Catalog Description: Basic hydrologic principles, hydrologic measurements, small and midsize catchment hydrology, frequency analysis, regional analysis, reservoir, stream channel, and catchment routing, hydrologic design.

Prerequisites by course: CIV E 444 Applied Hydraulics.

Prerequisites by topic: Calculus, probability and statistics, fluid mechanics, hydraulics.

Textbook: Ponce, Victor M., Engineering Hydrology, Principles and Practices, First Edition, Prentice Hall.

Other required material: (1) J. McPhee, The Control of Nature. (2) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Influences of Vegetation and Watershed Treatments on Runoff, Silting, and Streamflow.

Course Objectives: Students will be able to:

1. Understand the hydrologic cycle and its application to civil engineering analysis and design;

2. Analyze the various components of the hydrologic cycle, and their spatial and temporal variability;

3. Utilize established methods and techniques for the calculation of hydrologic processes;

4. Write essays and commentary on technical hydrologic reports; and

5. Design simple components of hydrologic systems, such as emergency spillways and channels.

1. Introduction (2 lectures)

2. Basic Hydrologic Principles (4 lectures)

3. Hydrologic Measurements (2 lectures)

4. Hydrology of Small Catchments (2 lectures)

5. Hydrology of Midsize Catchments (2 lectures)

6. Frequency Analysis (2 lectures)

7. Regional Analysis (2 lectures)

8. Reservoir Routing (2 lectures)

9. Stream Channel Routing (2 lectures)

10. Catchment Routing (2 lectures)

11. Hydrologic Design (2 lectures)

12. Online appplications (2 lectures)

Class Schedule: Two lectures per week; 1-hr each lecture (50 minutes); One laboratory session per week: 2 hr 40 minutes.

Contribution of course to the professional component: Engineering Science: 1 unit (33%). Engineering Design: 2 units (67%).

Relationship to program outcomes:

1. Outcome 1:  Solve problems in mathematics through differential equations, calculus-based physics, and one additional area of science.

   In all covered topics, students are required to perform calculations which utilize knowledge of mathematics, geometry, physics, calculus, statistics, and differential equations. Homework is designed to provide a good grasp of the fundamentals of hydrologic science and of its engineering applications, including analysis and design.

2. Outcome 6:  Solve well-defined engineering problems in four technical areas of civil engineering.

   Students are required to calculate flood discharges for small, midsize, and large catchments. They are required to determine the size of an emergency spillway to pass a certain design flood discharge. The design flood discharge is calculated by using established methods of hydrologic abstraction, rainfall-runoff transform, and channel routing.

3. Outcome 9:  Apply relevant techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools to solve a simple problem.

   Students are required to use methods such as the rational method, runoff curve number, unit hydrograph, flood frequency, storage-indication method, Muskingum routing, and cascade of linear reservoirs. Students are required to run several online computer programs that perform hydrologic calculations (Example: PENMAN, THORNTHWAITE, SLOPE-AREA, RATIONAL, TR-55, PEARSON, GUMBEL, MUSKINGUM, TIME-AREA, CASCADE OF LINEAR RESERVOIRS).

Prepared by: Victor M. Ponce.

Date: May 27, 2014.