Abstract. An electrical circuit analogue of a river catchment is described from which is derived an hydrological model of river flow called the River Electrical Water Analogue Research and Development (REWARD) model. The model is based upon an analytic solution to the equation governing the flow of electricity in an inductance-capacitance-resistance (LCR) circuit. An interpretation of L, C and R in terms of catchment parameters and physical processes is proposed, and tested for the River Irwell catchment in northwest England. Hydrograph characteristics evaluated using the model are compared with observed hydrographs, confirming that the modelling approach does provide a reliable framework within which to investigate the impact of variations in model input data.