials consisting of graded
gravel or geo-textile is placed between the revetment and
original ground.

I. End Protection Works

Revetments should be provided with end protection works to
prevent scouring at the upstream and downstream ends. The
scouring causes the escape of backfill materials resulting to the
gradual damage of the revetment. A transition structure like
gabions/boulders should be provided on both ends of the
revetment.

Provision against scouring

of existing bank adjacent
b >_ 20 cm
the revetment.
(boulder/ gabion type)
a >_ 50 cm
River Flow

Original bank
End protection

PLAN
50 cm

SECTIONA-A

Figure 3.8 End Protection Works

Design Procedures
For Revetments
1. Gather all survey and hydrologic information needed
for the design of revetments.
2. Compute the velocity of flow based on the design
flood discharge and the river profile and the crosssection using the Mannings formula.
3. Determine the type of revetment to be adopted
based on the design flood level and the quality
and quantity of available construction materials
at the project area.
4. For dry boulders riprap, the size of boulders to be
used can be determined from the graph (show Fig.4.2).

5. Determine by backwater analysis the design flood

level along the banks to be protected.
6. Determine the kind and extent of foundation works
that would be needed such as cut-off walls, sheet
piles, boulder aprons, or other foot protection works,
based on the maximum probable depth of scour as
determine from field conditions.

For Dikes/Embankment/levees
1. From the location or topographic map of the
project area, establish the alignment of the
embankment (s) considering the present course
and probable meander of the river.
2. For confining dikes, the width of the floodway or
distance between parallel dikes shall be
determined
with due consideration to non-silting and/or
non-scouring velocity in the channel.
3. Then, establish the design flood level at a particular
section, using the Stage Discharge Relationship or
Rating Curve, if available, or by the Mannings
Formula.

4. Select the most suitable type of dike or embankment

to be adopted based on the field conditions and
available materials at the project site.
5. Establish an appropriate section for the dike based
on the design criteria.
6. Determine the stability of the embankment slopes
by the Swedish Slip-Circle Method, and check if the
factor of safety is within acceptable limits.
7. Check if protection works are needed, and so,
determine the appropriate type to be provided.

Hydrology

Design Frequency

Bridge

- 50 years (100)

Esteros/Creeks - 15 years (25)

Rivers

- 50 Years for areas of 40km2 and

above (100Yr)
- 25 Yrs for areas below
40Km2 (50)

Runoff Calculation Methods

Rational Method - areas less than 20km2

Unit Hydrograph Method-areas greater than 20

km2

Gumbels Method-record of annual discharges

Specific Discharge Method

MEFL based on the result of field survey

HEC-HMS Software

Existing studies on major rivers

A. Rational Method

Delineated

Watershed Map-determine watershed characteristics

Result of field investigationpresent watershed condition (cover, topography, etc.

Parameters:
a. Area
b. Length of waterway
c. Highest and lowest elevations
d. Runoff Coefficient, c- (fr. Table 2)
e. Time of Concentration, tc (formula by Kirpick)
f. Rainfall Intensity, I - (fr. Table 3 or Fig. 2)

B. UNIT HYDROGRAPH METHOD

For areas greater than 20 km2

Delineated Watershed Map
Rainfall Data Table 4
US Soil Conservation Dimensionless Unit
Hydrograph Table 5: Coordinates

Sample Delineated Watershed Map

Delineated Watershed Map

Watershed Parameters
Area,

Km2

Length

of Stream, Km

Highest

Elevation Along the Channel/Stream, m

Elevation
Length

at Point of Interest, m

of Channel/Stream from Center of Area, Km

Lag

Time Coefficient (topography)

Unit

Discharge Coefficient (topography)

Rainfall Data
- Table 4-Rainfall Depth Duration Data
Read Rainfall Depths at every computed time
interval/increment

SURFACE RUN-OFF COEFFICIENT

SURFACE
Concrete or Asphalt Pavements

RANGE
0.90 1.00

Bituminous Macadam & Double Bituminous Surface

0.70 0.90
Treatment ( to Clay)
Gravel Surface (Road & Shoulder)

0.30 0.60

Built-up Area (Dense)

0.30 0.60

Built-up Area (Light)

0.20 0.50

Bare Surface (Rocky)

0.70 0.90

Bare Surface (Clayey)

0.70 0.90

Flattish Cultivated Areas (Not flooded)

0.30 0.50

Grassed Area (Steep or Rolling)

0.50 0.70

Forest Area ( to Clay)

0.30 0.50

Flooded Paddies

0.70 0.80

HYDRAULICS ANALYSIS
DESIGN DATA:
DISCHARGE, Q50 = 33 m3/s
SLOPE, S
= 0.0025
ROUGHNESS COEF., n
= 0.03
FIGURE:

DFL

d
6.0 m
Bed Elev. = 25.30 m

F.B.

HYDRAULICS ANALYSIS
DESIGN DATA:
DISCHARGE, Q25 = 33 m3/s
SLOPE, S
= 0.0025
ROUGHNESS COEF., n
= 0.03
FIGURE:

M.F.L = 28.10 m
DFL

d
6.0 m
Bed Elev. = 25.30 m

F.B.

Q = AV
V = 1/n R 2/3 S
WHERE:
TRY:

R = A/P
d = 2.62 m

A = (2.62)(6.0) = 15.72 m2
P = 2.62(2) + 6.0 = 11.24m
R = 1.72 = 1.4
11.24
V = __1__ (1.4)2/3 (0.0025)1/2
0.03
= 2.08 m/s
Q = AV = 32.78 m3/s 33 m3/s
Therefore:
DESIGN FLOOD LEVEL, DFL = 27.92 m

SCOUR ANALYSIS
by Blench Method
DESIGN DATA:
DISCHARGE, Q50
= 33 m3/s
BED ELEV.
= 25.3 m

VELOCITY

VELOCITY AT BANK, VB = 2/3 v

DESIGN FLOOD LEVEL, DFL = 27.93 m

= 2/3 (2.08) = 1.38 m/s

DEPTH OF WATER, D = 2.62 m
MEAN GRAIN SIZE, D50 = 0.50 mm
DESIGN FLOOD DISCHARGE INTENSITY, qr
qr
= VB (D)
= 1.38 (2.62)
= 3.62 m3/s/m
REGIME DEPTH, Yr
Yr
= (qr2/Fbo)1/3
For d50 = 0.50 mm, Fbo = 0.4
Yr
= (3.722/0.40)1/3
= 3.19 m
MAX SCOUR DEPTH, MSD
MSD = 3.19 (1.50)
= 4.79 m
ELEV. OF SCOUR, DS
DS
= 27.92 4.79
= 23.13
Therefore: Provide apron on the riverbed

= 2.08 m/s

SCOUR ANALYSIS
by Laceys Regime Formula
DESIGN DATA:
DISCHARGE, Q = 33 m3/s
DESIGN FLOOD LEVEL, DFL = 27.92
RIVERBED ELEV. = 25.3
dm = 0.47 (Q/f)1/3
= 0.47 (33/1.25) 1/3
f = 1.25 for straight reach channel
= 1.40 m
ds = dm f silt factor
f = 1.75(0.50)1/2
= 1.237 for grain size
d50 = 0.50 mm
ds = 1.40 (1.237)
= 1.73 m
ELEV. OF SCOUR = 27.92 1.75
= 26.20 M
Therefore: Scour cannot be expected

Design of Drainage Structures

(Culverts)

Required Design Data

A. Field Survey Information
1. Topographic Survey
2. Cross-section Survey
3. Terrain Information and Description
B. Hydrologic Data
1. Nearest Rainfall Gauging Station
2. Discharge

Design Criteria and Standards

Design Frequency

RCBC

- 25 years (50)

Pipe Culvert

- 15 years (25)

Road Side Ditch

- 2 years

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

-Hosea 4:6a

Let your hearts be flooded with love and let it be

eminent, overflow, and influence others for them to see
the beauty of life in this world.
Thank you for your attention and may God bless you.