Comprehensive Review of Drainage Design Methods for Culvert, Open Channel and Storm Sewer Design
Online
/
Dec 11 - 12, 2023
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Course Code: 14-1209-ONL23
- Overview
- Syllabus
- Instructor
Overview
This course is held online over 2 days on the following schedule (All times in Eastern Time Zone):
10 am to 6 pm Eastern (Will include the usual breaks)
After participating in this course, you will be able to:
- Consider technical issues in design related to the planning and design of drainage collection and conveyance systems
- Select computer software that is most suitable to your application of urban drainage design
- Ability to review drainage designs and calculation methods with confidence.
- Employ design methodologies learned in the course on your next urban drainage project
Description:
Changes in land use affect urban drainage and present challenges for engineers who must deal with drainage planning, runoff analysis, storm sewer hydraulics and watercourse drainage within government regulations.
This course provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of culvert, open channel, and storm sewer design and allows designers already in the field to update their knowledge. The course will also address the use of computer software for design work. Workshops will allow you to work through examples using different methodologies and available software.
Course Outline:
- Drainage and stormwater design criteria
- Rainfall analyses
- Time of concentration equations
- Methods of computing rainfall losses
- Estimating flows for drainage design
- Workshop for estimating design discharges
- Open channel flow
- Design of open channels and storm sewers
- Design of culverts and bridge openings
- Drainage design software
Who Should Attend:
Municipal Engineers and Managers • Planners • Civil Engineers • Environmental Engineers • Designers • Project Managers • Hydraulic Engineers • Technicians and Technologists
Special Features & Requirements
Please download and install the following information:
- Please download and install the add-in functions for Excel from https://sites.google.com/site/watertoolsaddin/home
Follow the instructions that come with the package to allow Excel to access and use the additional functions.
- Environment Canada databases are available through this link https://climatedata.ca/explore/variable/?var=idf/
- Environment Canada stream gauging database HYDAT: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/water-overview/quantity/monitoring/survey/data-products-services/explorer.html
Please test the installed software. When it opens do you see a map of Canada with a lot of green dots? - If yes, then you have been successful. - If no, then please open a File Explorer and go to the folder where the EC Software was installed. Typically this will be C:/Program Files (x86)/EC/ECDataExplorer/Support. In this folder will be a program from Microsoft, AccessRuntime.exe. Please run this program to install a Microsoft Access Database viewer that is used by the Environment Canada Data Explorer. Test the Data Explorer again to confirm that the map of Canada and the green dots appear. If they appear the program has been successfully installed.
- IDF Data - Environment Canada has made some changes to the IDF data. Here is their latest set of instructions. Note for everyone, that the Google App is no longer available and that the link as shown should be used to access the information. -Instructor suggests that the link be placed on the desktop to allow for easy access.
- Stream Gauging software. Please test the installed software. When it opens do you see a map of Canada with a lot of green dots? - If yes, then you have been successful. - If no, then please open a File Explorer and go to the folder where the EC Software was installed. Typically this will be C:/Program Files (x86)/EC/ECDataExplorer/Support. In this folder will be a program from Microsoft AccessRuntime.exe. Please run this to install a Microsoft Access Database viewer that is used by the Environment Canada Data Explorer. Then test the Data Explorer again to confirm that the map of Canada and the green dots appear. The program has been successfully set up.
Time: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Eastern Time
Please note: You can check other time zones here.
Syllabus
Day I
Welcome, Introduction, Course Preview, Learning Outcomes and the Assessment Method
Basic Hydrology – Refresher and Workshop
Introduction
- Review of drainage concepts and needs
- Stormwater design criteria and level of service
- Urban and rural drainage systems
- Minor and major systems in urban drainage
Rainfall Analyses
- Design storms or floods-how to cope with lack of long and reliable data sets
- Storm frequencies-the danger of extrapolation
- Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) data
- Historical storms
- Storm distribution in time
Drainage and Stormwater Design Criteria
- Flood control risks, liability and the unknown effect of climate change
- Water quality control
- Erosion control
- Water balance, recharge and thermal warming criteria-why is it so difficult to meet the criteria?
Time of Concentration –Review of Design Equations, Charts and Their Limitations
- Bransby Williams equation
- Kirpich equation
- Airport formula
Methods of Computing Rainfall Losses
- Use of runoff coefficients
- SCS curve number method
- Horton infiltration method
Estimating Flows in Drainage Design
- Use of Rational Method for estimating design discharge
- Use of Statistical analyses of observed data to estimate design discharge
- Use of computer models for estimating design discharge
Day 1 Workshop
- Examples and Case Studies for Flow Estimations (Rational Method, Statistical Analysis, Computer Modeling)
Day II
Basic Hydraulics-Refresher
Open Channel Flow
- Basic laws of hydraulics
- Types of flows
- Manning's equation
- Roughness coefficients
- Stream erosion and threshold velocities
- Effect of urbanization on stream hydraulics
Design of Open Channels
- Manning’s equation for channel design
- Stable channels
- Composite channels
- Triangular channels and gutters
- Examples from Day 1 Workshop
Design of Storm Sewers
- Major-minor system design
- Stormwater collection and inlets
- Gravity flow sewers
- Hydraulic losses
- Surcharged and flooding conditions
- Shallow and steep slope systems
- The simple spreadsheet design approach
Design of Culverts and Bridge Openings
- Culverts, inlet and outlet control
- Culvert Design Considerations
- Bridge Hydraulic Design Considerations
- Use of design charts
- Use of Software
Drainage Design Software – A Review
- Available software tools
- Software selection
Day 2 Workshop
- Basic Steps in Drainage Analysis & Design
- Open Channel and Sewer Design
- Culvert Design
Questions and Answers, Feedback on Achievement of Learning Outcomes
Concluding Remarks and Final Adjournment
Instructor

Nav Sandhu, P.Eng., is a Senior Water Resources Engineer with 20 years of experience. He has extensive experience in stormwater management and drainage planning and design throughout Canada, ranging from servicing /planning studies to detailed design of complex systems. His stormwater infrastructure design experience includes storm sewer systems, culverts, above and below ground detention and water quality facilities, diversion structures, control and outfall structures, infiltration systems, rip-rap protection works, instream rehabilitation works. He’s also experienced in base-flow augmentation, source control/rainwater management and other LID systems-relatively new techniques that support sustainable design.
His stormwater engineering knowledge, coupled with municipal, and development, and highway experience, makes him an excellent resource for a range of clients. He has also provided expert opinion and reports or legal proceedings related to drainage throughout BC.

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Fee & Credits
$1295 + taxes
- 1.4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
- 14 Professional Development Hours (PDHs)
- ECAA Annual Professional Development Points
Group Training
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