Flood Characteristics of Urban Watersheds in the United States

Through statistical analysis of presently available small urban watersheds data, equations for estimating flood peak discharge from small ungaged urban watersheds are presented for use in the United States. Tests show they are simple to use and provide reasonably accurate estimates if applied within the specified limitations. They should be of great value to States and local governments in designing their highway drainage structures in urban areas, especially in areas where procedures have not previously been developed to account for the hydrologic effects of urbanization. (Author)