A Review of the Nrcs Curve Number Method and Its Various Methods
Open Access
- Author:
- Chiang, Andrew Wenjie
- Area of Honors:
- Civil Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Alfonso Ignacio Mejia, Thesis Supervisor
Eric Todd Donnell, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- initial abstraction
maximum potential storage
Curve Number
antecedent moisture content - Abstract:
- Abstract The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Curve Number (CN) method is a standard tool for modeling stormwater runoff in a given watershed. Even though it is still very relevant in today's industry because of its ease of application, the standard method has its own imperfections and is in need of further improvement for the sake of attaining greater modeling accuracy, precision, and thus the ability to produce better engineering designs. After reviewing the literature of multiple experts, the range of potential inaccurate results is alarming. This report brings good news; multiple researchers have presented various modifications of the NRCS CN modeling method. These modifications account for multiple theoretical factors that affect the amount of runoff generated within each storm event. Many of these researchers' experiments exhibit significantly higher accuracy and precision in runoff prediction than the standard NRCS CN method. Because there are a myriad of modifications with vastly differing theoretical amendments, determining the best modification for a given watershed is a daunting task. Therefore, this paper will help shed light on some of the most prevalent works for the sake of sharpening the scope of future research.