Estimative of maximum runoff flow rates are essential for the projects of hydraulic urban and rural basins. The difficulty in applying the available procedures to estimate the temporary variation of the flow rate and its maximum value is due to the inaccuracy of some methods that are usually used and to the big variability of results that can be obtained by different professionals that use the same procedures. Therefore, research of a method that produces trustworthy assessment of peak-flow rates and hydrographs is of great interest. This paper describes the development and sensitivity analysis of a software (HIDROGRAMA 2.1) that allows obtaining surface runoff hydrograph, peak flow rate and its time of occurrence, runoff maximum height, runoff velocity and runoff volume. The model presented great sensibility to precipitation return period, infiltration rate after long time of wetting and hillside and channel length.
hydrologic modeling; soil and water conservation
