Professional Development

Hydrology and Hydraulic Modelling in Stormwater Management

(Online Course 2026)

Note: Each session (4-day program over the weekends) requires a minimum of 5 participants to proceed. If the minimum enrollment is not reached, the course will be cancelled and registered participants will be notified. Please complete the form below to register for the March cohort. 

Registration link: https://forms.gle/bnRVu9YDgnDCH2fBA 

Registration Fee: $500 CAD

Registration Deadline: March 7, 2026

Course Timeline: March 14, 15, 21, 22 (2026)

For inquiries, reach out to:

Dr. Manas Shome

Phone: +1 (587) 337-9433

Email: mshome@shomeengineering.ca 

Course Description

The intent of this project-oriented course will be to apply the theoretical knowledge gained through undergraduate and graduate courses in real-life engineering projects. It will be offered on an online platform. Looking at how urbanization projects change the hydrologic, hydraulic, and morphologic characteristics of a watershed, this course will focus on the application of hydrology and hydraulics associated with the implementation of a stormwater management plan for a developed neighborhood. In general, the course will cover the following topics:

•  Watershed Hydrology and Hydrologic Modelling

•  Open Channel Hydraulics

•  Hydraulic Modelling

•  River Engineering

The various aspects of the project will be discussed in class and a stormwater management model using EPA SWWM 5 will be developed and applied. It is free software, and the modelling skills gained through the application of this software can be used in applying other proprietary software.

The topics that will be covered include: Brief overview of legal description of lands, and data requirements and sources of data, determination of regulatory requirements for the development of storm water management plan, determination of required drainage systems (location and approximate sizes of underground pipes, surface drainage, storm water pond, erosion protection requirements, etc.), preparation of input data files for the hydrologic and hydraulic model development, application of the developed model to assess the system response and to optimize the design and finally preparation of a report.

Course Objectives

1. To understand various project issues associated with land development.

2. To understand hydrologic and hydraulic issues associated with the development of a stormwater management plan.

3. To learn how to develop and apply a computer model for the assessment of flows and sizing the stormwater management facilities.

4. To learn how to prepare a stormwater management plan report.

Course Format

Classes will typically be in a lecture format (online sessions over a 4-day period held on weekends only), demonstrating both theoretical and practical issues in computational hydrology and hydraulic modelling. Students will work on preparing input data and on expanding an existing computer model to include the future development areas. It is assumed that students have some understanding of hydrologic processes, basic physics and basic mathematics. Knowledge of spreadsheet software (e.g. MS Excel) is an asset.

Resources

Printed handouts consisting of lecture slides will be provided in class. The following manual for the EPA SWMM will be helpful as reference material for future use:

•  EPA SWMM 5 manual

Course Outline

•  Hydrologic Cycle

•  Importance of Stormwater Management

•  Flood Peak Estimates

•  Flow through an orifice and development of the stage-area relationship for a pond

•  Design and Historical Rainfall Events

•  Rainfall-runoff Process Modelling

•  Application of EPA SWMM to solve real-life problems