Dam and Bridge Design

As the Hydrology Education section of this website attests, many scientists who study hydrology at a graduate level come from an undergraduate background in civil engineering. The tasks of dam and bridge design rest at the crossroads between civil engineering and hydrology. The design of a dam must take into account all possible flow levels and water levels that a body of water can feasibly embody. The last thing anyone wants is a dam disaster for lack of foresight, which would be multifarious in its impact: an ecological disaster, a social disaster, a career disaster, a failure of progress. Bridge design, of course, requires a very careful consideration of potential bridge uses, weight limits and regulations, all possible water levels, the stability of the grounds on which a bridge is built, and the structure's resistance to elements such as wind and water. A close attention to these factors is implicit in the training undergone by hydrologists, especially those with a background in civil engineering.