Course Descriptions

Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX)

The Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model was developed for use in whole farm/small watershed management. The model was constructed to evaluate various land management strategies considering sustainability, erosion (wind, sheet, and channel), economics, water supply and quality, soil quality, plant competition, weather and pests.

For more information about this one-day course visit: www.brc.tamus.edu/apex/.

Floodplain Delineation with HEC-RAS and GIS

With increasing property losses due to flood damage, floodplain management and flood hazard mapping are becoming more critical for hazard managers. One tool used to assist hazard managers is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center's HEC-RAS software program. This program is a widely used tool for various open-channel hydraulics analysis and design tasks. In addition, the Hydrologic Engineering Center's HEC-GeoRAS program is a very popular add-on within the ArcGIS platform. This program is used to develop and map the results of HEC-RAS analyses.

This two and a half-day course will focus on the fundamental concepts of open-channel hydraulics and include hands-on applications of the HEC-RAS and HEC-GeoRAS software packages. Instructors will discuss steady and unsteady flow simulations using HEC-RAS and the delineation and mapping of floodplains using the HEC-GeoRAS tool.

Civil engineers and floodplain managers seeking to learn about floodplain analysis using the HEC-RAS and HEC-GeoRAS software programs will benefit from this course.

Irrigation Training Program (ITP)

The Irrigation Training Program (ITP) provides irrigation water management training to farmers, consultants, educators and agency personnel in Texas. Because of the vast diversity of agriculture throughout the state, the program’s curriculum is tailored to specific regions, taking into account local irrigation practices, cropping systems and climate. By using this unique and tailored curriculum, ITP can become a universal tool for transferring water conservation and related crop management technologies to agricultural producers and consultants.

With their network of soil and water conservation districts and county Extension agents, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and Texas AgriLife Extension Service are working together locally to implement this program under the guidance of Texas Water Resources Institute. Conservative estimates of possible water savings with well-trained irrigators are 10 percent to 25 percent.

Continuing Education Units (CEU) will be awarded for completion of the course.

For more information about ITP visit: twri.tamu.edu/project-info/ITP/.

Key EPA Internet Tools Course

The Key EPA Internet-Based Tools for Watershed Management is a comprehensive, two-part course designed to familiarize users with powerful watershed management tools provided online by US EPA. These tools are a powerful resource for novice and master watershed planners alike.

For more details visit: www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/epatools/.

Modeling of Water Distribution Systems using EPANet

Computer modeling of water distribution systems has become a standard practice for design and analysis. Modeling can be a valuable tool for problems as varied as energy use optimization, fire flow vulnerability assessment, water quality analysis, contamination scenario simulation, long-term facility planning, and pump operations scheduling, among many others.

EPANet is a public-domain software developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and available free of charge. It includes a powerful set of features and an easy to use graphical user interface. The EPANet Toolkit is a “packaged” version of the simulation engine that allows users to write their own custom computer codes for even greater flexibility.

This course will focus on fundamental concepts of pressure conduit system modeling and implementation of modeling application using EPANet and the EPANet Toolkit. Participants will work through several hands-on exercises using the EPANet software and be taught basic techniques to use the EPANet Toolkit from the Visual Basic for Applications module of Microsoft Excel.

River/Reservoir System Modeling with WRAP Short Course

The Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) is a generalized modeling system for simulating the development, management, allocation, and use of the water resources of a river basin. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Water Availability Modeling (WAM) System consists of WRAP along with input datasets for all of the river basins of Texas.

WRAP may also be applied anywhere in the world with input datasets developed for the particular river/reservoir system of concern. WRAP is used in regional and statewide planning, preparation, and approval of water right permit applications, system operations studies, and various other river/reservoir system management activities.

The two and a half-day course is designed for engineers and scientists employed by water agencies and consulting firms. The training is oriented toward new WRAP users but will also be beneficial for those with moderate experience or those with past experience who would like to refresh their skills. Lectures, discussions, and computer modeling exercises will cover WRAP in its entirety, focusing on fundamentals. The objective is for course participants to obtain a thorough understanding of the modeling system and proficiency in its application.

Continuing Education Units (CEU) will be awarded for completion of the course.

The public domain WRAP software and reference, users, and supplemental manuals are available at ceprofs.civil.tamu.edu/rwurbs/wrap.htm.

SWAT for Beginners

This three-day training course is designed to introduce new users to the model, review necessary and optional inputs, and familiarize the user with the ArcGIS interfaces. It is assumed that attendees have a working knowledge of ArcGIS. The three-day workshop will not review basic concepts on ArcGIS usage prior to covering the SWAT/ArcGIS interface. Continuing Education Units (CEU) will be awarded for completion of the course.

For more information about SWAT training courses, visit: www.brc.tamus.edu/swat/edu.html.

SWAT for Advanced Users

This three-day training course will cover sensitivity analysis, model calibration, and uncertainty analysis using the 2005 version of SWAT with an ArcGIS interface. In addition, day three of the course will be devoted to discussion of participant's individual model issues (e.g. model setup, scenarios, calibration, and validation).

For more information about SWAT training courses, visit: www.brc.tamus.edu/swat/edu.html.

Texas Watershed Planning Short Course

Comprehensive watershed protection plans that outline strategies for preserving or restoring watersheds have become the accepted approach to protecting Texas surface waters. Using a watershed approach to restore impaired water bodies addresses the problems in a holistic manner, and stakeholders in the watershed are actively involved in developing the management strategies and plans.

The goal of the Texas Watershed Planning Short Course is to equip watershed coordinators and water professionals with the tools they need to plan, coordinate and implement watershed protection efforts. This four-day course will cover:

  • Partnership Building
  • Identifying Solutions
  • Watershed Characterization
  • Designing an Implementation Program

Individuals interested in or responsible for watershed protection and restoration including employees and volunteers with federal, state, county, and local agencies; soil and water conservation districts; universities; consulting firms; non-governmental organizations; and watershed groups will benefit from this course. This course will be especially beneficial to those pursuing or receiving Clean Water Act Section 319(h) Grant funds, as the course provides guidance on meeting EPA’s nine key elements of a watershed protection plan.