The role of inter-event time definition and recovery of initial/depression loss for the accuracy in quantitative simulations of highway runoff

Abstract

A long-term runoff monitoring was carried out in a highway drainage system in Winterthur, Switzerland. Several runoff quantity simulations were carried out using the distributed model ‘InfoWorks-CS’. Serial rainfall monitoring data were used for investigation of water runoff behaviour from the highway. The inter-event time definition was calculated from the runoff simulation and applied for better accurate runoff volume determination. Under continuous rainfall condition, the quantity simulation showed a good agreement with the measured hydrograph. However, in some cases where rainfall was not continuous, overestimation of runoff volume and difference in peak height/timing was found after rainfall halting. It was believed that the initial/depression loss on road surface was recovered during the halting period of rainfall and caused the difference in the runoff volume and peak height/timing difference in simulation. The consideration of regenerated depression loss significantly improved runoff simulation results in the on-and-off type rainfall events. This result showed that it was essential to estimate the inter-event time definition to consider appropriateness of the initial or intermediate loss.