Impact of urbanization on storm response of White Rock Creek,Dallas, TX |
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Authors: | Julie?Vicars-Groening Email author" target="_blank">Harry?F?L?WilliamsEmail author |
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Institution: | (1) Michael Baker Jr., Inc, Region VI RMC, 101 S. Locust Street, Suite 300, Denton, TX, USA;(2) Department of Geography, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA |
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Abstract: | This study documents hydrological changes resulting from urbanization of the upper sub-basin of White Rock Creek watershed
in Collin and Dallas counties, Texas. The 172-km2 watershed was transformed from 87% rural in 1961 to 95% urban in 2002, following construction of the Dallas suburbs of Richardson,
Addison, Plano and Frisco. The objective of the study was to investigate changes in the storm response of White Rock Creek
in terms of peak storm flow, storm flow volume and lag time. The approach employed to compare pre- and post-urbanization hydrology
was to develop average unit hydrographs for each time period and use them to generate the creek’s storm flow response to a
set of six hypothetical precipitation events. The results suggest that substantial hydrological changes have occurred. The
average infiltration capacity of the watershed was reduced by about 60% so that storm flow was generated at lower precipitation
intensities in the post-urbanization period. Storm flow peak discharge and volume were more than doubled for a hypothetical
10-year precipitation event. Average lag time was about 49 min shorter in the post-urbanization period. Urbanization has significantly
impacted the storm response of the creek and increased the potential for flooding. It is anticipated that similar hydrological
changes will occur in other rapidly urbanizing watersheds in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan region. Watershed managers
should take likely changes in storm response into account when planning future storm water management needs. |
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Keywords: | Unit hydrograph Storm flow Infiltration capacity Urban growth Texas Denton County USA White Rock Creek |
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