Garden with Insight v1.0 Help: Hydrology - Surface Runoff

The runoff model simulates surface runoff volumes and peak runoff rates, given daily rainfall amounts. Runoff volume is estimated by using a modification of the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) curve number technique (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service 1972). The technique was selected for use because

(a) it is reliable and has been used for many years in the United States,
(b) it is computationally efficient,
(c) the required inputs are generally available, and
(d) it relates runoff to soil type, land use, and management practices.

The use of readily available daily rainfall data is a particularly important attribute of the curve number technique because for many locations, rainfall data with time increments of less than one day are not available. Also, rainfall data manipulations and runoff computations are more efficient for data taken daily than at shorter intervals.

The two submodels of Surface Runoff are:

Runoff Volume
Peak Runoff Rate