Overview
In this unit, you will be introduced to the basic principles of hydraulics and hydrology used in civil and environmental engineering. You will apply the concepts of conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. You are also introduced to flow measurements, physical modeling of hydraulic systems, and pump selection to suit given applications. You will solve problems, prepare basic designs, and describe the construction and maintenance of pipes and open channel systems. You will learn about monitoring and analysis of the basic components of the hydrologic cycle. You will also use HEC-RAS or equivalent software to create a digital twin of a hydraulic system, and validate your model's output by participating in a remote design studio. In completing these tasks, you must use appropriate technical language in written communication and work individually and in teams to solve problems.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: MATH11218 Applied Mathematics or MATH11160 Technology MathematicsPrerequisite or Corequisite: ENEG11006 Engineering Statics
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE
Students expect the unit profile to be explained during lectures, with particular focus on assessments.
The unit profile should be discussed in greater detail during the first week of lectures, with particular attention to assessment timelines.
Feedback from SUTE
Students find that some content may not be essential for their learning.
The unit learning materials should be reviewed to identify essential content and optional recommended material.
Feedback from SUTE
Students find that the lecturer encouraged engagement and provided prompt responses to queries via forum posts, emails, and individual drop-in sessions.
This practice should be continued.
Feedback from SUTE
Students expect more detailed feedback on group assignments.
Additional drop-in sessions should be organised to support the group assignments.
- Apply standard techniques, computational tools, and data used by engineers in conducting hydraulics analysis
- Solve problems involving combinations of basic hydraulic systems including pipes, pumps, and open channels
- Explain the key components of the hydrologic cycle and how they are monitored and analysed
- Estimate runoff from rainfall and create design hydrographs
- Work autonomously and in teams to develop numerical models, validate them with lab experimental data and apply the models to solve engineering problems.
The Learning Outcomes for this unit are linked with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standards for Professional Engineers in the areas of 1. Knowledge and Skill Base, 2. Engineering Application Ability and 3. Professional and Personal Attributes at the following levels:
Introductory
1.1 Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 2N 3N 4N)
1.2 Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 2N 3N 4N)
1.6 Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities, and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline. (LO: 3N)
3.6 Effective team membership and team leadership. (LO: 5N)
Intermediate
1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 2N 3I 4N)
1.5 Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline. (LO: 3I)
2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem-solving. (LO: 1I 2I 3I 4N)
2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools, and resources. (LO: 1I)
2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes. (LO: 1I)
3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains. (LO: 5I)
3.4 Professional use and management of information. (LO: 5I)
Note: LO refers to the Learning Outcome number(s) which link to the competency and the levels: N – Introductory, I – Intermediate, and A - Advanced.
Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for further information on Engineers Australia's Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers and course-level mapping information https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1511
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Online Test - 30% | |||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 35% | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 35% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 5 - Team Work | |||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | |||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Textbooks
UNDERSTANDING HYDRAULICS
Third Edition (2011)
Authors: Les Hamill
Palgrave Macmillan UK - Academic
ISBN: 978-0-230-24275-3
Binding: Other
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- HECRAS software
- PC with Microsoft Windows
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
u.bhattarai@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to the unit, residential school, projects and assessments
Fluid in motion
Chapter
Chapter 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Open channel flow
Introduction to HEC-RAS
Chapter
Chapter 8 and 9.4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Flow through a single pipeline
Chapter
Chapter 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Flow through branched and parallel pipes and looped network
Chapter
Chapter 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Hydrostatics
Chapter
Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Residential School Week #5 - Thursday 9th April and Friday 10th April (9.00 AM - 5.00 PM)
Module/Topic
Review and Assessment 2 - Numerical simulations and physical experiments of hydraulic problems
Online Test A
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Test A (Part A will be open from 09:00 am AEST Monday Week 6 to 09:00 am AEST Monday Vacation Week)
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Introduction to hydrology and hydrological cycle
Chapter
Chapter 12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission of Assessment 2 - Numerical simulations and Physical Experiments of Hydraulic Problems
Numerical simulations and Physical Experiments of Hydraulic Problems Due: Week 7 Monday (27 Apr 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Module/Topic
Estimation of hydrological parameters
Chapter
Chapter 12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Rainfall to runoff modelling
Chapter
Chapter 13
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Statistical tools and temporal patterns of rainfall
Chapter
Chapter 13 and ARR 2019
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Review and discussion on assessment
Application of ARR 2019
Chapter
ARR 2019
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Assessment 3 - Application of engineering hydrology
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Submission of Assessment 3 - Application of Engineering Hydrology
Application of Engineering Hydrology Due: Week 12 Friday (5 June 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Module/Topic
Online Test B
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Test B (Part B will be open from 09:00 am AEST Monday Exam Week (8 June 2026) to 09.00 am AEST Monday Exam/Vacation Week (15 June 2026)).
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Test
This assessment task consists of one Online Test with two parts. The main characteristics of the Online Test are:
- There will be two parts of the online test: Part A and Part B.
- Parts A and B of the test cover the contents of weeks 1-5 and 7-11, respectively.
- You will have 120 minutes from when you start your attempt to submit your answers.
- You will be allowed to attempt each part of the test two times within a given time frame. The highest of the two attempts will be your final score for the part of the test.
- There shall be a minimum of two hours between the two attempts.
- Each part will have 15 numerical-type questions, each carrying one mark. Questions may vary from student to student and may change with different attempts.
- Each part will contribute 15% towards your final grade. (Part A 15% + Part B 15 % = 30% from Online Test).
- You must get a combined 15 out of 30 (50% score) from parts A and B to pass this assessment.
- This Online Test is exempt from the 72-hour submission grace period.
Part A will be open from 09:00am AEST Monday Week 6 (13 April 2026) to 09:00 am AEST Monday Vacation Week (20 April 2026). Part B will be open from 09:00 am AEST Monday Exam Week (8 June 2026) to 09.00 am AEST Monday Exam/Vacation Week (15 June 2026).
Marks will be available immediately after the test.
Answers will be automatically marked correct or incorrect and the marks allocated accordingly.
You must get a combined 15 out of 30 (50% score) from parts A and B to pass this assessment.
AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) Level: No AI - You must not use AI at any point during the online test. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
- Apply standard techniques, computational tools, and data used by engineers in conducting hydraulics analysis
- Solve problems involving combinations of basic hydraulic systems including pipes, pumps, and open channels
- Explain the key components of the hydrologic cycle and how they are monitored and analysed
- Estimate runoff from rainfall and create design hydrographs
2 Written Assessment
Most of the hydrology and hydraulics problems are too complex to be solved manually so different software are used. For this assignment, you will use HECRAS software to solve given hydraulics problems and verify the results with the experimental results carried out during the residential school in Week 5.
You must submit a single PDF report along with supporting HEC‑RAS project files (compressed .zip), and image exports of key plots. Include a team contribution statement identifying roles and tasks.
Week 7 Monday (27 Apr 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Within two weeks of the submission.
Assessment will be marked based on: a) understanding of the problem, b) use of the correct approach, c) competency in the use of HEC-RAS software, d) accuracy of results, e) presentation of results f) communication and g) teamwork.
Full assessment details/marking rubric will be available in Moodle.
You must get a minimum of 50% marks to pass this assessment.
AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) Level: AI Collaboration - You may use AI responsibly and ethically to assist with specific tasks such as in the planning phase and language/grammar check and refining your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any AI based content you use. Declare and reference any AI use. Use of AI is not permitted for carrying out the analysis or performing calculations in this assessment.
- Apply standard techniques, computational tools, and data used by engineers in conducting hydraulics analysis
- Solve problems involving combinations of basic hydraulic systems including pipes, pumps, and open channels
- Work autonomously and in teams to develop numerical models, validate them with lab experimental data and apply the models to solve engineering problems.
3 Written Assessment
Design hydrographs are widely used to solve engineering applications such as the design of hydraulic structures, flood control measures and flood risk mapping. You will use ARR 2019 to create design hydrographs for a given location to solve a hydrologic problem.
You will need to submit your completed reports as a pdf file along with the calculations done in a xls/xlsx file.
Week 12 Friday (5 June 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Within two weeks of the submission.
Assessment will be marked based on a) understanding of the problem, b) use of the correct approach, c) accuracy of results, d) presentation of results and e) communication.
Full assessment details/marking rubric will be available in Moodle.
You must get a minimum of 50% marks to pass this assessment.
AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) Level: AI Collaboration - You may use AI responsibly and ethically to assist with specific tasks such as in the planning phase and language/grammar check and refining your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any AI based content you use. Declare and reference any AI use. Use of AI is not permitted for carrying out the analysis or performing calculations in this assessment.
- Explain the key components of the hydrologic cycle and how they are monitored and analysed
- Estimate runoff from rainfall and create design hydrographs
- Work autonomously and in teams to develop numerical models, validate them with lab experimental data and apply the models to solve engineering problems.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
