DRAINAGE DESIGN GUIDE - Office of Design, Drainage Section January 2024 - Tallahassee, Florida

Oct 29, 2026

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Drainage Design Guide provides designers with preferred guidelines for common drainage and stormwater elements in FDOT projects, covering both practical design directions and reference material. The guide is written by Central Office Drainage and reviewed with district drainage engineers who make final project-specific decisions, especially where engineering judgment is required. It clarifies how the Drainage Manual establishes minimum standards that govern when conflicts occur, and documents the handbook’s historical revisions and purpose.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages806

Reading Time33 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background

Purpose

Revisions

Definitions of Terms and Acronyms

Hydrology

Open Channel

Culvert

Bridge Hydraulics

Storm Drains

Exfiltration Systems

Stormwater Management Facility

Temporary Drainage Design

Appendices

Data Collection/Published Data

DRAINAGE DESIGN GUIDE OFFICE OF DESIGN, DRAINAGE SECTION JANUARY 2024 TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA This page left blank intentionally. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Appendix F Appendix G Appendix H Appendix I Appendix J Appendix K Appendix L Appendix M Appendix N Introduction Hydrology Open Channel Culvert Bridge Hydraulics Storm Drains Exfiltration Systems Optional Pipe Material Stormwater Management Facility Temporary Drainage Design APPENDICES Data Collection/Published Data Hydrology Design Aids Open Channel Flow Design Aids Gutter Flow Using HEC-RAS Partial Depth Pipe Flow Graphs Application Guidelines for Pipe End Treatments Risk Evaluations Shoulder Gutter Transition Slope at Bridges Inlet Efficiencies Exfiltration Design-Hydro-Geotechnical Aids-K for Saturated and Compacted Lab Soil Specimens Drainage Well Design-Reasonable Assurance Report Exfiltration Design-Sample Plans Pipe Corrosion Tables and Charts A Rational for Stormwater Rule Standards CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Background...........................................................................................................1-1 1.2 Purpose .................................................................................................................1-1 1.3 Revisions ...............................................................................................................1-2 1.4 Definitions of Terms and Acronyms..................................................................1-3 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND In 1987, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) published the Drainage Manual asa three volume set: Volume 1 - Policy; Volumes 2A and 2B - Procedures; Volume 3 -Theory. In October 1992, the FDOT revised Volume 1 - Policy to Volume 1- Standards and designated Volumes 2A, 2B, and 3 as general reference documents. In January 1997, the FDOT renamed Volume 1-Standards to “Drainage Manual”. In the years that followed, the FDOT developed numerous handbooks to replace Volumes 2A, 2B, and 3 of the original 1987 Drainage Manual. With this, the Drainage Manual was maintained as a “standards” document while the handbooks provided guidance addressing drainage design practice, analysis and computational methods, along with design aids and reference material. In 2016, the Department consolidated the handbooks into the Drainage Design Guide. Chapters 2 through 10 of the Drainage Design Guide each represent a handbook in previous form. The appendices of the handbooks , with a few exceptions, were incorporated as appendices in the Drainage Design Guide. Whereas, the remaining handbook appendices were inserted into the appropriate chapter of the Drainage Design Guide. 1.2 PURPOSE The Drainage Design Guide is a reference for designers, which provides guidelines for common drainage and stormwater aspects of FDOT projects. The guidelines do not replace the need for professional engineering judgment or preclude the use of other information. These guidelines are suggested or preferred approaches, not requirements. The Drainage Manual provides minimum standards and governs over the Drainage Design Guide, when discrepancies are noted between both documents. The technical information in these guidelines is written by Central Office Drainage and is then reviewed and commented upon by the district drainage engineers. The district drainage engineer has the final project specific decisions concerning the application of these guidelines, especially given the subjective judgment required to do good drainage design. If you have project specific questions on this material, please collaborate with your district d

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Drainage Design Guide?

It serves as a reference for designers, offering guidelines for common drainage and stormwater aspects of FDOT projects. The guidance is suggested or preferred approaches, not mandatory replacements for professional judgment.

How does the Drainage Manual relate to the Drainage Design Guide?

The Drainage Manual provides minimum standards and governs over the Drainage Design Guide when discrepancies are noted between the documents.

Who is responsible for reviewing and applying these guidelines on projects?

Central Office Drainage writes the technical information, and district drainage engineers review and comment on it. District drainage engineers make the final project-specific decisions, particularly for subjective drainage design judgment.

Oct 29, 2026

Upload by Ezra