53:078 Principles of Hydrology (Spring 2004)
Problem #24
Probability of a Sequence of Floods in Culvert Design

A culvert underneath a highway crossing is designed so that the probability (in any given year) that the annual maximum peak discharge inundates the road (i.e., a flood) is 0.05. The design life of the highway crossing and its culvert is 25 years. Determine the following:

  1. The probability of two floods in two consecutive years.
  2. The probability of twenty-five floods in twenty-five consecutive years.
  3. The probability of no floods in twenty-five years.
  4. The probability of at least one flood in twenty-five years.
  5. The return period (in years) for a flood.

Last changed on 04/05/04 by aab.