Planning for ground water protection.

A probability problem likelihood of a land uses impact on ground water given different
locations, layouts, densities and management arrangements.

Understanding of the potential for contaminant production. Land uses of special concern.
Industrial facilities (manufacturing installations, fuel and chemical storage facilities, railroad yards and
energy plants).
Urban complexes (highway systems, landfills, utility lines, sewage treatment plants, and automotive repair
facilities).
Agricultural operations (cropland, feedlots, chemical storage facilities, and processing plants).
Land use of less concern (single-family residential, institutions such as schools and churches, commercial
facilities, parks and open spaces).

Aquifer vulnerability assess the proposed site for groundwater susceptibility to pollution.
Aquifers depth.
Linkages to the surface.
Significance as a drinking water source.
Information on water use and well location.
Aquifer protected by confining layer?
 Recharge zones.
Location of recharge zones.
Avoid zones that feed shallow aquifers.
Permeability of surface material.

Shallow aquifers water table aquifer important source of water for streams,
ponds and lakes.
Not used as a source of drinking (health codes require aquifer be deeper than 25ft) .
Pollution source within 1000ft can contaminate seepage water discharging into the water
features.

The part of the aquifer system is the site associated : recharge, transmission,
withdrawal or discharge (seepage).

Direction of flow in the aquifer (groundwater maps by a measure called the

potentiometric surface)- overall slope of the aquifer based on readings of well
water levels.

Direct contact with groundwater due to deep footings, foundation work,

underground utilities or tunneling.
 RUNOFF.
Land development has caused changes in rate and
amount of runoff reaching streams and rivers.
Urbanisation increase surface runoff resulting in
greater .magnitude and frequencies of peak flow
in streams.
Property damage due to flooding is increased.
Water quality is reduced.
Channel erosion is accelerated.
Habitat degraded.
Scenic quality of riparian environment is affected.
 A watershed is a drainage
Responsible land use and basin. Hydrologists refer to
design is required. the area of land that
contributes water flow to
Not control approach . particular surface water
outlet as its watershed, and
Stormwater management this basin represents the
begins with assessment of area to be considered when
issues regarding water
change in runoff brought quality and quantity are
about by land development. encountered along rivers
and in lakes.
Analytical forecast of the
changes in overland flow
and stream discharge.
For recommending
alternatives to traditional
storm water systems to
reduce environmental
impact.
Evaluating performance of an
entire watershed area that is
subject to many
 Landscape processes .
overland flows runs off the surface as stormwater
.

Overland flow
 Disposition of rainfall.
Diverted, stored, dissipated and conducted.
Works differently under different landscape and
climatic conditions.
Forested landscape retain the most and yield the least
overland flow.
Streams are fed as subsurface sources, groundwater and
water that moves within the soil as interflow.
Opposite are barren or lightly vegetated landscapes
both natural and man-made, arid and semi-arid
landscape as well as developed landscapes.
Key variables for stormwater planning and management.
Concerns are the rate and volume of:
rainwater delivered.
rainwater taken up in infiltration.
the overland flow (stormwater) produced.
Three factors are of greatest concern.
Land cover (vegetation and land use).
Soil composition and texture.
Surface inclination.
Overland flow .
increases with slope.
decreases with soil organic content and particle size.
increases with ground coverage by hard surface material.
decreases with vegetative cover.
 Coefficient of runoff- 0 to 1.
0.7 coefficient - 70% of rainfall is available as overland flow and 30% is lost to infiltration.

Transient factors may influence the coefficient of runoff and overland flow.
When rainfall intensity rises.
Prestorm soil moisture.
Level of groundwater has risen into the soil column.
Naturally saturated soil as in wetlands behave as impermeable soil with coefficient of runoff
approaching 0.90.
These factors creates problem for forecasting stormwater runoff.

Rational method- computation of runoff generated from a small watershed giving the peak
discharge for one rainstorm at the mouth of watershed.
Q = A * C * I.

Q= Discharge in cubic feet per second.

A= Area in acres.
C= Coefficient of runoff.
I= Intensity of rainfall in inches or feet per hour.

Design storm needs to be selected for computation.

The design storm is defined according to local rainfall records for intensive storms of short
duration (usually 1 hr or less), which occur for eg. of once every 10 years, 25 yrs or 100
yrs.
Concentration time- The time taken for runoff to move from the perimeter to the mouth of
the watershed (varies with size and condition of water shed.
Within the period of rainstorm, the actual rainfall rises initially, hits a peak and then tapers.
Storm intensity value