CIE 125
HYDROLOGY IN
CIVIL ENGINEERING
Applications in Engineering
HYDROLOGY
Hydrology is the science of water, dealing
with its occurrence, circulation, and
distribution.
Concerned with the water in streams and
lakes, rainfall and snowfall, snow and ice on
the land and water occurring below the
earth’s surface in the pores of the soil and
rocks.
Interdisciplinary
Nature of Hydrology
Fields Contributing to Hydrology:
Meteorology Statistics Physics
Geology Chemistry Fluid Mechanics
Types of Hydrology
Scientific Hydrology:
Focus: Academic
and theoretical studies.
Engineering (Applied) Hydrology:
Focus: Practical applications in
engineering.
Estimation of Water Sources
In a general
sense, The study of processes such as precipitation,
runoff, evapotranspiration and their interaction
engineering The study of problems such as floods and
hydrology droughts, and strategies to combat them.
deals with
the following:
Applications of Hydrology in Engineering
Structural & Hydraulic design
All types of reservoirs must provide provision for passing flood flows, either around or over the dam. This may involve factors like dam
height, spillway section capacity, and downstream protection work.
Industrial & Municipal water supply projects
All types of reservoirs must provide provision for passing flood flows, either around or over the dam. This may involve factors like dam
height, spillway section capacity, and downstream protection work.
Irrigation schemes and projects
Irrigation projects experience the same hydro-logical problems as water supply projects but on a larger scale. At the same time, the
complexity of these problems increases significantly in more ambitious irrigation programs.
Flood control/ Disaster prevention projects
Probable frequency of flood must be analyzed statistically before the project is undertaken. This will allow planners and engineers to
anticipate the potential flood losses that may occur in the future.
Dam construction & Hydroelectric power generation projects
Probable frequency of flood must be analyzed statistically before the project is undertaken. This will allow planners and engineers to
anticipate the potential flood losses that may occur in the future.
Navigation
Erosion control
Pollution reduction
Risks of Improper
Hydrological Assessment
Examples:
Overtopping and consequent
failure of an earthen dam due to
an inadequate spillway capacity
Failure of bridges and culverts
due to excess flood flow
Inability of a large reservoir to fill
up with water due to
overestimation of the stream flow
Importance in Factors Assessed:
Water- Reservoir capacity
Flood flow magnitude
Resources
Seasonal flow variations
Hydraulic structure interactions
Projects
