Effects of Seasonal Variation on Runoff Curve Number for Selected Watersheds of Georgia - Preliminary Study

Proceedings of the 2007 Georgia Water Resources Conference, March 27-29, 2007, Athens, Georgia.This study examined seasonal effects on the runoff Curve Number for five forested watersheds in Georgia. The periods between April-October and November-March were defined as the growing and dormant seasons, respectively. Annual maximum peak runoff data were used to select one pair of rainfall and runoff volumes for each water year. The Curve Number method was used to determine Curve Numbers using these observed precipitation and runoff values. Based on the date that rainfall and runoff volume were observed, the Curve Number values were grouped to their respective seasons for statistical analysis. The results from all watersheds showed higher mean Curve Numbers for the dormant season compared to the growing season. However, statistically significant differences between mean Curve Number values for the growing and dormant season were detected for only two of the five watersheds. Depending on the availability of data, selecting two or three representative months for each season would likely result in a better prediction by avoiding transition periods between the two seasons.Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of TechnologyThis book was published by the Institute of Ecology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2202. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views or policies of The University of Georgia, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Georgia Water Research Institute as authorized by the Water Resources Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-397) or the other conference sponsors