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Center for Affordable Technologies

John Muir Institute of the Environment

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,

UC Davis

 

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ECI 189I  Evaluation and Design of Small Water Systems

Instructors: Dale Newkirk, P.E. and Professor Jeannie Darby, Ph.D., P.E.

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, UC DAVIS

ECI 189I Evaluation and Design of Small Water Systems

WINTER 2008

 

Instructors:          Prof. Jeannie L. Darby, 2001 EU III (754-9471),

email:  jdarby@ucdavis.edu

                               Office hours: by appointment

                              

Dale D. Newkirk, P.E., 3158 EU III (925) 286-7590,

email: ddnewkirk@ucdavis.edu

                               Office hours: by appointment

 

Dale D. Newkirk:  Mr. Newkirk is a University of California sanitary engineering graduate (1976) and registered engineer in California.  He has 30 years of experience and has worked extensively in the Water Industry in all aspects of water treatment, conveyance, water quality, regulations, and research and development. Mr. Newkirk is a well recognized technical leader in California and nationally. His previous experience includes managing operations and maintenance functions for four large California water agencies including the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, East Bay Municipal Utility District, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the Contra Costa Water District.    Mr. Newkirk is currently assisting medium-to-small water systems including grant application, technical engineering reports, site surveys,  process design, pilot testing, and regulatory compliance based on his experience.

 

Class Location and Schedule: 3102B EUIII, Teusdays 6:00 - 9:00 pm (starting 11/15)

Credit Hours: 4 units (40 hours undergraduate course over 10 weeks)

Course Description: The evaluation and design of small water systems is the first course to be offered by the newly formed Center of Affordable Technologies for Small Water Systems at U.C. Davis (funded by the California Department of Health Services).  This course will prepare students to perform small water system evaluations, determine alternatives, assess technical, managerial, and financial capacity, and prepare a preliminary engineering design.  The course is taught from the perspectives of the academic, regulatory, and practical owner/operator standpoints.

Students with interest and ability to continue in this area of endeavor will have an opportunity to be paid by a university student assistantship to aid in preparation of small water system engineering reports and small water system design as a course follow-up.

Core Objectives: This course will prepare students to apply knowledge gained during instruction directly to the evaluation and design of small water systems.  The core objectives include the following:

1. Discuss current understanding of small water systems including definitions, baseline information, compliance, technical, managerial, and financial issues.

2. Discuss water quality regulations that affect smaller water systems.

3. Present case studies of evaluation and design of treatment and distribution small water systems.

4. Provide hands on experience with case study including site visitation.

5. Instruct on how to evaluate a small water system and prepare a technical report.

6. Discuss strategies and alternatives for small water system compliance in a cost

effective manner.

7. Discuss funding options for small water systems and how to apply for grant assistance.  Prepare student to design small water systems from source to tap.

 

Textbook: There is no required textbook for this course.  Instead, a reader will be provided on the first day of class that contains literature related to the course.  Also, a copy of Design of Small Water Systems, US Army Corps of Engineers, 1999, will be provided on the first day of class.   The reader and book should be used as a guide to understanding the material covered in class.  All course handouts will be available on-line (see course website for link).

Evaluation Procedures:

               

                 Lab                                                                 10%

                 Field Trip                                                       10%

                 Project                                                            30%

                 Quizzes (1 per week)                                     10%

                 Exams (3 exams/final)                                      40%

 

Grading Criteria: >93.0 = A, 90.0 to 93.0 = A^-, 87.0 to 89.9 = B⁺, 83.0 to 86.9 = B, 80.0 to 82.9 = B^-, 77.0 to 79.9 = C⁺, 73.0 to 76.9 = C, 70.0 to 72.9 = C^-, 67.0 to 69.9 =D⁺, 63.0 to 66.9 = D, 60.0 to 62.9 = D^-, <60.0 = F

Laboratory:  There will be one laboratory during the course to learn the standard water industry use of the Hach DR 890 colorimeter for field testing of contaminants and water quality parameters.

Field Trips:  There will be two mandatory field trips to water systems to demonstrate methods for system evaluation and to gather information for student’s course project.  Dates for these field trips will be announced in class. 

Quizzes: There will be weekly quizzes given starting on Tuesday, January 15, which will cover both the material taught in class as well as the reading material. Generally, quizzes will be announced the week before the quiz.  The quizzes are to encourage students to read the course material and be prepared for lectures and exams. 

Project: A critical component of this course is this design project in which students will employ the knowledge gained in class to a real problem faced by a local small water system. Each group will be expected to complete a system evaluation and prepare a design recommendation to solve the issues facing the small water system. The final report will be due the last day of class.

Exams:  There will be two midterm exams and one final.  The two midterms together will cover the same material as the final.  The two highest scores will be used to compute your exam grade (30%).  You are only required to take two of the three exams but you may take all three. These exams will be closed book/closed notes, but you may bring one 8½" by 11" sheet with notes on both sides as an aid.  You may write anything you want on this sheet (i.e., equations, definitions, concepts).

Course Website: All lecture slides and reading material pertaining to this course will be available on the internet at http://cee.engr.ucdavis.edu/eci189i Information regarding the design project, additional links and references, and a record of class emails will also be available at this site.

Late Policy: The class project is late if it is not turned in by 6:10pm on the due date.  Late assignments will be docked 25% if turned in by 9 am on the day after the due date, 50% if turned in by 5 pm on the day after the due date.  After that time, credit will not be given. 

 

Collaboration and Honor System

 

1.      Course material is better understood when it is discussed with others, so you are encouraged to speak with your classmates about the subject matter.  One acceptable method of collaboration is to work through an assignment alone before meeting together as a group.  In this way, you will develop your own individual problem solving skills and will benefit from learning from and teaching your peers. 

2.  I consider unacceptable collaboration to be a violation of the Honor      Code.  Unacceptable collaboration includes 1) giving your HW solutions to someone else  to use, 2) copying HW solutions from someone else, and 3) any collaboration during  exams or quizzes.

3.     If for any reason the instructor/TA believes that the Honor Code may have been violated, an explanatory letter will be sent to Student Judicial Affairs.  Students involved, including those who may have unknowingly had their work copied, will be contacted and asked to explain their part in the situation.

Absence and late policy for Lab and Field Trip:  If you miss the lab or the required field trip, you will receive no credit for that activity.  If you are sick or for some other unavoidable reason have to miss an activity, email or call J. Darby or D. Newkirk  ASAP.

 

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