Masters Theses

Abstract

"A previous regression analysis of flood peaks on urban basins in St. Louis County, Missouri, indicated that the percentage of impervious area and drainage area were the only basin characteristics of statistical significance in estimating the 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year peak-flow discharges at ungaged urban basins. In this statewide regression analysis of urban basins, a new basin characteristic called the percentage of developed area was computed and used in a simple regression analysis. The regression analysis included percentage of developed area as the independent variable and impervious area as the dependent variable, resulting in a simplified procedure for computing impervious area. Finally, the percentage of developed area was evaluated using flood frequency estimates at 23 U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations and verified to be valid for use in estimating these flood discharges.

In a nationwide study by Sauer and others (1983) an urban basin characteristic called the basin development factor was determined to be valid for inclusion in urban regression equations for estimating floodflows. The basin development factor was statistically compared through multiple-regression analysis to the percentage of developed area for Missouri streamflow-gaging station. The basin development factor produced results with slightly smaller average standard errors of estimate for estimating flood discharges; however, this study indicated that there was not enough statistical or numerical difference to warrant using the basin development factor instead of the percentage of developed area in Missouri. The selection of a basin characteristic to describe the physical conditions of a drainage basin will not depend solely on its contribution to accuracy of regression equations; it also will depend on which characteristic is easiest to obtain and percentage of developed area has this advantage.

A correlation analysis was made by correlating drainage area to percentage of impervious area, the percentage of developed area, and the basin development factor. The results of the analysis indicated the three basin characteristics to be independent of drainage area and appropriate to use in multiple-regression analysis"--Abstract, pages 1-2.

Advisor(s)

Morris, Charles Darwin

Committee Member(s)

Stevens, Glendon Taylor, 1927-
Westphal, Jerome A.
Engelhardt, Max

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Civil Engineering

Sponsor(s)

Geological Survey (U.S.)

Publisher

University of Missouri--Rolla

Publication Date

Spring 1986

Pagination

vii, 30 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 24-25)

Geographic Coverage

Missouri

Rights

© 1986 Rodney Eugene Southard, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Flood forecasting -- Missouri -- Statistical Methods
Stream-gaging stations -- Missouri
Streamflow -- Missouri

Thesis Number

T 5355

Print OCLC #

14163044

Electronic OCLC #

896699746

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