Hey 1998
Hey 1998
Hey 1998
Abstract
The use of the 1.5 year flood (annual maximum series) as the dominant,
design discharge for stabilising and restoring channels is not supported by field data.
For stable channels, bankfull return periods are not uniquely designed by this value,
principally because the annual maximum series ignores lesser floods which transport
sediment and cause morphological change as well as the duration of transport events.
Given the close correspondence between bankfull flow and the effective discharge,
defined as the flow that transports most sediment in the longer term derived from
daily average flow data and associated sediment transport rates, it follows that
bankfull flow will be more closely associated with daily flow exceedance durations
than flood return periods as it accounts for both the magnitude and duration of all
transport events. Its value varies between river environments reflecting regional
differences in flow and sediment transport regimes.
The steady flow which produces the same channel form and dimensions as the
natural range of flows has been referred to as the dominant or channel forming flow
(Inglis 1941) and is generally considered to be the flow at, or about bankfull (Inglis
1947, Ackers and Charlton 1970). Although Wolman and Miller (196) produced
evidence to show that bankfull flow actually corresponded to the discharge that
transports most sediment in the longer term, often referred to as the effective
discharge, yet the only real evidence for this is scanty and is restricted to gravel-bed
rivers (Andrews 1980, Carling 1988).
New data obtained from across a range of river environments in the US, sand
and fine gravel-bed rivers (Little Missouri, ND), gravel and sand bed (Sevier, UT),
This indicates that for rivers that are in regime either the bankfull or the
effective discharge can be used to directly determine the dominant discharge or,
alternatively, their return period or exceedance duration could be used to indirectly
determine its value provided that it was constant or that variations between rivers
could be explained.
* insufficient data
Partial duration series data, based on all independent flood events above bed
material transport thresholds, have been used to determine the true return period of
bankfull flow at several sites in the UK (Hey and Heritage 1988). This indicates that
bankfull flow is exceeded between once in 0.56 and 3.44 years with a modal value of
0.9 years; a value confirmed by Carling (1988) for two small upland gravel-bed rivers
in northern England.
As the discharge threshold for the US data exceeded bed material transport
thresholds, it was not possible to directly evaluate the UK results. Instead bankfull
return periods at each site were established by fitting the General Pareto distribution
(GPD) to the flood data for one event per year on average, annual exceedance series,
and two events per year, partial duration series. The GPD was chosen because it
corresponds to the GEV II provided that the events in each year follow a Poisson
distribution. The observed variation between sites (table 1) indicates that bankfull
flow does not have a fixed return period possibly because it takes no account of the
duration of channel forming flows.
The 1.5 year flood, based on annual maximum series, has often been
advocated as the dominant discharge for designing natural channels given that on
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most rivers its value ranges between 1.01 and 2.0 years. This limited range reflects
the nature of the flood frequency curve whereas the associated discharges vary
considerably. For example the 1.5 year flood at Marmarth on the Little Missouri
River is 140.66 m3 s-‘, the 1.01 year is 5.95 m3 s-r and the 2 year is 205.75 m3 s-l. As
bankfull is 68.79 m3 s-‘, the use of the 1.5 year flood as the dominant, channel
forming, flow for design purposes would be disastrous. Before using any particular
flood return period for defining the dominant discharge, it would be necessary to
determine an appropriate local value for stable channels.
Similarly the return period of bankfull flow based on partial duration series
data varies considerably between sites, even when all the independent flood events
that transport bed material load are included in the analysis. Local values would need
to be determined if this approach is to be used with any confidence.
Exceedance durations of bankfull flow offer a better alternative for defining
the dominant discharge. The evidence presented here indicates that its value will vary
but, as it reflects the flow and sediment transport regime of the river, they are likely
to vary regionally in a systematic manner. Further research is required to identify
these regional patterns. Until this is carried out, an appropriate value would need to
be determined from local gauging station records.
References
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Andrews, E.D. (1984) “Bed material entrainment and hydraulic geometry of gravel-
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