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 one unit ESM 198 CRN 40462) 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)
- Estimate Water Demands
- Estimate Water Ssources and Supply
- 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.

- 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)

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 start on March 30th, 2026. Location: Olson Hall 118

Discussion Sessions

3:10 – 4:00 pm Thursday Section 2 (A02) Location: Wellman Hall 107

4:10 – 5:00 pm Thursday, Section 1 (A01) Location: Wellman Hall 127

5:10 – 6:00 pm Thursday, Section 3 (A03) Location: Wellman Hall 101

Click here to follow along with discussion presentations

Office Hours

Professor

Samuel Sandoval Solis, 135 Veihmeyer Hall. Email: samsandoval@ucdavis.edu
Office hours: Wednesdays 1:30 - 2:30 pm.
Other times only by appointment.

Teaching Assistant

Javiera Perez Nuñez. Email: jpereznunez@ucdavis.edu
Office Hours: Thursday from 12:30 to 2:30 PM.

Field trips

Write down your contact information here. See this list to know when you are going.

Water Cycle and River Hydrology to Sttebins Cold Canyon and Vitis & Ovis Farm. Register here.

(Field trip Instructions, Handouts, Pick up location, and Data Collection Sheet)

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, use this file to share your team members, report the document and presentation files, presentation guidelines.

- Study Guide: Midterm and Final Exam

- Spreadsheet for Reference Hydrographs (file)

	Instruction Begins Monday March 31st, 2025		What's due?
Week	Date	Session	Reading	Homework	Term Project
Introduction to Water Resources Management
1	Mon 30 Mar	Discussion of Syllabus and logistics of the class (syllabus, video)
	Wed 1 Apr	Introduction to Wat. Res. Plan. and Management (presentation, video 1 & 2)
	Thu 2 Apr	Training Field Data Collection at Russel Field behind the Tennis courts(Behind visitor parking lot 15) Contact Info! Date you are going!
Environmental Flows and Water History
2	Mon 6 Apr	Principles of Environmental Flows (Theory, in California, podcast)
	Tue 7 Apr	Homework Due		Ex. 1
	Wed 8 Apr	Hydrology 101 (watch videos CA Water Course IG, TT, physiography, climate, drought, fall, winter, spring, summer, groundwater 1 and 2)	Rd 1
	Thu 9 Apr	Field trip - Half of the class(Instructions, handouts & pick up location)
	Thu 10 Apr	Field trip - Half of the class(Instructions, handouts & pick up location)
Urban Water and Hydrology 101
3	Mon 13 Apr	Water Budgets - Control Volumes (handout, Video: short, extended) & Urban and Rural Water Use	Rd 2
	Tue 14 Apr	Homework Due		Ex. 2
	Wed 15 Apr	History of Water in California (video 1, 2 & 3, Summary)	Rd 3
	Thu 16 Apr	Discussion - Introductions and logistics. Fill your interest, presentation.			Submit your group. Project management plan
Control Volumes and Water Bugets
4	Mon 20 Apr	Water Policies, Water rights and water allocation (table, WR 1, 2 and 3, Handout 1 and 2) & Ag Water Demand
	Tue 21 Apr	Homework Due		Ex. 3
	Wed 22 Apr	Guest Speaker - (Presentation)
	Thu 23 Apr	Discussion - Project Management, log model and Abstract How to literature review	Rd. 4		Abstract
Water Rights, Water Allocation and Simulation Models
5	Mon 27 Apr	Water Resources: Simulation Modeling (video, Podcast 1 & 2)
	Tue 28 Apr	Homework Due		Ex. 4
	Wed 29 Apr	MIDTERM EXAM (Paper-based)- ONLY 1st half of the course. Olson Hall 184
	Thu 30 Apr	Discussion- Design methodology.			Literature review
Cost - Benefit Analysis
6	Mon 4 May	Scenario Evaluation. May the fourth be with you!
	Tue 5 May	Homework Due		Ex. 5
	Wed 6 May	Cost Benefit Analysis (video, presentation)
	Thu 7 May	Discussion - Results	Rd. 5		Methods
Optimization Modeling
7	Mon 11 May	Cost Benefit Analysis (Continuation) & Droughts, Floods, and SGMA (Video)
	Tue 12 May	Homework Due		Ex. 6
	Wed 13 May	Principles of Optimization (Video), handout, presentation)
	Thu 14 May	Discussion- Science communication (SciCom 101, ABT, Elevator Pitch, Myth Busters)	Rd 6		Results
Risk Analysis and Environmental Justice
8	Mon 18 May	Risk Analysis and Expected Monetary Value (Video)
	Tue 19 May	Homework Due		Ex. 7
	Wed 20 May	Role of Scientist in Decision Making (video, podcast)
	Thu 21 May	Discussion- Term Project Presentation (Upload your presentation link here)
California Full of Extremes
9	Mon 25 May	No class - Memorial Day Holiday
	Tue 26 May	Homework Due		Ex. 8
	Wed 27 May	Environmental and Social Injustice in the Water Sector (Presentation, Podcast 1 and 2, Video 1, 2 and 3)
	Thu 28 May	Discussion - Term Project Presentation (Upload your presentation link here, location on your discussion session)
Integrated Water Management
10	Mon 1 Jun	ESM 121 - Panel of Alumni			Final report
	Wed 3 Jun	FINAL EXAM - ONLY 2nd half of the course
	Thu 4 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	Template for submitting ALL your assignments Homework Instructions to join Hydrolearn Use this template for submitting Your Water Plan
Rd.1 Hanak et al. pp 15-40	Hydrolearn Ex. 1. Modules: - Introduction (Tutorial, pdf) - Components of the Water Budget: Introduction Environmental Water Needs (Tutorial, sheet, Video)
Rd.2 Hanak et al. pp 41-69	Hydrolearn Ex. 2. Modules: - Components of the Water Budget: Urban and Rural Water Demands (Tutorial, sheet, video)
Rd.3 Hanak et al. pp 71-103	Hydrolearn Ex. 3. Modules: - Components of the Water Budget: Agricultural Demand (Tutorial, sheet, video)
Rd.4 - S1-E6 California Water Law 101 (Spotify); - S3-E34 CA Native Water Rights (Spotify)	Hydrolearn Ex. 4. Modules: - Components of the Water Budget: Water Budget (Tutorial, sheet, video)
Rd.5 Groundwater Sustain. Program pp 4-31	Hydrolearn Ex. 5. Modules: - Water Plan Summary: Baseline Water - Alternative Water Management Strategies (Tutorial, sheet, video)
Rd.6 S2-E17 Human Right to Water and SGMA (Spotify)	Ex. 6: Cost Benefit Analysis (Data, Tutorial), Video)
Rd.7 S5-E62 Reflecting on SGMA after 10 years (Spotify)	Ex. 7: Simulation and Optimization Modeling [Data (xlsx, gsheet) Tutorial (docx, pdf), solver in canvas or download here, OR use the built-insolver of excel, Video from Minute 53:00]
Rd. 8 S5-E59 Science and Civic Engagement (Spotify)	Ex. 8: Risk Analysis and Expected Monetary Value (Data, Tutorial)