ARATTANO M., POWERS P. S., 1992, KWM – A basic program and user’s guide for a kinematic wave model for debris flow, USGS Open File Report 92 (1992): 1–22.,
URL: http://www.cnr.it/prodotto/i/237992

The BASIC computer program KWM computes the parameters of the kinematic wave model for debris flows proposed by Arattano and Savage (1992) using the hydrographs recorded by two gaging stations along a channel. The model also can be used to predict the movement along a stream channel of a known mass of debris caused by a landslide or a previous debris flow. If debris volume, the amount of water required for mobilization and the mean width of the stream channel are known, the parameters H, maximum height of the initial debris mass, and L, length of the initial debris mass, can be calculated. If we then have a value for k, a parameter that accounts for changes of hydraulic radius with flow depth, and for C, the roughness coefficient, along the stream channel, the propagation of the debris flow can be predicted (Arattano and Savage, 1992). Once the model parameters have been calculated, theoretical hydrographs can be generated by the program at any point along the channel, starting from the theoretical point of inception of the debris flow. The program also allows for the comparison of the two recorded hydrographs and the hydrographs predicted by the model. This comparison is done by using the recorded time data of the actual hydrographs that have been corrected by adding the theoretical time elapsed from the moment of inception of the debris flow to its recording at the two stations. In addition, if the user already knows the values of the parameters of the model, a program option can be selected that allows input, rather than calculation, of these parameters. Theoretical hydrographs at any point along the channel can then be generated. The output of KWM are files containing time-flow height pairs. A graphics program, such as GRAPHER , is needed to draw the hydrographs.

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