time for infiltration to occur. The increased infiltration results in a decreased surface runoff according to the water balance equation. These two equations agree with each other and follow the water balance equation. According to the equations, a basin with high drainage density, the contribution of surface runoff to stream discharge will be high, while that from baseflow will be low. Conversely, a stream in a low drainage density system will have a larger contribution from baseflow and a smaller contribution from overland flow. Relation to hydrographs The discharge through the central stream draining a catchment reflects the drainage density, which makes it a useful diagnostic for predicting the flooding behavior of a catchment following a storm event due to being intimately tied to the hydrograph. The material that overland flow travels over is one factor that influences the speed that water can flow out of a catchment. Water flows significantly slower over hillslopes compared to channels that form to efficiently carry water and other flowing material. According to Horton’s interpretation of half of the inverse of drainage density as the average length of overland flow implies that overland flow in high-drainage environments will reach a fast-flowing channel faster over a shorter range. On the hydrograph, the peak is higher and occurs over a shorter range. This more compact and higher peak is often referred to as being “flashy”. The timing of the hydrograph in relation to the peak of the hyetograph is influenced by the drainage density. The water that enters a high-drainage watershed during a storm will reach a channel relatively fast and travel in the high-velocity channels to the outlet of the watershed in a relatively short time. Conversely, the water entering a low drainage density basin will, on average, have to travel a longer distance over the low velocity hillslope to reach the channels. As a result, the water will require more time to reach the exit of the catchment. The lag time between the peak of the hyetograph and the hydrograph is then inversely related to drainage density; as drainage density increases, water is more efficiently drained from the basin and the lag time decreases. Another impact on the hydrograph that drainage density has is a steeper falling limb following the storm event due to its impact on both overland flow and baseflow. The falling limb occurs after the peak of the hydrograph curve and