Hydrology & Water Resources: Rainfall, Runoff & Reservoirs
Thiessen rainfall, the rational method, SCS curve numbers, unit hydrograph convolution, a reservoir water balance, flow duration curves, demand forecasts and Hazen-Williams pipe sizing: 8 graded labs on one synthetic catchment.
The first lesson is free — no account needed.
About this course
A hydrology and water resources course that works through one synthetic 62 km² catchment in a spreadsheet, for civil and environmental engineering students, water utility staff and anyone preparing for hydrology exams. You turn rain-gauge readings into catchment rainfall with Thiessen weights, size a design flood with the rational method, a Kirpich time of concentration and an IDF intensity, compute runoff depth with the SCS curve number method, convolve excess rain with a unit hydrograph into a flood hydrograph and check the mass balance, run a monthly reservoir water balance through a dry year, rank three years of flows into a flow duration curve and read Q95, forecast water demand with losses and a peak-day factor and size a pipe with Hazen-Williams head loss. Synthetic data, for learning, not for design. The first lab is free.
Lessons
- Catchment Rainfall: Arithmetic Mean vs Thiessen WeightsFree
- Rational Method: Peak Flow Q = C·i·A with Unit Conversions Pro
- SCS Curve Number: How Much Rain Becomes Runoff? Pro
- Unit Hydrograph Convolution: From Excess Rain to a Flood Hydrograph Pro
- Reservoir Water Balance: Inflow, Release, Evaporation & Storage Pro
- Flow Duration Curve: Ranks, Exceedance & Q95 Pro
- Water Demand Forecasting: Population, Per-Capita Use & Losses Pro
- Pipe Flow Basics: Q = V·A and Hazen-Williams Head Loss Pro