2024-2025 Academic Catalog

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Water (WATR)

WATR 2004 - Water, Environment, and Society (3 credits) 

Introduction to the hydrologic cycle, water resources, and related environmental issues. Emphasis on ethics and relationships between human needs for and effects upon water including: water quality, water treatment, and wastewater treatment; water for health, energy, and food; water management, laws, economics, and conflict; hydrometeorological hazards and climate change; and potential solutions for these and other critical water issues.

Pathway Concept Area(s): 3 Reasoning in Social Sciences, 10 Ethical Reasoning 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
Course Crosslist: GEOG 2004 
WATR 2964 - Field Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
WATR 2974 - Independent Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
WATR 2984 - Special Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
WATR 2994 - Undergraduate Research (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
WATR 3104 - Principles of Watershed Hydrology (3 credits) 

Study of hydrology in watersheds. Qualitative and quantitative principles of physical hydrological processes governing the movement, storage, and transformation of water on the Earths surface as influenced by watershed characteristics, including human modifications. Pre: Junior Standing

Prerequisite(s): MATH 1026 or MATH 1226 or STAT 3005 or STAT 3604 or STAT 3615 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
Course Crosslist: FREC 3104 
WATR 3754 - Watersheds and Water Quality Monitoring (3 credits) 

Delivery of water quality constituents from watersheds to water bodies (streams, lakes, and estuaries). Field monitoring methods to assess watershed drivers and how they affect water quality and aquatic ecosystem condition. Linkages among water quality, watershed characteristics, land use and management, and climate. Design of watershed monitoring programs to guide watershed management for protecting water quality and ecological condition of aquatic systems.

Prerequisite(s): (BIOL 1106 or BIOL 1006) and CHEM 1035 and FREC 2004 or (FOR 2004 or FREC 2114 or FOR 2114 or FREC 3314 or FOR 3314 or BIOL 2804 or ENSC 3604) 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
Course Crosslist: FREC 3754 
WATR 4244 - Hydroinformatics (3 credits) 

Analysis and examination of hydrologic data using basic statistics and computer programming. Calculation and interpretation of flow frequency and duration, hydrologic analysis of geospatial digital terrain data, and implementation and analysis of simple hydrologic models. Advanced methods of temporal and spatial hydrologic data visualization using computer programming.

Prerequisite(s): FREC 3104 or WATR 3104 or FREC 1044 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
Course Crosslist: FREC 4244 
WATR 4464 - Water Resources Policy and Economics (3 credits) 

Economic theory and methods to explain water use decisions. Efficiency, equity, and ethical considerations in U.S. water policy. Analysis of water markets, climate change, and environmental flows from diverse stakeholder perspectives.

Prerequisite(s): AAEC 1005 or ECON 2005 
Pathway Concept Area(s): 3 Reasoning in Social Sciences, 7 Identity & Equity in U.S., 10 Ethical Reasoning 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
Course Crosslist: AAEC 4464, FREC 4464 
WATR 4614 - Watershed Assessment, Management, and Policy (2 credits) 

Multidisciplinary perspectives of assessment, management and policy issues for protecting and improving watershed ecosystems. Topics include: monitoring and modeling approaches for assessment, risk-based watershed assessment geographic information systems for watershed analysis, decision support systems and computerized decision tools for watershed management, policy alternatives for watershed protection, urban watersheds, and current issues in watershed management. Pre: Two 4000 level courses in environmental/natural resource science, management, engineering, and/or policy in BSE, CEE, FOR, FREC, GEOL, LAR, CSES, ENT, BIOL, GEOG, AAEC, UAP or equivalent.

Instructional Contact Hours: (2 Lec, 2 Crd) 
Course Crosslist: ALS 4614 
WATR 4964 - Field Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
WATR 4974 - Independent Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
WATR 4984 - Special Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
WATR 4994 - Undergraduate Research (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course