Essentials of Hydraulics for Civil and Environmental Professionals

Hydraulic Concepts and Properties

• Unit weight, density, viscosity, bulk modulus
• Pressure and head
• Hydrostatics and buoyancy
• Laminar and turbulent flow
• Steady and unsteady flow

Pressurized Flow in Pipes

• Continuity
• Energy grade line and the Bernoulli principle
• Pressure head, velocity head, elevation head
• Friction losses, Darcy-Weisbach, and Hazen-Williams
• Minor losses in valves and fittings
• System head curves

Pumps and Pumping Systems

• Pump characteristics and performance curves
• Impeller types, specific speeds, cavitation, net positive suction head
• Efficiency, power, and energy use
• Affinity laws: speed, flow, and head
• Parallel and series pumping
• Electric motors, variable speed pumping, VFDs

Flow in Open Channels

• Using the Manning equation
• Channel roughness, slope, and geometry
• Uniform and gradually varied flow profiles
• Rapidly varied flow, weirs, and spillways

Groundwater and Well Hydraulics

• Aquifer and porous media characteristics
• Drawdown, hydraulic conductivity
• Well siting, test wells, quality vs. quantity
• Typical well designs and cross-sections

Municipal Drinking Water System Hydraulics

• Distribution systems, levels of service, fire flow criteria
• Treatment plant hydraulics
• Water pumps, reservoirs, pipelines, and pipe maintenance
• System computer modeling
• Design pitfalls and challenges

Stormwater Hydrology and Hydraulics

• Rainfall and runoff principles
• Probability, flow, and precipitation frequency
• Rational method, SCS curve numbers, unit hydrographs
• River and stream hydraulics
• Introduction to TR55, HEC-RAS
• Stormwater Management Applications
• Storm sewer design examples
• Detention basin design examples
• Best management practices
• Low impact development

Wastewater System Hydraulics

• Hydraulic characteristics of sanitary sewer systems
• Diurnal flow variations
• Inflow, infiltration, peaking factors
• Handling solids-bearing liquids and sludges
• Lift station and treatment plant hydraulics

Problem-Solving Workshops and Exercises

• Throughout the course, attendees will participate in short problem-solving exercises that will help them to understand the key hydraulic issues, perform calculations, develop solutions, and discuss alternative scenarios.

Registration Date/Time:
10/21/2025 8:30am Central Time

Event Dates/Times:

• 10/21/2025  9:00am - 5:00pm Central Time
• 10/22/2025  9:00am - 5:00pm Central Time
• 10/23/2025  9:00am - 12:00pm Central Time

This is an online only taught course. 

Registration confirmation will guide students through accessing the Canvas course site. Please watch for emails from the "wisc.edu" address.

Students will create and log in to the Canvas course site with a NetID. Course assets such as course materials, participation certificates, and course evaluations will be available to all students through the Canvas course site.

Online attendees will access course sessions via the Zoom web conferencing platform.

• Instructors

  David Perry

  Hydrologic Engineer

  David works on wet weather problems in wastewater collection system.  The hydrologic response of tributary areas caused by infiltration and inflow into the sewer pipes has been the consistent focus of his work for the last 20 years with Brown and Caldwell in Milwaukee.  This work involves     extensive rainfall and flow monitoring and a variety of software programs to support long range planning for sewer system improvement for decades to come.  Prior to this, David taught Civil Engineering at Santa Clara University.  He also has experience in large river modeling for dam safety studies and finite element analysis of underwater ocean cable hydrodynamics.

  David has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Hydrology) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

  Adib Amini

  Program Director

  Adib Amini, Ph.D., PE, ENV SP, BCEE serves as Program Director in the College of Engineering’s Office of Interdisciplinary Professional Programs, with a focus on Water, Wastewater, Stormwater, and Sustainability. Dr. Amini also works with cities and industries as an engineering consultant, with experience in both drinking water and wastewater treatment. Dr. Amini has expertise in sustainability, engineering design, technology innovation, and renewable energy. Dr. Amini’s work has included the design of novel technologies, including on-site energy systems at facilities. He spearheaded the designs for the first wastewater treatment facilities in Iowa that are 100% powered by on-site renewable energy systems. Dr. Amini invented a novel system for ventilation of rated spaces, such as wastewater headworks buildings, for which he holds a provisional patent. Dr. Amini also has performed award-winning research in technology innovation and sustainability. Dr. Amini has spoken widely at conferences on topics related to water/wastewater treatment, sustainability, PFAS, on-site energy systems, and resilient infrastructure.

  Yiying Xiong

  Research Program Director

  Yiying Xiong, MBA, P.E., PMP, Fellow ASCE, is Associate Director at Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison. With more than 22 years of experience in renewable energy and water resources sectors, she has led over 100 projects in 20 countries on 6 continents covering areas of dam safety, hydropower, pumped storage, fish passage, climate change, river forecasting, watershed management, food-energy-water nexus, bridge hydraulics, stormwater management, and bioenergy. Yiying holds a Master of Science in civil and environmental engineering from Marquette University, an M.B.A. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor of Engineering in hydraulic and hydropower engineering from Tsinghua University (China). 

• Program Director

  Adib Amini

This course is part of the Wastewater Systems Certificate. Course may be taken individually as well.

Online attendance fee includes online instruction and course materials.  Online attendees will access course sessions via the Zoom web conferencing platform. 

When two people sign up from the same employer, the course fee is $1,495 per person.

When three or more sign up from the same employer, the course fee is $1,445 per person.

 10% Discount for Madison City and Dane County Water Utilities employees. Your department affiliation will be verified.

If you are planning to attend an Interdisciplinary Professional Programs course, payment is required at the time of registration. Below are the payment options:

Pay by Credit Card

Enroll online and pay by credit card.

• Search for the course on the website and then click on the Enroll Now button from the course webpage.
• Enter all necessary course attendee information and payment information on the course enrollment page.
• You will receive an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Enroll over the phone and pay by credit card.

• Call CERC Registrations at 608-262-2451.
• Provide the registrations representative with:
  • the course name, dates, and/or course number.
  • the necessary course attendee information and payment information.
• You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment payment.

Pay by Check

Mail in a completed registration form and check payable to UW Madison.

• Fill out a registration form (found either in the back of the course brochure you received in the mail or here).
• Prepare a check, made payable to UW Madison.
• Mail the registration form and check to: CERC Registrations 21 N Park St, Ste 7101 Madison, WI 53715
• You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Pay by Purchase Order

• Request Purchase Order information from interpro@union.wisc.edu
  • If a fee quote is needed, contact custserv@interpro.wisc.edu first
• You will receive an invoice from UW–Madison Business Services for payment, usually within 3–5 business days

Military

If using SF-182 form, please call our registration number at 608-262-2451 or email interpro@union.wisc.edu for details and instructions.

Event Cancellation

We reserve the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment or unforeseen events. If we cancel a course, participants will be notified via email or phone and will be given the option for a full refund or to transfer their registration and any fees paid to another course. We are not responsible for non-refundable plane tickets, hotel reservations, and other travel related expenses. For enrollee Course Cancellation, refer to notes on course page.

If you cannot attend, please notify us no later than one week before your course begins, and we will refund your fee. Cancellations received after this date and no-shows are subject to a $150 administrative fee. You may enroll a substitute at any time before the course starts.