A database for the Depth Areal Reduction Factors in Texas based on the statewide historically storms

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

3:18 PM – 3:36 PM PDT

Room: Del Mar I

Co-Author(s)

DL

Dongfeng Li, Ph.D., P.E.

Research Assistant Professor
University of Texas at Arlington
Zheng Nick Fang, Ph.D., P.E. (he/him/his)

Associate Professor
The University of Texas at Arlington

Co-Author (not attending)(s)

Simeon Benson, P.E.

USACE

Co-Author(s)

David C. Curtis, Ph.D.

Vice President
West Consultants

Co-Author (not attending)(s)

Jerry Cotter, P.E.

Chief of Water Resources
US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District

Author(s)

Zheng Nick Fang, Ph.D., P.E. (he/him/his)

Associate Professor
The University of Texas at Arlington

Many engineering design projects depend on areal precipitation estimation. Even for small watersheds, design practice has yet to formulate a proper link between design peak rainfall and watershed scale rainfall volume of the same frequency. For small watersheds, a uniform rainfall distribution is often assumed. Especially as watershed size increases past 400 square miles, a uniform distribution of design rainfall can no longer be assumed. Depth-areal reduction factors (DARFs), which link point precipitation measurement to areal precipitation estimates, are important in hydrologic engineering design. To evaluate and provide an improvement on the current DARF methodology, the team conducted a thorough storm analysis over the historical storm data and an optimized hydrologic analysis based on the DARF results in Texas. The results from this study can be used as guidance for future rainfall-runoff modeling studies and engineering designs. This new method will be designed to be usable by a broad range of engineering practitioners and produce consistent results within basins and sub-basins.