In this course, students explore the effective use of water as a manageable natural resource. The course begins with instruction on the tools required by water resource managers to make sound decisions in their field. The course assesses current needs for water and the structural (engineered) and non-structural approaches available to meet these needs. Elements of engineering design and the design process are introduced. The bulk of the course is concerned with assessment of the impacts of various water resources development activities on the economic, socio-cultural and ecological sectors of the environment. Methods for conducting tradeoff analyses among the engineered and environmental aspects of projects are developed and applied in a term project. The course makes use of case studies of current water resource projects. Visiting speakers discuss topics relevant to water resource management.
