Water Quality and Management

The fate of contaminants in the environment is controlled by transport processes within a single media and between media. The similarities in contaminant dispersion within air, surface water, and groundwater will be emphasized. Interphase transport processes such as volatilization and absorption will then be considered from an equilibrium perspective followed by the kinetics of mass transfer across environmental interfaces.

Principles and engineering applications of technical processes for water and wastewater treatment, and water reclamation: separation and transformation technologies (sedimentation, membrane processes, oxidation, biodegradation, activated sludge, biofilm reactors, biological treatment of drinking water, solids processing, disinfection). Application of fundamental principles for process analysis and design with a focus on commonalities in applications across industry. Regulatory process and drivers.

Fundamental concepts of physical-chemical processes that affect water quality in natural and engineered environmental systems. Focus is on developing a qualitative understanding of mechanisms as well as quantitative tools to describe, predict, and control the behavior of physical-chemical processes. Topics include reactor hydraulics and reaction kinetics, gas transfer, absorption, particle characteristics, flocculation, gravitational separations, filtration, membranes, and disinfection

Comprehensive strategies for the assessment and control of water-related human pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms). Transmission routes and life cycles of commom and emerging organisms, conventional and new detection methods (based on molecular techniques), human and animal sources, fate and transport in the environment, treatment and disinfection, appropriate technology, regulatory approaches, water reuse

Application of fluid mechanics principles to problems of pollutant transport and mixing in the water environment. Concepts of hydrological diffusion and transport; turbulent mixing; mixing in rivers, reservoirs, and estuaries; effects of stratification on mixing; theory of jets and plumes, and introduction to intakes and outfalls

Course addresses the fundamental and practical issues of environmental and water planning and management. Quantitative overview of the engineering, economic, and policy aspects of water and environmental systems will be presented. Topics in water and environmental planning and management include benefit cost analysis, contingency evaluation, inflation, pricing, marketing, transfers, uncertainty and decision analysis, and system analysis and their applications.

Introduction to the philosophy and practice of numerical modeling of environmental flow processes. Topic will change each semester. Course of structured computer modeling assignments on a single topic in environmental flow modeling, supported by focused lectures and discussions on the physical processes and on the associated numerical analysis. Topics such as ocean outfalls, wave penetration in harbors, contaminant transport, flood and tide propagation in channels and data analysis of climate, air, and water quality observations

Fluid mechanics of the natural water and air environment. Flux equation analyses; unsteady free surface flow; stratified flow; Navier-Stokes equations; boundary layers, jets and plumes; turbulence, Reynolds equations, turbulence modeling; mixing, diffusion, dispersion, and contaminant transport; geophysical flows in atmosphere and ocean; steady and unsteady flow in porous media. Application to environmentally sensitive flows in surface and groundwater and in lower atmosphere.

Survey of basic knowledge and technology of physical infrastructure systems: transportation, water supply, wastewater, storm water, solid waste management, community energy facilities, and urban public facilities. Environmental and energy impacts of infrastructure development; centralized vs. decentralized systems; case studies

Terrestrial environment including lower atmosphere, landscape, water, soil, geogases, and nutrient cycles. Hydrologic cycle. Precipitation, physiography, runoff, and erosion. Infiltration, evaporation, and transpiration. Exchange of gases between soil and atmosphere. Groundwater flow patterns, chemistry, and influence on rock and soil formation. Impact of natural resources development and disposal of wastes on environment. Development of quantitative insights through problem solving.