Water Resources Planning & Management
This course will provide the student an introduction to the planning, design, and operation of water resources systems using mathematical optimization methods and models. The student will learn to apply basic economic analysis (engineering economic and microeconomic analysis) and operations research techniques (linear and nonlinear dynamic programming) and will apply them to various water resource allocation problems.
Topics include:
- Planning and management issues; institutional objectives and constraints; identifying and evaluating design and management alternatives; role of modeling and its advantages and limitations.
- Economic Analysis: Examples illustrating how engineering and micro economic analysis are used in water resources infrastructure planning and management.
- Optimization Modeling: Examples illustrating various types of models, solution methods and applications to water resources infrastructure planning and management.
- Methods for Multiple-purpose River Basin Planning.
For more information, contact me at: daene@aol.com
Syllabus
Course Objectives & Academic/Learning Goals
This course will provide the student an introduction to the planning, design, and operation of water resources systems using mathematical optimization methods and models. The student will learn to apply basic economic analysis (engineering economic and microeconomic analysis) and operations research techniques (linear, nonlinear and dynamic programming, and combinatorial optimization) and will apply them to various surface and ground water resource allocation problems.
Topics include:
- Planning and management issues; institutional objectives and constraints; identifying and evaluating design and management alternatives; role of modeling and its advantages and limitations.
- Economic Analysis: Examples illustrating how engineering and micro economic analysis are used in water resources infrastructure planning and management.
- Optimization Modeling: Examples illustrating various types of models, solution methods and applications to water resources infrastructure planning and management.
- Stochastic Optimization Methods applied to hydrologic and water resource systems.
- Methods for Multiple-purpose River Basin Planning.
Course Objectives:
Be able to develop and solve various types of optimization models of water resources planning and management problems.
Understand the advantages and limitations of various types of modeling methods and algorithms.
Understand and appreciate how models have been and can be used in planning and management decision-making processes.
Understand and critically evaluate literature in water resources systems engineering.
For Undergraduate Civil Engineering students who take this course, the Civil Engineering ABET Program Outcomes addressed in this course include:
- An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering.
- An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
- An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams.
- An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems.
- An ability to communicate effectively.
- The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
- Recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in life-long learning.
- Knowledge of contemporary issues
- An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
Civil Engineering ABET Program Criteria addressed in this course include:
- Apply knowledge of mathematics through differential equations, calculus-based physics, chemistry, and at least one additional area of science, consistent with the program educational objectives
- Apply knowledge of four technical areas appropriate to civil engineering
- Design a system, component, or process in more than one civil engineering context
Prerequisites
Graduate standing or consent of instructor. The student is expected to have a working knowledge of calculus. University of Texas at Austin courses M 408C, M 408D (Calculus I&II) or their equivalent.
Student who have taken this course in the past have found the following courses helpful:
- M 427K (Differential Equations)
- CE 311K, Introduction to Computer Methods (introductory course in programming and numerical methods)
- CE 311S, Elementary Statistics for Civil Engineers (introductory course in Probability & Statistics)
- ARE 323K, Project Management and Economics (introductory course in Engineering Economics)
- CE 374K, Engineering Hydrology (introductory course in Hydrology)
Text Required
Loucks, Daniel P. and Eelco van Beek, Water Resources Systems Planning and Management: An Introduction to Methods, Models and Applications, UNESCO, Paris, 2005 (Available free online: https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/2798
Homework Policy
Homework will consist of lecture assignments. The assignments will be assigned by the instructor and due on the date posted in the "assignments" page of the course website or as modified from time to time by the instructor. The homework assignments that you turn in are intended to represent just your own work. We encourage you to work together in terms of understanding problems, and helping each other learn the material. The actual work should be yours alone. Late homework assignments will be penalized 20% per day late. Once a homework assignment has been graded and returned, no further homework will be accepted for that assignment. Assignments will be graded based on solution procedure, numerical results, clarity, and appearance of the report. The instructor may assign a failing grade to any student not turning in 75% of the homework assignments for this course.
Attendance
Attendance is mandatory.
Office Hours
The instructor should be consulted for problems involving the lecture, homework or laboratory assignments. My office hours are listed on the course website. In addition to my posted office hours, I am available at other times to discuss the course material or other topics of interest to students. Please feel free to
come to my office (ECJ 9.102H) ,
call me at (471-5644), or
send me an e-mail at daene@aol.com.
Please feel free to send me email at any time. I will respond promptly. I expect to be off campus at the Center for Water Research in Water Resources (CRWR) at the Pickle Research Campus on Mondays and Fridays, so I am unlikely to be in my campus office during those times. However, please feel free to call me at CRWR (same phone # as above) or send me an email message during those times that I am not on campus.
Access to Computers
All students registered in this course are expected to have an email account registered with the University Registrar. We will be communicating electronically on a regular basis in this course. You are free to use your own computers, if you have them, or computers found in various dormitories and University computer laboratories. The Department has a computer laboratory in ECJ available for your use. Assistants there operate the lab and respond to specific hardware and software problems. Typically, they do not have any knowledge of our course material, so don't expect them to be much help with that topic.
Exam Policy
Exam procedures - Exams will be held during class periods. The exams will be closed book and closed notes. One (1) 8.5 x 11 in page may be used in each exam. Conversion factors, physical properties of fluids and trigonometric formulas will be provided to you on the exam paper as needed.
Calculators (equivalent to the model allowed on the SAT exam) may be used on the exam, but they must be provided by the student. The instructor does not have calculators to use during the exams, so bring your own. Computers (laptops, tablets, or smart phones) are not allowed to be used during the exam period. Cell phones are not allowed to be used during the exam period. Prior to the end of an exam the time remaining will be announced. You must submit your exam paper at the end of that time. At the end of the exam period the instructor or proctor will leave the room with all submitted exam material. Absolutely no exam material of any kind will be accepted by the instructor or proctor after leaving the exam room.
Exam dates will be posted on the class website and announced in class. Students are responsible for informing the instructor of any conflict with this schedule so that, if possible, alternative dates can be agreed upon by the class.
Makeup exams will not be given. Medical illness (or other comparable situation) will be the only excuse for being given credit for a missed exam. If you miss an exam during the semester for a medical reason, you will be assigned a grade for the exam based on the exams which you have taken as follows: A grade for the exam that you missed will be estimated based on how you did on the other exams during the semester relative to the rest of the class. If you miss an exam due to an illness, you will be asked to present definitive evidence that you were, in fact, ill. You must inform the instructor in advance that you are ill, unless there are compelling reasons why you cannot do so. If you miss an exam for reasons other than illness or other valid excuse, you will be assigned a grade of zero.
Questions about grading - If, after a homework or an exam has been graded and returned, you have questions about the grading, please write your questions or comments on a separate sheet of paper and turn this in to the instructor with the paper. Papers will be accepted for re-evaluation for only one week after they have been returned.
Project/Design Assignments
Purpose
During the semester each student will work on a project dealing with water resources planning and management. These projects will deal with some aspect of a real, complex water resources planning and analysis issue of current interest to the world, nation, or State of Texas. Students must work in teams. The projects typically are interdisciplinary and consider such aspects of water resources planning and management as: engineering, law; economics; hydrology, climatology, hydrogeology; environmental health; computer modeling; population growth; land use planning; regional development; or politics. Each group, or individual, will make an oral presentation of their results to the class and publish a final report on the World Wide Web.
The purposes of the term project are:
- To enable you to explore in-depth an aspect of the subject of water resources planning and management..
- To provide experience in the formulation, execution and presentation of an engineering investigation in the area of water resources planning and management.
- To produce a report in html on the world wide web that will be informative to you and to your classmates.
Steps in Carrying out the Project
- Students and the instructor will develop areas of interest for projects. Areas of interest are drawn from the various areas of water resources planning and management.
- Students will sign up for an area of interest from the list provided by the instructor.
- From the expressed interests of the students, the instructor will prepare lists of team members for the various topical areas.
- Teams will then select a specific project topic in their area and prepare a proposal to be submitted electronically by the date specified in the Course Assignment Web Page.
- Teams will present their project to the class during one of the final class days of the semester and submit a written report in electronic form to the instructor by the last day of class.
Project Presentations
Presented final project in class, 15 minutes (max) with 12-15 powerpoint slides
- Introduction
- Short statement of problem, its importance, and what report contains
- Method(s)
- Theory and method of how you solved your problem
- Results
- Example of running your program or solution to your problem
- Conclusions
- What did you learn from the project, including an assessment of how effective you think your program or project is, and what could be done to extend or improve your project
Project Reports should contain:
- Table of contents
- Introduction: statement of problem, its importance, and what the report contains
- Method
- How your team implemented the project
- Results
- Analysis of the problem and results
- Discussion of major results
- Your opinion of the results and their impact on the problem
- Conclusions
- What are the important things the team learned from the project, assessment of effectiveness
- References
- Appendices
- Computer code, detailed data tables, etc.
Rubric for Grading Projects
- Originality
- Introduction
- Technical Competence (method, results, assessment)
- Overall quality of presentation or report (speaking, audience interest, language usage)
Grading
Grading basis - The basis of grading for this course will consist of the following components with the indicated weights:
- Exam 1: 17%
- Exam 2: 17%
- Homework: 32%
- Project: 34%
Grade Ranges - Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
- A 92 – 100%
- A- 89 - 91%
- B+ 86 – 88%
- B 82 - 85%
- B- 79 - 81%
- C+ 76 – 78%
- C 70 – 75%
- C- 67 - 69%
- D+ 64 – 66%
- D 58 – 63%
- D- 55 – 58%
- F < 55%
Drop Policy
The standard drop policy is in force.
Course Evaluation
Standard approved Course Instructor web-based form will be used.
Students with Disabilities
The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone) orhttp://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd.
Topical Outline
See Assignments Page
www.caee.utexas.edu/prof/mckinney/ce385d/CE385D_Assign_Table.htm