Comparative Study on Evaluating Low-Flow in Ungauged Watershed

In this study, the methodologies for evaluating the low-flow at the ungauged watershed are reviewed and assessed. The ungauged watershed can be classified into different situations such as the partially recorded watershed and the completely ungauged watershed. The extension method and the percentile method are used to evaluated the low-flow at the partially recorded watershed. The drainage-area ratio method and the regional regression method are used at the completely ungauged watershed. These four methods are applied and validated based on the hydrological and geometric data acquired from unit watersheds in Han River basin for TMDLs. In case of partially recorded watershed, the values of low-flow evaluated by the extension method are in better agreement with measured flow-rate rather than those by the percentile method. In case of completely ungauged watershed, the drainage-area method is broadly used to estimate the low-flow. It must be paid attention to consider the treated sewage discharge produced at watersheds when applying the method.