Snow Melt Design
Snow Melt Design
(OP)
I've been assigned the task of designing a stormwater management system for a proposed residential development to be built on the side of a mountainside (with a contributing drainage area of ~500acres). The project is located in a snowy region of the northeast. Typically, designs require analysis of the 1-, 10-, and 100-year rainstorm events.
My concern is related to the effectiveness of my conveyance system, relative to snowmelt. It may be, that by designing the site to convey the 100-year storm, I already will have sufficient conveyance capacity for snowmelt - I just want to be sure, and do not know how to quantify the snowmelt runoff.
Is anyone familiar with a situation like this, or can direct me to a published resource?
Thanks in advance.
My concern is related to the effectiveness of my conveyance system, relative to snowmelt. It may be, that by designing the site to convey the 100-year storm, I already will have sufficient conveyance capacity for snowmelt - I just want to be sure, and do not know how to quantify the snowmelt runoff.
Is anyone familiar with a situation like this, or can direct me to a published resource?
Thanks in advance.





RE: Snow Melt Design
Generally with snowmelt events the peak flows from the melt are relatively low while the total volumes involved are large.
If your conveyance system is designed to convey the 100-yr storm event you shouldn't exceed your capacity, but if you have detention/retention ponds or other volume control structures it may be possible to exceed the capacity of those.
USACE has a manual on predicting snow melt, but its fairly indepth and more directed at predicting runoff for flood stage predictions. EM 1110-2-1406 is the manual if you're interested in using it.
RE: Snow Melt Design
RE: Snow Melt Design