ESM121 Water Science and Management

ESM 121: Water Science and Management

Syllabus Current Class Previous Term Projects Materials

ESM-121 Water Science and Management (Add two units CRN 43138) is a class that teaches fundamental methods of water resources planning and management, contemporary water resources problems and tools. The course is divided into three sections: (1) theory, (2) practice through useful and quantitative exercises, and (3) real world experience, 1 hour per week each. In the real world experience section; exercises are developed from real world problems, guest speakers come to the classroom (such as water managers, practitioners, decision makers and experts from multiple disciplines), give a lecture and share their vision and challenges on water resources management.

Topics in this course include:
- Fundamental concepts of hydrology (hydrology 101)
- History of water in California (California Water 101)
- Integrated water resources management (IRWM)
- Water Budgets
- Water resources modeling: simulation and optimization model
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Surface water and groundwater storage management
- Environmental water management
- Risk analysis
- Climate Change

As the instructor of this class, Dr. Samuel Sandoval Solis designed this class based on three pillars for integral education in water resources management: (1) theoretical fundaments of hydrology and water resources management, (2) tools to apply the theory, and (3) meaningful real world experience. By the end of the class, students are expected to have a thorough conceptual and quantitative understanding of water resources management. Furthermore, students are expected to have the understanding on how to develop a water plan.

Textbooks

- Hanak, E., Lund, J., Dinar, A., Gray, B., Howitt, R., Mount, J., Moyle, P., Thompson, B. (2011). Managing California's Water: From Conflict to Reconciliation. Public Policy Institute of California. San Francisco, California.

- Harter, T., Lund, J. (2012). Addressing Nitrate in California's Drinking Water with a Focus on Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley Groundwater. Executive Report. Center for Watershed Sciences. University of California, Davis. Davis, California.

- California Department of Water Resources (2015). Groundwater Sustainability Program: Strategic Plan. Sacramento, California. Aditional description of SGMA inplementacion is provided in the BMPs (Best Management Plans)

- Postel, S., and Richter, B., (2003) River's for Life: Managing Water for People and Nature. Island Press. (Free for reading at UC Davis Library).

Water data, useful links, videos and books

California Water databases, useful Link, videos and books (link)

Lectures

4:10 – 5:00 pm Monday and Wednesday. In person lectures resume on May 8th, 2023. Location: Wellman Hall 230

Discussion Sessions

3:10 – 4:00 pm Thursday Section 2 (A02) Location: Olson Hall 167 (TA - Ramon Saiz Rodriguez)

4:10 – 5:00 pm Thursday, Section 1 (A01) Location: Wellman Hall 205 (TA - Ramon Saiz Rodriguez)

5:10 – 6:00 pm Thursday, Section 3 (A03) Location: Storer Hall 1342 (TA - Ramon Saiz Rodriguez)

Click here to follow along with discussion presentations

Office Hours

Professor

Samuel Sandoval Solis, 135 Veihmeyer Hall. Email: samsandoval@ucdavis.edu
Office hours: Wednesdays 1:00 - 2:00 pm.
Request a meeting at: https://calendly.com/samsandoval/office-hours
Other times only by appointment.

Teaching Assistant

Ramon Saiz Rodriguez (rsaiz@ucdavis.edu)
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00 to 1:00 PM. Other times only by appointment.
Request a meeting through Calendly: https://calendly.com/ramonsaiz/office-hours-esm-121

Field trips

Water Cycle and River Hydrology to Lake Berryesa Dam / UC Davis Stebbins Cold Canyon Natural Reserve. Register here.

(Field trip Instructions, Handouts and Pick up location)

Class Assignments

There are 8 class assignments, look at the bottom of this webpage. There are the instructions to join Hydrolearn.

Extra Materials

- Exercise Submission Template

- Term project template, sharing report the document and presentation files, presentation guidelines.

- Study Guide: Midterm and Final Exam

	Instruction Begins Monday March 28, 2022		What's due?
Week	Date	Session	Reading	Homework	Term Project
Introduction to Water Resources Management
1	Mon 3 Apr	Discussion of Syllabus and logistics of the class (syllabus, video)
	Wed 5 Apr	Introduction to Wat. Res. Plan. and Management (presentation, video 1 & 2)	Rd 1
	Thu 6 Apr	Discussion - Introductions and logistics. Fill your interest.
Environmental Flows and Hydrology 101
2	Mon 10 Apr	Principles of Environmental Flows (theory)
	Wed 12 Apr	Environmental Flows in California and in California, podcast) & Urban Demand	Rd 2
	Thu 13 Apr	Discussion- Project Management, log model and Abstract		Ex. 1
Control Volumes, Water Budgets and Simulation Modeling
3	Mon 17 Apr	Water Budgets - Control Volumes (handout, Video: short, extended). Ag Water Demand			Submit your group
	Tue 18 Apr	Homework Due		Ex. 2
	Wed 19 Apr	Simulation modeling (video, Podcast 1 & 2)	Rd 3
	Thu 20 Apr	Discussion- How to literature review			Project management plan
Water Rights and Allocation Systems
4	Mon 24 Apr	Water rights and water allocation (WR 1, 2 and 3, Handout 1 and 2)
	Tue 25 Apr	Homework Due		Ex. 3
	Wed 26 Apr	Hydrology 101 (physiography, climate, drought, fall, winter, spring, summer, groundwater 1 and 2), Estimating Water Demand and Water Supply	Rd. 4
	Thu 27 Apr	Training Field Data Collection at Russel Field behind the Tennis courts(Behind visitor parking lot 15) Register here!			Abstract
	Sat 29 Apr Sun 30 Apr	Field Trip (Half of the class)/Field Trip (Half of the class)(Instructions, handouts & pick up location)
Water Allocation Systems
5	Mon 1 May	History of Water in California (video 1, 2 & 3) - Review for the midterm
	Tue 2 May	Homework Due		Ex. 4
	Wed 3 May	MIDTERM EXAM - ONLY 1st half of the course
	Thu 4 may	Discussion- Design methodology. May the fourth be with you!			Literature review
Cost - Benefit Analysis
6	Mon 8 May	Scenario Evaluation	Rd. 5
	Tue 9 May	Homework Due		Ex. 5
	Wed 10 May	Cost Benefit Analysis (video, presentation)
	Thu 11 May	Discussion - Methods and UC Davis and City of Davis Bike Tour at 8 am (Optional)			Methods
Optimization Modeling
7	Mon 15 May	Droughts, Floods, and SGMA (Video)
	Tue 16 May	Homework Due		Ex. 6
	Wed 17 May	Principles of Optimization (Video), handout, presentation)
	Thu 18 May	Discussion- Science communication			Results
Risk Analysis and Environmental Justice
8	Mon 22 May	Risk Analysis and Expected Monetary Value (Video)	Rd 6
	Tue 23 May	Homework Due		Ex. 7
	Wed 24 May	Role of Scientist in Decision Making (video, podcast)
	Thu 25 May	Discussion- Term Project Presentation (Upload your presentation link here, location PES 2005)
California Full of Extremes
9	Mon 29 May	No class - Memorial day Holiday	Rd. 7
	Tue 30 May	Homework Due		Ex. 8
	Wed 31 May	Environmental and Social Injustice in the Water Sector (Podcast 1 and 2, Video 1, 2 and 3)
	Thu 1 Jun	Discussion - Term Project Presentation (Upload your presentation link here, location PES 2005)			Final report
Integrated Water Management
10	Mon 5 Jun	ESM 121 - Panel of Alumni
	Wed 7 Jun	FINAL EXAM - ONLY 2nd half of the course
	Thu 8 Jun	Discussion- Term Project Presentation (Upload your presentation link here)

Other recommended Topics: Agriculture and Food System (Video 1, 2 and 3) (Recommended other videos 1, 2, and book)

Readings	Homework Instructions to join Hydrolearn Use this template for submitting Your Water Plan
Rd.1 Rivers for life pp. 5-26, 36-41	Hydrolearn Ex. 1. Modules: - Introduction (Tutorial, pdf) - Components of the Water Budget: Introduction Environmental Water Needs (Tutorial, sheet, pdf)
Rd.2 Rivers for life pp. 45-67	Hydrolearn Ex. 2. Modules: - Components of the Water Budget: Urban and Rural Water Demands (Tutorial, sheet, pdf)
Rd.3 Hanak et al. pp 15-40	Hydrolearn Ex. 3. Modules: - Components of the Water Budget: Agricultural Demand (Tutorial, sheet)
Rd.4 Hanak, Lund et al. pp 41-69	Hydrolearn Ex. 4. Modules: - Components of the Water Budget: Water Budget (Tutorial, sheet)
Rd.5 Hanak, Lund et al. pp 71-103	Hydrolearn Ex. 5. Modules: - Water Plan Summary: Baseline Water - Alternative Water Management Strategies (Tutorial, sheet)
Rd.6 Harter et al. pp 1-34	Ex. 6: Cost Benefit Analysis (Data, Tutorial)
Rd.7 Groundwater Sustain. Program pp 4-31	Ex. 7: Optimization Modeling (Data, Tutorial, Solver in canvas)
	Ex. 8: Risk Analysis and Expected Monetary Value (Data, Tutorial)