Water resources engineering is the quantitative study of the hydrologic cycle -- the distribution

and circulation of water linking the earth's atmosphere, land and oceans.

Water Resources Management is about

solving problems to secure water for people,
based on a sound scientific understanding of
hydrologic and hydraulic processes. This
includes protection from excess water and
from water shortage, as well as providing
sufficient water for a sustainable
environment
Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering
Description | Recommended courses

Description
Water resources engineering is the quantitative study of the hydrologic cycle -- the distribution
and circulation of water linking the earth's atmosphere, land and oceans. Surface runoff is
measured as the difference between precipitation and abstractions, such as infiltration (which
replenishes groundwater flow), surface storage and evaporation. Applications include the
management of the urban water supply, the design of urban storm-sewer systems, and flood
forecasting.

Hydraulic engineering consists of the application of fluid mechanics to water flowing in an

isolated environment (pipe, pump) or in an open channel (river, lake, ocean). Civil engineers are
primarily concerned with open channel flow, which is governed by the interdependent interaction
between the water and the channel.

Applications include the design of hydraulic structures, such as sewage conduits, dams and
breakwaters, the management of waterways, such as erosion protection and flood protection, and
environmental management, such as prediction of the mixing and transport of pollutants in

surface water. Hydroelectric-power development, water supply, irrigation and navigation are
some familiar applications of water resources engineering involving the utilization of water for
beneficial purposes. More recently, concern for preserving our natural environment and meeting
the needs of developing countries has increased the importance of water resources engineering.

Civil engineers play a vital role in the optimal planning, design and operation of water resource
systems. Job opportunities in hydrology and water resources are quite varied.

Positions are available in large and small consulting firms, and at all levels of government
(municipal, provincial and federal). Particularly in Quebec, due to its abundant water resources,
hydrology has played an important role in the social and economic development of the province.

From Wikipedia: Water covers 70% of the Earth's surface (from Wikipedia

Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water

throughout the Earth, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and
environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is a hydrologist,
working within the fields of either earth or environmental science, physical
geography, geology or civil and environmental engineering.
Domains of hydrology include hydrometeorology, surface hydrology, hydrogeology,
drainage basin management and water quality, where water plays the central role.
Oceanography and meteorology are not included because water is only one of many
important aspects.
Hydrological research can inform environmental engineering, policy and planning

What is the role of hydrology for water resources management

Estimation of water resources availability

Estimation and reduction of hydrological risks

Development of hydrological scenarios

Ensure proper information to decision makers

Hydrology is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on
Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and
environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is a hydrologist,
working within the fields of earth or environmental science, physical geography, geology
or civil and environmental engineering.[1]
Hydrology subdivides into surface water hydrology, groundwater hydrology
(hydrogeology), and marine hydrology. Domains of hydrology include
hydrometeorology, surface hydrology, hydrogeology, drainage-basin management and
water quality, where water plays the central role.
Oceanography and meteorology are not included because water is only one of many
important aspects within those fields.
Hydrological research can inform environmental engineering, policy and planning.

Branches

Chemical hydrology is the study of the chemical characteristics of water.

Ecohydrology is the study of interactions between organisms and the

hydrologic cycle.

Hydrogeology is the study of the presence and movement of groundwater.

Hydroinformatics is the adaptation of information technology to hydrology

and water resources applications.

Hydrometeorology is the study of the transfer of water and energy between

land and water body surfaces and the lower atmosphere.

Isotope hydrology is the study of the isotopic signatures of water.

Surface hydrology is the study of hydrologic processes that operate at or near

Earth's surface.

Drainage basin management covers water-storage, in the form of reservoirs,

and flood-protection.

Water quality includes the chemistry of water in rivers and lakes, both of
pollutants and natural solutes.

Applications
Determining the water balance of a region.
Determining the agricultural water balance.
Designing riparian restoration projects.
Mitigating and predicting flood, landslide and drought risk.
Real-time flood forecasting and flood warning.
Designing irrigation schemes and managing agricultural productivity.
Part of the hazard module in catastrophe modeling.
Providing drinking water.
Designing dams for water supply or hydroelectric power generation.
Designing bridges.
Designing sewers and urban drainage system.
Analyzing the impacts of antecedent moisture on sanitary sewer systems.
Predicting geomorphologic changes, such as erosion or sedimentation.
Assessing the impacts of natural and anthropogenic environmental change on
water resources.

 Assessing contaminant transport risk and establishing environmental

policy guidelines

Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water

from an area. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils is good enough to
prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic conditions that harm root growth), but
many soils need artificial drainage to improve production or to manage water
supplies.

Hydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the

flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the
extensive use of gravity as the motive force to cause the movement of the fluids. This area of
civil engineering is intimately related to the design of bridges, dams, channels, canals, and
levees, and to both sanitary and environmental engineering.
Hydraulic engineering is the application of fluid mechanics principles to problems dealing with
the collection, storage, control, transport, regulation, measurement, and use of water.[1] Before
beginning a hydraulic engineering project, one must figure out how much water is involved. The
hydraulic engineer is concerned with the transport of sediment by the river, the interaction of the
water with its alluvial boundary, and the occurrence of scour and deposition.[1] "The hydraulic
engineer actually develops conceptual designs for the various features which interact with water
such as spillways and outlet works for dams, culverts for highways, canals and related structures
for irrigation projects, and cooling-water facilities for thermal power plants