Committee Council Name: Applied Eco-hydraulics and Eco-hydrology for Effective Design of Water Resources

 

Parent Committee/Council: Hydraulics and Waterways Council, Environmental Hydraulics Technical Committee

 

 

Description:

 

The use of hydraulics and hydrological analyses has now matured into an established and efficient part of water resources project. However, there is always a tendency to use a simplified approach for stream restoration and water resources projects so that biologists, landscaping architects, fluvial morphologists and engineers can all practice in accordance with a certain guideline or manual. However, the approach usually fails to encapsulate the environmental knowledge and water-related natural processes necessary to produce a successful design. In other words, by just simply meeting the minimum requirements, we may just try to provide a minimum environment for the next generation.

 

The emphasis of the article (or this special issue) is two-fold. First, it would provide insights into and understanding of Eco-hydraulics and Eco-hydrology. Second, it will enforce the concept designing with nature is preferable to imposing hard engineering or artificial solutions as it sustains natural biodiversity and minimizes costs.

 

Objectives:

 

To enhance practitioner’s knowledge in the latest practices of water resources engineering.

To develop skills for selecting appropriate structures and for making designs more innovative.

 

. Committee Officers

 

Chair Name

Prof. Tai D. Bui

Address: Weslake Inc. 10-120 Lancing Dr., Hamilton, Ontario L8W 3A1
Preferred
E-mail:  bui@weslake.com 

Preferred Telephone Number:  (905) 574-2300

 

 

Who would be benefit?

 

Designers of water resources projects, design manual developers whether in preparing /modifying federal, state or municipal guidelines, consultants, municipal water resource engineers and managers, and college faculty in water resources, and researchers on novel approaches to enhance our environment will find this in-depth course useful.

 

Key topics:

 

·         Definitions of Eco-hydraulics and Eco-hydrology

o   The differences between traditional and Eco-hydraulcs and the implications on water resources engineering practices.

o   Why Eco-hydrology?

·         Climate change and Eco-hydrology

o   Impacts of climate changes on SWM and storm drainage design.

o   Relationship between climate change and Eco-hydrology

·         Eco-channel design

o   Can we ever be able to “restore” a channel?

o   Re-naturalize a channel using Eco-channel approach

·         Stormwater management for streambank protection and river needs

o   Is there a better way to define “Level of Protection”?

o   How to improve the current SWM practices?

·         Environmental flows: Design and assessment

o   Living river concept

o   Advance criteria for assessing a river re-naturalized project

·         Design of hydraulic structures in an eco-hydraulics context

o   Hydraulic structures classification

o   Design hydraulic structures for fish and wildlife services

 

Workshop:

Participants will work on a design exercise problem under instructor guidance

·         Water quality/quantity benefits of green building design

o   Advantages/disadvantages of green building

o   Potential obstacles

·         And more ideas/sub-topics could be add here

 

Case Studies

 

·         Case study 1: Build your own software for natural channel or hydraulic structures design.

·         Case study 2: Design a SWM pond using Eco-hydrology concept

 

 

After participating in the seminar, you will be able to:

 

1.      Identify certain required improvements to certain guidelines and design manuals related to water resources protection/enhancement practices

2.      Design with nature for sustaining natural biodiversity and minimizing costs in preference to imposing hard engineering or artificial solutions.

3.      Replace conventional follow-the-manual design approach with innovative design methodology for your water resources projects

4.      Make use of water-related natural processes to produce a successful design