JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION

VOL. 37, NO. 4 AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION AUGUST 2001

Book Reviews
Edited by Richard H. McCuen

Hydrology an d Hydraulic Systems (Second Edi- comparison in size, the ASCE Hydrology Handbook
tion), R.S. Gupta. Waveland Press, Inc., Prospect Second Edition has a total of 784 pages.
Heights, IL. 867 pages. 2001. ISBN 1-57766-630-7. New t o this edition of Hydrology and Hydraulic
Systems are the chapters on development and moni-
This book is intended as a teaching text for more toring of groundwater, flow routing through hydraulic
than one class in the water resources area of civil systems, urban drainage systems, other drainage sys-
engineering. The Second Edition of Hydrology and tems, and contaminant hydrology. How do these new
Hydraulic Systems is the revised edition of the text chapters measure up? I found the sections on statisti-
originally published by Prentice Hall in 1989. I used cal analyses of groundwater data in the development
the original in 1994 in a n upper division class. The and monitoring of groundwater chapter to be confus-
second edition has grown considerably in coverage ing and too advanced for a typical undergraduate.
and size since the first publication. It now includes 15 Learning those sections will require additional back-
chapters, 226 worked example problems, and another ground preparation for most, if not all, students. The
284 a n s w e r s t o end-of-chapter problems. T h e chapter on flow through hydraulic systems is stan-
strengths and weaknesses of the text still remain, dard fare with discussion of and examples on hydro-
even in the second edition. But first, let us consider logic (mass balance) and hydraulic (continuity and
some particulars about the contents of the book. momentum) routing. There is a glaring mistake in the
The book is 867 pages in length, and, in addition to section on the Muskingum-Cunge method in Equation
the 15 chapters, includes 11 appendices (unfortunate- 12.45 where the weighting coefficients, the C values,
ly not clearly labeled in either the Contents or in the are to add to 1.0. The C values are mislabeled and
Appendices) and 30 pages of references (arranged by there is an extra value of 3 added to the coefficients.
chapter after chapter 15). Important t o prospective Although this is an obvious error to anyone who has
users of the book are the topics included therein. The used the method, it raises questions about the other
chapters are: Demand for Water, Availability of Water, equations in the book. The author also introduces the
Theory of G r o u n d w a t e r Flow, Applications f o r concept of the method of characteristics, but shows
Groundwater Flow, Development and Monitoring of only one characteristic on the space-time coordinate
Groundwater, Measurement of Surface Water, Esti- system. I believe that the student would be better
mation of Surface Water Flow, Computation of served with a more detailed view of the method. The
Extreme Flow, Storage and Control Structures, Con- chapter on urban drainage systems was separated in
veyance System: Open Channel Flow, Pressure Flow this second edition from the other drainage systems
System: Pipes and Pumps, Flow Routing Through chapter. That separation, and revision, adds to the
Hydraulic Systems, Urban Drainage Systems, Other usefulness of t h e chapter. The chapter on other
Drainage Systems, and Contaminant Hydrology. That drainage systems is a bit too concise. I believe that
is a lot of information to cover for a single text. As a the section on agricultural drainage is just too much
of a cookbook without much insight. The section on

RICHARD H. McCUEN, Ph.D., is a Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-3021.

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ASSOCIATION 1065 JAWRA
 BOOK REVIEWS

culverts, although better than the treatments I have Snow and Glacier Hydrology, P. Singh and V.P.
seen in other teaching texts, is also too limited. In Singh. Kluwer Academic Publ., P.O. Box 989, 3300
this sample chapter, the author overlooks the large AZ Dordrecht, The Netherlands. 742 pages. Feb.
number of r u r a l a n d forest roads t h a t m u s t be 2001. $265. ISBN 0-7923-6767-7.
designed for drainage as well as erosion resistance. In
fact, erosion is not even a topic in the index. I was The first really comprehensive treatise on snow
expecting t o see some discussion of erosion and sedi- hydrology and related phenomena, “Snow Hydrology:
ment transport in the chapter on contaminant hydrol- Summary Report of the Snow Investigations,” was
ogy because s e d i m e n t (along w i t h its a t t a c h e d published in 1956 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-
nutrients and chemicals) is a significant water pollu- neers. While incredibly useful in its day, that volume
tant. I did not, but I did find some engineering science has long since been relegated to library archives. In
about diffusion, dispersion, advection, and, finally, 1979, a wonderful Symposium Proceedings on “Model-
mass transport. ing Snow Cover Runoff” (S.C. Colbeck and M. Ray,
Now to focus on the general strengths and weak- Editors), was published by the U.S. Army CRREL,
nesses of the book. First, because the book combines but now even my revered personal copy has disap-
both hydrology and hydraulics, it covers lots of mate- peared. In 1980, Colbeck edited the ”Dynamics of
rial. unfortunately, by doing so it leaves out some of Snow and Ice Masses,” which is no longer in press.
the basic engineering science that I believe a civil Then a second comprehensive snow hydrology
engineering student should have in the courses in resource, “Handbook of Snow” (D.M. Gray and D.H.
which the book is intended to be used. When the origi- Male, Editors), was published in 1981, but it, too, is
nal text was used in our combined course in hydrology obviously dated and long out-of-press. There are some
and hydraulics, the students at UNM reported that valuable recent contributions like Pomeroy and Gray’s
they found this lack of engineering science to be a 1995 “Snowcover Accumulation, Relocation and Man-
weakness. Second, there are lots of worked-in-detail agement” and snow and glacier hydrology are served
problems in the text. This is a strength of the text well by current journals and up-to-date publications
because the students can easily see how to apply the like the Proceedings of t h e Eastern and Western
methods described just previous to the examples. Snow Conferences. Nevertheless, most of us find it
However, because there are so many examples, space really convenient to have a comprehensive, up-to-date
that may have been better used for more detailed dis- reference volume on our own bookshelf - or if in a
cussion is occupied. Third, there are a number of library, a good place t o tell a student t o start looking
errors (such as t h e one cited above on t h e Musk- for information. “Snow and Glacier Hydrology” will
ingum-Cunge method) that the course instructor of ably fill that need.
the students must find and correct. Another example “Snow and Glacier Hydrology” is divided into five
of what I consider to be an error is the use of units on parts. Part 1 is a brief introduction to the global sig-
logarithmic-transformed units. I believe that the car- nificance of snow cover and glaciers - particularly sig-
rying of the units with the logarithmic value can be nificant in light of increasing demand for fresh water
misleading to the student. Fourth, and final, this resources. Part 2 covers the properties and measure-
reviewer is familiar with other methods and more ment of snow and snow cover. Part 3 deals with snow-
engineering science, such as on the topic of rainfall pack energy exchange processes a n d snowmelt
infiltration, that the author did not include in the hydrographs. Part 4 reviews snowmelt runoff model-
text. ing and forecasting. Part 5 presents four chapters
So what is the bottom line on this book? If the read- dedicated to glacier characteristics, dynamics, hydrol-
er wants a text that covers lots of material, can be ogy, and erosion and sedimentation. A fifth chapter on
used in more than one class, and has lots of worked streamflow measurements, while complete, seems
examples, then consider this book. If the reader wants unnecessary and a little out of place in a book more
a text with less coverage but with more in-depth pre- narrowly focused on snow and glacier phenomena.
sentation of what is covered, then shop around some The quality of the text and binding is excellent. I
more. I believe that the text could aid a n instructor looked hard, but did not find any errors in typesetting
teaching the courses it would cover, and therefore rec- or citations, which is remarkable in a 742-page text.
ommend it for that purpose. So the bottom line is . . . Each chapter is filled with clear, easy-to-understand
consider it, but review it first. figures and tables. Technical terms are well-defined.
Equations are presented and explained clearly and
Tim J. Ward, Ph.D., P.E., F. ASCE concisely. As expected in a reference volume, litera-
Professor and Chair of Civil Engineering ture citations are numerous and taken from a wide
University of New Mexico range of international journals, government publica-
Albuquerque, NM 87131-1351 tions, and symposia proceedings. Perhaps the only

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short-coming of the reviewed literature is the seem- Australia, Slovakia, and the USA are reported. The
ingly heavy reliance on materials published in the geomorphic effectiveness of high magnitude events
1970s and 1980s. Some of this literature is, of course, such as tropical storms in Baja, California, USA, and
‘‘classic,”but a good deal of it references old papers in in India, are considered. Four contributions provide
old symposium proceedings that might prove difficult information about the functioning of drainage basins
for someone to locate original sources in any but the obtained from lacustrine sedimentary evidence.
most complete library collections.
Nothing replaces frequent visits to Citation Indices
or the electronic reference data bases available i n Science and Policy: Interbasin Water Transfer
most libraries. Nevertheless, it is often convenient to of Aquatic Biota, J.A. Leitch and M. Tenamoc
reach over to a bookcase and grab a reference off the (Editors). Inst. for Regional Studies, North Dakota
shelf to be able to document answers to questions in a State University, Fargo, ND. 145 pages. 2001. $20.
hurry. Even better yet, to hand to an advanced under- ISBN 0-911042-54-7.
graduate student or beginning graduate student and
tell them to start looking. “Snow and Glacier Hydrolo- The Pick-Sloan Project was conceived shortly after
gy” can provide the answers and references in these World War I1 as a way for North Dakota to capitalize
disciplines. Because I do have access t o electronic ref- on some of the flow of the Missouri River. Part of the
erence data bases, the only hesitation I would have in plan produced the Garrison Dam, providing flood con-
purchasing the volume for my personal library is the trol and hydropower. Another part of the plan was to
relatively high cost ($245). This will not deter me provide water for MR&I purposes and to irrigate
from asking my university t o acquire the book for about 250,000 acres of cropland, which would require
their collection. a diversion and interbasin transfer of water. Opposi-
tion from environmental groups a n d Canadian
Dr. Donald F. Potts authorities stalled the diversion project because of the
Professor of Watershed Management potential for unintended transfer of undesirable
School of Forestry aquatic species. In the late 1980s, project supporters
University of Montana hoped that careful scientific research could ameliorate
Missoula, MT 59812 concerns about the transfer of aquatic biota. The
chapters in this book report the findings of several
extensive studies including: a history of Garrison
I I Diversion, a n international review of interbasin water

II OTHER BOOKS AND

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED II
transfers, identification of the pathways for aquatic
biotic transfer, the distribution and dispersal of fishes
in the Red River of the North basin, case histories of
representative fish species invasions, water treatment
technologies to prevent biota transfer, and more.
The Hydrology-Geomorphology Interface: Rain- While this book is largely a case study of potential
fall, Floods, Sedimentation, Land Use, M.A. interbasin water transfer between the Missouri-
Hassan, 0. Slaymaker, and S. Berkowicz (Editors). Mississippi basin and t h e Hudson Bay basin, i t
IAHS Press, Center for Ecology and Hydrology, should help guide policy makers and assist scientists
Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 BBB, UK. 326 involved with similar issues world-wide.
pages. g49.

This book reflects the complex functioning of the Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment
drainage basin sediment cascade and follows the f l u 2000 Report, R. Jolly. World Health Organization,
of water and sediment from source t o sink. Fluvial 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. 79 pages. 2000.
geomorphology and related processes in arid areas are $31.50. ISBN 92-4-156202-1.
a particular focus. The 20 chapters are derived from a
conference at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, This book reports the findings, by country and by
Israel, on the theme of drainage basin processes and region, of a global assessment of the water supply and
morphology. The rainfall input to arid geomorphic sanitation sector in 2000. The report uses a new
systems is considered in detail; understanding its methodology that gives both a more accurate estimate
temporal and spatial distribution is a prerequisite of of access to water supply and sanitation and a better
successful rainfall-runoff modeling. Rainfall-runoff understanding of t h e many factors t h a t influence
modeling and erosion studies in the Negev (Israel), changes over time. The 2000 report uses consumer-

JOURNAL
OF THE AMERICAN
WATERRESOURCES
ASSOCIATION 1067 JAWRA
 BOOK REVIEWS

based data drawn from household surveys. By focus- M a n a g e m e n t of Shared G r o u n d w a t e r Re-

ing on users rather than providers as the primary sources: The Israeli-Palestinian Case With An
source of data, the report creates a platform for track- International Perspective, E. Feitelson and
ing the local initiatives that are now recognized as M. Haddad (Editors). Kluwer Academic Publishers,
central to the attainment of sustained improvements. P.O. Box 989,3300 AZ Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
In another innovation, the report uses technology 493 pages. Feb. 2001. $160. ISBN 0-7923-7254-9.
type as an indicator of access to improved water and
sanitation. The definition of adequate coverage is now Most of the world’s freshwater resources in liquid
based on assumptions that certain technologies, such state (i.e., not in glaciers and polar caps) are under-
as public standpipes or pour-flush latrines, are better ground. As the population grows and demand for
for health than others, such as unprotected springs water rises, the reliance on ground water increases.
and public latrines. The report has 11 chapters. The I n many cases, the ground water underlies bound-
first presents the main findings of the assessment, aries, or is part of a hydraulic system that crosses
emphasizing issues that can aid decisions about the boundaries. In such cases, there is always the danger
planning and management of services and the invest- that the “prisoner’s dilemma” will run its course and
ment in priority needs. all parties will compete over who will pump the most
water, ultimately destroying the storage potential to
the detriment of future generations of all parties
Marine Biology: Function, Biodiversity, Ecology based on the ground water. This book explores the
(Second Edition), J.S. Levinton. Oxford Univ. Press, options and means for averting this all too realistic
198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. 528 pages. scenario by managing these shared ground water
Feb. 2001. ISBN 0-19-514-172-5. resources. No where is the likelihood of excessive use
of ground water greater than in the water-scarce Mid-
This new edition of Marine Biology reflects a phi- dle East, and especially in the Israeli-Palestinian
losophy of marine biology teaching as a gateway t o an case. Here both sides are heavily reliant on a shared
active science with broad scope and exciting achieve- aquifer, the Mountain Aquifer. This book is the out-
ments. Students must learn concepts and facts while come of a seven-year effort to find ways to manage the
appreciating the organismal diversity of the marine Mountain Aquifer, p e r h a p s t h e most important
realm. Most importantly, they must feel the pulse of resource shared by the Israelis and Palestinians. As
current happenings. That is why over 20 essays called part of this cooperative study, four workshops were
“Hot Topics in Marine Biology” are included. These held i n which a selected number of Palestinian,
essays put students in contact with the current world Israeli, and foreign experts were invited. The chap-
of research, and the enclosed Marine Biology Explo- ters in this book were originally presented in one of
rations CD links to a Marine Biology web page that these workshops. To these papers, introductory and
connect students to the world wide web of marine concluding chapters were added.
biology. This new and revised second edition of Levin-
ton’s Marine Biology: Function, Biodiversity, Ecology
promises to be as fascinating and informative as the Applied Hydrogeology (Fourth Edition), C.W.
first, with additions t h a t bring it up-to-date on Fetter. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ
current research issues. Designed for one-semester 07458. 598 pages. 2001. ISBN 0-13-088239-9.
juniodsenior courses, this established volume stands
as one of the most current and thorough resources for Applied Hydrogeology is intended as a textbook for
students in the multidisciplinary field of marine biolo- an introductory course in hydrogeology taught either
gy. The new edition includes significantly expanded at the advanced undergraduate level, or as a dual-
coverage of marine mammals and hypothesis testing level undergraduatdgraduate course. It is also useful
and offers entirely new sections on subtidal rocky in helping individuals who are preparing t o take state
reefs, metapopulations, marine invasions, marine pro- examinations f o r professional registration as a
tected areas and no-take fishery zones, and molecular hydrologist or hydrogeologist. It can be found as a ref-
approaches to marine biology and fisheries. It empha- erence book in the personal library of many working
sizes the relationship of t h e functional ecology of professionals. The book stresses the application of
organisms to higher levels of organization, including mathematics to problem-solving r a t h e r t h a n the
major marine habitats and ecosystems. derivation of theory. To this end you will find many
example problems with step-by-step solutions. Case
studies in many chapters enhance understanding of
the occurrence and movement of ground water in a

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variety of geological settings. A glossary of hydrogeo-

logical terms makes this book a valuable reference.
The fourth edition contains new case studies and end-
of-chapter problems. In most cases the problems are
paired. An odd-numbered problem will have t h e
answer given in a section in the back of the book, fol-
lowed by a n even-numbered problem without t h e
answer. Step-by-step solutions to the odd-numbered
problems can also be found at the Applied Hydrogeol-
ogy web page: http://www.appliedhydrogeology.com.
Many chapters in the fourth edition also contain a
section called “Analysis,” with nonnumerical ques-
tions. The use of spreadsheet programs, such as
Microsoft Excel in hydrogeology, is introduced here.
Included with the text are working student versions
of three computer programs that are used by ground
water professionals. They have been furnished free of
charge by the software publishers.

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