BasinFlow: A Program for Pond and Basin Routing
No guarantee is expressed or implied for the accuracy of this program or any computations or results.
Thank you for using BasinFlow. This program is shareware. If you use this program, and have not purchased it, please send $15 to G.E. Brooks at 1333 Mosby's Reach, Charlottesville VA 22901. If you work with me, or submit plans to Ablemarle County, there is no charge. For questions or suggestions for improvement, the author can be contacted at brooksg4@cstone.net, or gbrooks@albemarle.org.
BasinFlow Basics
This program is a straightforward modeling approach to routing stormwater flows through a basin. It is organized into three windows (not including this help window), the details of which follow;
(1) Input: The input window is divided into three lists; basin geometry, basin structures, and inflow hydrographs. The basin geometry is described by a list of areas or pipes. Together with the outlet structures, they describe the physical layout of the basin model. The inflow hydrographs describe the flows entering the basin over time. A separate routing can be computed for each inflow hydrograph. An example basin and inflow hydrographs are provided in the input data. These should be edited or deleted to input data for your basin. Below are the details for the different input lists:
Geometry:
Area | A contour area at a specific elevation. |
Pipe | A storage pipe, either inclined, horizontal, or vertical. |
Structures:
Orifice | Orifice outlet structure. |
Weir | Weir outlet structure. |
Culvert | Culvert outlet structure. |
Curve | A generic structure performance curve. |
Riser | A description of how risers are handled in the program. |
Inflow Hydrographs
Modified Rational | A triangular hydrograph with varying peak durations. |
SCS | A standard SCS distribution constructed according to NEH-4, Section 4. |
Curve | A generic curve, which can represent anything. |
Sum | A summation of two previously input hydrographs, either before or after routing. |
Dif | A comparison showing the difference between two previously input hydrographs, either before or after routing. |
(2) View: The view window gives the routing results, graphs and tables. There are two types of routing computation. A direct method, and the conventional storage indication method, available by checkbox in the menu.
Direct | This is a volume centered approach, using structure flow values directly. |
Storage Indication | This is the traditional text book method. |
(3) Output: The output window shows the text file output from the program, with all input data, and summaries of the routings. Using the "long print" option will cause the printout of the routing tables, as well as the table of master contour areas used by the program if the basin has storage pipes.
Each input window in the program uses a basic input list, allowing for the addition, copy, or deletion of items.
The save option button on the main window saves the output text summary, as shown in the output window, to a text file. This text file can be printed from a word processor. It can also be read back into the program. If it is tampered with, the program may not read it properly.