ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND HYDROLOGY - 2021/2

Module Overview

This module is one of the core subjects (Environmental Engineering) and consists of two essential components which are fundamental to practicing civil engineers – understanding of engineering hydrology and how water and wastewater are treated. The relationship of hydrology to climate change and hence the need for environmental sustainability is implicit in this module and also explicitly explained as the module progresses. The primary JBM threads for this module include: Design, Sustainability and Health and Safety Risk Management; and this module covers Professionalism and Ethics as contributory thread.

The lectures provide an explanation of the processes by which water affects civil engineering design, and how the effects of excessive and polluted water are dealt with via engineering means. A catchment-based approach is taken in the “Engineering Hydrology” section, where the hydrological cycle is examined, and the processes of reservoir and river flow are covered in detailed. In the “Water Treatment” section, treatment methods for drinking water and wastewater are covered in a comprehensive manner to ensure that students have a fundamental, yet good understanding of the processes they have to design and manage as a civil engineer working in (or for) water treatment works.

Module provider

Sustainability, Civil & Env Engineering

Module Leader

MARTI-CARDONA Belen (Civl Env Eng)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.                                  

Module content

Engineering Hydrology

• Hydrological cycle


• Impact of urbanization


• Unit hydrograph methods


• Hydrological routing – reservoir and river routing


• Fundamentals of hydraulic routing in rivers

• Integrated preliminary, primary and secondary treatment processes


• Slow sand filters, sedimentation, Flocculation/Coagulation, other physio-chemical water treatment


• Chemical Precipitation, disinfection, softening


• Sewerage design, construction and maintenance

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

None.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

• Knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of rainfall-runoff transformation, runoff routing, basic water treatment processes and design (LO’s 1 to 6) is through a 2 hour closed book examination.


• Interpretation of raw data collected from the field and how these data can be used to aid engineering design is through formal assessment of coursework and examination (LO’s 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7).

• Examination [Learning outcomes assessed 1 - 7] (2 hours, 70%)


• Coursework consisting of two sections (i) Engineering Hydrology coursework [Learning outcomes assessed 1, 2 and 7]; and (ii) Drinking Water Treatment Plant Design coursework [Learning outcomes assessed 3 - 7] (44 hours, 30%)

• Formative assessment will be through tutorials and discussion sessions. Students will have chance to ask questions related to past examination questions, coursework and also to clarify examples given in lectures.


• Students will receive written feedback on the coursework assignments. They can also clarify any feedback during the walk-in sessions.

Module aims

• Develop an appreciation of how environmental factors (such as natural water cycle and pollutants in water) is considered in civil engineering designs, and how environmental engineering intersects civil engineering in practice.
• Learn the basic analytical tools for assessing the hydrological cycle from rainfall to runoff, reservoir storage and water management techniques.
• Introduce environmental engineering and water-pollution control principles by means of fundamental concepts in water treatment principles and water treatment technologies in order to carry out design of treatment systems.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

This module forms an essential element of Environmental Engineering at FHEQ Levels 6 on the BEng and MEng programmes in Civil Engineering. It serves to reinforce some of the water quality components taught at FHEQ Level 5, while providing continuity and backbone knowledge to Environmental Engineering at FHEQ Level 7. It provides a professional knowledge of the theory of water cycle, flooding and the treatment of drinking water. It also reinforces some of the knowledge gained from ENG 2101 (Hydraulics and Water Quality) in terms of the water quality characterisation and protection, and issues of sustainability.

The module is delivered principally by lectures but also includes suitable discussion and tutorial sessions. The students have opportunities in week 12 to discuss with the lecturers during extensive walk-in/ surgery sessions.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Engineering Hydrology lectures (13 hours)


• Environmental Engineering and Drinking Water treatment lectures (12 hours)


• Tutorials (5 hours)


• Directed and guided reading (including revision and preparation for design coursework) (96 hours)


• Guided assessment work (24 hours)

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENG3177

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.