HYDROGRAPHC

SURVEY
HYDRO MEANS WATER AND GRAPHIC MEANS VISUAL ART. HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEY INCLUDES ALL TYPES OF
HYDROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS WHICH ARE NECESSARY FOR THE DESIGN OF HYDRAULIC, OR MARINE
STRUCTURES.

NECESSITY:
 DESIGN OF DAMS
 BARRAGES AND WEIRS
 CROSS-DRAINAGE WORKS
 AMOUNT OF RAINFALL
 THE DESIGN OF PORTS
 DESIGN OF DOCKS, HARBOURS & LIGHTHOUSES
 RAIN GAUGING
The amount of rainfall in the catchment area of a basin or a river is generally recorded. This helps
to predict the probable run-off through the basin or river. Thus, any probable flood in the
downstream area may be forecast in case there is heavy rain, and necessary precautions may be
taken to avert disaster.

Rain-Gauge Stations:
They should be established on level ground and not on sloping ground
They should not be close to any permanent structure or tree.
They should be protected from high winds.
They should bc accessible.
 MEASUREMENT OF RAINFALL
• The rainfall is recorded by different types of rain gauges such as:
 Symon ‘s Rain Gauge
 Automatic Rain Gauge
 RIVER GAUGING
River Gauging involves the measurement of discharge of a river and the of a gauge
post on one of its banks. This is done to directly read a warning may be given to
surrounding areas for any precautionary be taken if necessary In addition, river
gauging is undertaken for reasons as:
To fix the number of spans of road and railway bridges, that high floods may not
cause any damage to the structure
To fix the height of the guide bank
To fix the height of the dam or barrage
To design the cross-drainage works when a canal crosses a river
 FIXING GAUGE POST
Gauge posts wooden posts of 10 cm X 5 cm section and 2 m length, graduated in metres and fractions of metres so that a
numrnum reading of up to 0.01 m be taken. The posts are fixed in series on a concrete foundation along the slope of the
river bank . The bottom post is assumed to be at zzro and the other posts are graduated accordingly.
The RL of the zero mark of the starting gauge post is determined by fly lwelling from a benchmark. Then by simply noting
the reading on the gauge, the RL of the water level can be predicted.
 MEASUREMENT OF DEPTH OF WATER
(SOUNDING)
1. Sounding Rod:
It is a wooden or bamboo pole of 5 cm diameter and 2.5 m length. It is provided with a disc of15 cm diameter at the
bottom. It is graduated in metres and 1/10th of a metre. The sounding rod is suitable for measuring the depths of small
rivers, of the order of 2 m. To measure depth, the sounding rod is slowly immersed vertically from a boat, at the
required place, so that the base plate just touches the bed of the River Bed river. The depth of water is then noted
from the graduation.
 2. SOUNDING CABLE
When the depth of water more !han 2 m and current is high, the velocity rod not practicable. In such a case, a cable
or rope is released slowly from a boat by means of a pulley system. The cable consists of a counter weight of 5 kg .
When the weight just touches the bottom of the river, a mark is made on bottom of the cable exactly at the water
level. Then the depth is measured by tape.

3. ECHO – SOUNDER:
The echo-sounder is used for measuring depths of large rivers, in excess of 10 m, and those of seas. It is an electrical
instrument, in which is a sound impulse from the surface of water is sent towards the bottom of river or sea. The
sound waves are reflected back from the bed in the form of an ECHO which arrested by the receiver. There is an
automatic recording of the time of onward and backward travel of the sound wave.
 MEASUREMENT OF VELOCITY OF FLOW

1. Surface Float Method:

Surface floats are made of cork, and can easily float on water. They are generally in the form of 10 cm cubes. The
floats are painted red or white and have a small Flag attached on top.
a) At the discharge site, a rope is stretched between two poles fixed on both banks of the river and the water
section is divided into several compartments by hanging tags from a rope
b) The velocity of each compartment is measured by the float, which is released slightly ahead of CIS-I. When the
float just crosses the section, the stopwatch is started. When it just crosses C/S-2, the stopwatch is closed. The
time taken by the float to cover the 'run' (known distance) is noted, and from this the velocity is calculated.
c) the velocities of all the compartments are measured and the average of these is taken as the mean velocity. But
this velocity represents only surface.
 2. SUB-SURFACE FLOAT METHOD

The sub-surface float is a hollow cylinder which is attached by a cord to a surface float. The position of the sub-
surface float is adjusted according to the depth of the river. Generally, it is kept 0.2D metres above the bottom. In this
case, the measured velocity is equal to the mean velocity. The procedure of measurement is the same as that in the
surface float method.

3. Velocity Rod Method:

The velocity rod is made of hollow metal or wood. Its diameter is about 2.5 cm. A weight is provided at the bottom
of the rod to keep it vertical. The length of thc rod is adjustable. The rod is generally submerged to the extent of 0.6
Depth. The Procedure of measurement is exactly similar to that in the surface float.
4. PITOT TUBE METHOD

The Pitot tube is a glass tube bent at an angle of 900 at the lower end. The upper end is open and kept above the water
level. The lower end is in the form of a nozzle, and is directed upstream. Due to the velocity of water, the water column
rises in the right limb (Fig. 13.12). Let the rise in watcr level be h. Then applymg Bernoulli's theorem between points A
and B.

5. Current Meter Method:

The price current meter is commonly used for measuring the velocity of water. It consists of the following components:
 A tail which keeps the meter in the direction of alignment
 A system of conical buckets fitted to a spindle which rotates due to current.
 A Counter weight which keeps the conical vertical
 A headphone for registering the sound produced by the spindle at every revolution.
 DETERMINATION OF CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF A
RIVER
Case 1- When the River is Small:
CASE I1—WHEN THE RIVER IS LARGE
 MARINE SURVEY

 The shore line at low and high tide is marked. Then an open traverse is conducted by cotupnss or theodolite to
obtain the configuration of the shore line.
 The depth of water atound the harbour area is determined by echo-sounder and obstructions like large rocks,
sandbars, etc., are located.
 Current and tidal observations are taken to identify the nature of the sea water and take necessary precautions for
safe movement of ships.
 Positions where lighthouses are to be set up for indicating a safe route for ships from one port to another are
established. The positions of large rocks, submerged hills, sandbars, etc. are located by measuring depth by
echosounder and other appliances.
 The profile of the bottom of the sea is prepared by depth recording instruments mounted on a motorboat or steamer
along a pre-determined alignment fixed by compass. Soundings are taken at regular intervals and recorded.