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This webinar was co-sponsored by ASCE's Environmental & Water Resources Institute (EWRI) and ASCE Continuing Education

Instructor:  David T. Williams, P.E., PH, CFM, BC.WRE, F.ASCE

Course Length: 1 Hour

Purpose and Background

In the 1990's, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the primary custodians of the U.S. river systems, decided that future flood control projects would be designed based upon Risk and Uncertainty principles (R&U). Although R&U had been utilized in other industries, this was the first time it was to be applied to water resources projects on such a grand scale. This webinar will present the concept of uncertainty (both in nature and in the tools that are used by water resources engineers), principles of R&U in an easily understandable manner and how they are applied to flood control design. It will also explore risk, uncertainty, and probabilistic approaches for hydrologic sciences and engineering.

Primary Discussion Topics

• Common terms used in risk, uncertainty and R&U analysis
• Uncertainty principles applied to hydrology and hydraulics
• Use of R&U in water resources studies and design
• Applications of R&U for levee design

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Determine the differences between the types of uncertainties
• Identify how R&U is used in water resources projects and specifically levee design
• Understand how PDFs are transformed to CDFs and how they are used in R&U analysis
• Comprehend how uncertainties in hydrology and hydraulics are interrelated

Webinar Benefits

• Distinguish between natural and human induced uncertainty
• Find out how FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers view R&U analysis
• Discover the sources of uncertainty and how they affect risk
• Ascertain the benefits of R&U analysis versus the traditional methods
• See how to define uncertainty in hydrology and hydraulics

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Intended Audience

• Hydrologists
• Hydraulic engineers
• Project engineers/managers of flood control projects

Webinar Outline

• Definitions of risk and uncertainty
• Relationship between risk and uncertainty
• Types of uncertainty
• Definitions used in uncertainty analysis
• The Monte Carlo method
• What are PDFs and CDFs
• How is R&U used in water resources
• Uncertainty in hydrology
• Uncertainty in hydraulics
• Applications of R&U to levee design and the reasons

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]