Abstract:
The research described in this report is presented as a partial requirement for
the degree of Master of Engineering at the University of Auckland. It is part of an
inter-related study of the water resources of the Kaipara catchment, carried out by
the Auckland Regional Water Board in conjunction with the University of Auckland.
The aim of this thesis was to produce a streamflow prediction model for use in
the Kaipara catchment. The model was to be capable of assessing the effects of land
use changes and to be used in conjunction with a river model produced by Mukumba (1978)
for simulating unsteady in-channel river flow.
The work has resulted in development of a mathematical computer model which
simulates streamflow as a result of rainfall falling on the catchment. It has been
applied on a small experimental basin in the Kaipara catchment and has been named the
Auckland Rainfall Runoff Model (abbreviated ARRM). The model attempts to simulate
the movement of rainfall as it falls on the catchment in a physically realistic manner.
It simulates the hydrologic processes involving interception, infiltration, surface
runoff, interflow, percolation between soil zones and groundwater runoff.
The model reads rainfall, evaporation and streamflow data and simulation can
proceed using a variable time interval between 5 minutes and 1 hour.