CE 374U: Urban stormwater

Catalog Description

Application of engineering hydraulics to watershed management and urban infrastructure design; engineering hydrology; open-channel hydraulics; remotely-sensed data analysis; hydraulic and hydrologic modeling tools; urban water quality and low impact design. May be counted toward the independent inquiry flag requirement.

Prerequisites

Required prerequisite: CE 356 (Elements of hydraulic engineering). Proficiency with computers and familiarity with MS Excel is expected.

Course objectives

This class will teach students the skills needed to design hydraulic infrastructure for stormwater management and flood control. After taking this class, students will be able to:

• Design channels, culverts, detention ponds, and curb gutters for stormwater control.
• Design low-impact development projects to improve urban water quality.
• Use computer models such as HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, and SWMM to analyze and design hydraulic infrastructure.
• Understand and apply city stormwater design codes.

Required reference material

There is no required textbook for this class.

Optional reference material

• Bedient, P., Huber, W., & Vieux, B. (2019). Hydrology and Floodplain Analysis, 6th ed. Pearson.

• Mays, L. (2011). Water Resources Engineering, 2nd ed. Wiley.

• Sturm, T. (2009). Open Channel Hydraulics, 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill.

Required devices

Windows-capable personal computer (as per CAEE department guidelines). Note that some of the software we will be using does not run on MacOS, ChromeOS, Linux, Android, or iOS. However, for those who have MacOS or Linux and are computer savvy there are ways of using the free Virtual Box software to load Windows onto your Mac or Linux machine. This is not for someone who is uncomfortable with manipulating computers and loading operating systems. The TAs and I will provide what guidance we can, but it is up to the individual student to ensure that they have a Windows-capable computer that can download and run HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, and SWMM software.

Grading policy

The approximate grade breakdown for the course is as follows:

Based on your final percent score x, letter grades will be assigned using the following scale:

There is no final examination in this class. Instead, project presentations will be held during the scheduled final exam period.

Homework

• Homework will be where the majority of your learning takes place, and thus homework will comprise the largest part of your grade. Each homework assignment is worth roughly 10% of your overall grade—enough that you should take each assignment seriously, but not so much that you can’t afford to make mistakes.
• You are permitted and encouraged to discuss homework problems with your classmates. However, anything you turn in must be your own work. In other words, wholesale copying of your fellow students’ solutions or code is not permitted.
• You can expect roughly 7 homework assignments throughout the semester.
• Your lowest homework score will be dropped.
• Students will submit homework assignments via Gradescope.
• Homework solutions will be posted promptly after each assignment due date; for this reason, late homework cannot be accepted.

Participation and quizzes

The participation portion of your grade will be primarily based on attendance. You are expected to attend each class session, either in-person or online. Quizzes may be administered periodically to reinforce lecture material. Extra credit may be given at the instructor’s discretion for the entire class and applied uniformly to all students at a percentage determined by the instructor.

Class project

Because this is a flagged course for Independent Inquiry (II), an important component of the course is the design project which will engage you in the process of inquiry over the course of the semester, providing you with the opportunity for independent investigation of a project related to hydraulic engineering. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from the independent investigation and presentation of your own work. The engineering design project will be carried out in collaboration with a group of approximately 4 students total. You will be expected to present the resulting project in Oral and Written form at the end of the semester. Additional details about design project requirements will be provided in class. Group presentations on your design project will likely take place on the following dates: Tuesday, Nov. 30; Thursday, Dec. 2; and Saturday, Dec. 11. All students are expected to attend the presentations given by other groups in the class on each day.

Tentative course schedule

Homework assignment topics

1. Open channel flow
2. Rainfall, infiltration, and runoff
3. HEC-HMS and gutter design
4. Culvert design and channel stability
5. SWMM
6. HEC-RAS
7. Final project (progress check)
   
   

Final project components

• Final technical report
• Final oral presentation
  
  

Recordings

1. Open channel flow, Pt. 1: [2022]
2. Open channel flow, Pt. 2: [2022]
3. Open channel flow, Pt. 3: [2022]
4. Open channel flow, Pt. 4: [2022]
5. Stormwater hydrology, Pt. 1: [2022]
6. Stormwater hydrology, Pt. 2: [2022]
7. Stormwater hydrology, Pt. 3: [2022]
8. Stormwater hydrology, Pt. 4: [2022]
9. Stormwater hydrology, Pt. 5: [2022]
10. ArcGIS, Pt. 1: [2022]
11. ArcGIS, Pt. 2: [2022]
12. HEC-HMS: [2022]
13. Gutter design: [2022]
14. Curb inlet design: [2022]
15. Storm sewer design: [2022]
16. HEC-RAS, Pt. 1: [2022]
17. HEC-RAS, Pt. 2: [2022]
18. Culverts, Pt. 1: [2022]
19. Culverts, Pt. 2: [2022]
20. Detention ponds: [2022]
21. FloodPro / Land cover analysis: [2022]
22. Green stormwater infrastructure: [2022]
23. Modeling detention basins in HEC-HMS: [2022]
24. Project work and miscellaneous topics: [2022]