APPENDIX B

DEVELOPMENT OF THE MUSKINGUM

ROUTING EQUATIONS

To develop a storage relationship for a channel, it is assumed that channel

inow, I, channel outow, O, and channel storage, S, varies with ow depth,
y, according to similar power functions:
I O ay c

(B.1)

SI SO by d

(B.2)

If the hydraulic properties of the channel are constant then it is reasonable

to assume that the coefcients a, b, c, and d remain constant along the channel
reach as well. The ow Equation B.1 can be solved for y and substituted into
the storage Equation B.2 to yield respective equations for inow (upstream)
and outow (downstream) sections. For the inow section

SI b

I
a

1/c

I
a

d/c

1
a

d/c

Id/c

(B.3)

and thus
SI KI d / c

(B.4)

where
Stormwater Management for Land Development: Methods and Calculations for Quantity Control.
Thomas A. Seybert 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-471-72177-2

361

362

APPENDIX B

1
Kb
a

d/c

(B.5)

Similarly for the outow section

SO KOd / c

(B.6)

The Muskingum method assumes that the average storage in the channel
reach is a weighted function of the storage at the upstream and downstream
cross sections. Using a simple weighting parameter, X, the average storage
relationship can be expressed as
S XSI (1 X)SO

(B.7)

If Equations B.5 and B.6 are substituted into B.7, the average storage
relationship takes the form of
S XKI d / c (1 X)KOd / c

(B.8)

S K[XI d / c (1 X)Od / c]

(B.9)

or

For simplicity, the ratio of d/c is assumed to be unity, which reduces the
relationship for K in Equation B.8 to b/a. With these assumptions, the storage
relationship of B.9 takes on the familiar form of the Muskingum relationship
S K[XI (1 X)O]

(B.10)

The conservation of mass relationship, also known as the continuity equation, is combined with Equation B.10 to solve for the routed hydrograph.
Conservation of mass is expressed as
IO

S
t

(B.11)

In differenced form, with n representing the beginning of a time step and

n1 representing the end of a time step, Equation B.11 becomes

In In1
On On1
Sn1 Sn

2
2
t

The differenced form of Equation B.10 is also necessary and is

(B.12)

APPENDIX B

Sn1 Sn K[X(In1 In) (1 X)(On1 On)]

363

(B.13)

Equations B.12 and B.13 can be combined to eliminate the storage terms,
Sn and Sn1.

On On1
K[X(In1 In) (1 X)(On1 On)]
In In1

2
2
t

(B.14)
Equation B.14 can be algebraically manipulated to create a working form
of the equation. By combining like subscripts and solving for outow at the
end of the t time step, the equation takes the form of
On1

KX 0.5t
KX 0.5t
I
I
K KX 0.5t n1
K KX 0.5t n

K KX 0.5t
O
K KX 0.5t n

(B.15)

The leading coefcient of every term on the right side of Equation B.15
is expressed in terms of the routing parameters K, X, and t. These parameters
are considered known values since they can be estimated or calculated prior
to the routing process.
Equation B.15 can be written in a simplied form as
On1 C0 In1 C1In C2On

(B.16)

where
C0
C1
C2

KX 0.5t
K KX 0.5t

(B.17)

KX 0.5t
K KX 0.5t

(B.18)

K KX 0.5t
K KX 0.5t

(B.19)

These three routing coefcients, C0, C1, and C2, are dimensionless. Therefore, the time units of K and t must be the same. Also, mathematical integrity
requires the sum of the three coefcients to be equal to unity.