This course introduces how water systems are planned, modeled, and managed in settings where decisions must balance water supply, floods, droughts, infrastructure, ecosystems, and uncertainty. Students learn core principles of water-resources management and planning by examining how hydrologic models, water-allocation models, simulation, and optimization support reservoir operations, water-supply planning, flood management, and long-term infrastructure decisions.

The course combines conceptual lectures with hands-on problem solving, water-data analysis, and applied modeling exercises. Foundational MATLAB programming is introduced progressively, with applications to parameter estimation, model calibration and validation, dynamic programming, evolutionary search, and hydrologic simulation. No prior programming experience is required.

The course also develops research and professional practice. Students learn to identify a researchable or applied water-systems problem, review relevant literature, formulate objectives and constraints, design modeling experiments, interpret trade-offs and uncertainty, and communicate results. Case studies include operational flood forecasting, scenario-based reservoir management, and the SAC-SMA hydrologic model. The course is well suited to students interested in water management, systems modeling, policy analysis, sustainability, environmental data science, or graduate research.