In this article (and video above), I solve a new surface water resources and hydrology question by calculating the runoff volume, similar to what you may encounter on the FE exam.
Question:
A 53-acre watershed (curve number = 79) receives 122 mm of precipitation. The runoff volume (ac-ft) is most nearly:
- 4.11
- 11.62
- 18.15
- 4,615
Solution:
Calculate the mazimim basin retention (S) and the runoff (Q) which can be calculated using the NRCS (SCS) Rainfall-Runoff equations:
Substituting the given parameters in the equation shown above yields:
Therefore, the runoff volume (ac-ft)
Answer:
This question was supplied by Geder Mena Jimenez, E.I.T, an environmental engineer II at GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. Mr. Mena received a Bachelor of Engineering in Earth Systems Science and Environmental Engineering from The City College of New York (CUNY) – Grove School of Engineering, 2017. Mr. Mena’s experience includes a variety of environmental site investigation and remedial activities: Environmental Site Investigation (ESI), Subsurface Remediation, Community Air Monitoring Programs (CAMP), Soil/Groundwater/Vapor sampling, Site Inspection, Data Analysis, Groundwater Modeling, GIS, Hydrology and Hydraulics Analysis, Underground Storage Tank (UST) Management and Closure, and Characterization of Soil and Groundwater for disposal. You can connect with Geder here.
I hope you found this week’s surface water resources and hydrology question helpful. In upcoming articles, I will answer more FE Exam questions and run through more practice problems. We publish videos bi-weekly on our Pass the FE Exam YouTube Channel. Be sure to visit our page here and click the subscribe button as you’ll get expert tips and tricks – to ensure your best success – that you can’t get anywhere else. Believe me, you won’t want to miss a single video.
Lastly, I encourage you to ask questions in the comments of the videos or here on this page and I’ll read and respond to them in future videos. So, if there’s a specific topic you want me to cover or answer, we have you covered.
I’ll see you next week.
Anthony Fasano, P.E.
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success
