Review of Hydrologic Analysis and Design, 4th Edition by Richard H. McCuen

Hydrologic engineering is one of the most important topics of the undergraduate civil and environmental engineering curriculum. The topic is the subject of a regular class to engineering juniors/seniors. This is the 4th Edition of a well-developed manual. The content has become voluminous and now covers 790 pages. The author discusses the physical processes associated with the components of the hydrologic cycle. Emphasis has truly been placed on analysis and synthesis, while the author also demonstrates that design methods find a basis in the fundamental concepts of the hydrologic cycle.

The book is mostly intended for undergraduate engineering students. The author displays years of hard-earned teaching experience at the University of Maryland. His patience in explaining all intricacies of a complex subject with minute accuracy can only be praised. This is a monumental piece of work that can serve as a reference for a long period of time.

The material is subdivided into the following thirteen chapters: (1) “Introduction to Hydrology”; (2) “Precipitation”; (3) “Watershed Characteristics”; (4) “Frequency Analysis”; (5) “Peak Discharge Estimation”; (6) “Hydrologic Design Methods”; (7) “Hydrograph Analysis and Synthesis”; (8) “Hydrologic Routing”; (9) “Water Yield and Snowmelt Runoff”; (10) “Evaporation”; (11) “Water Quality Estimation”; (12) “Erosion and Sedimentation”; and (13) “Subsurface Hydrology.”

The most interesting aspect of this book is the finely detailed description of each component of the hydrologic cycle. No effort is spared to explain processes, measurement techniques, calculation examples, and design methods with extreme clarity. The dual concepts of analysis and synthesis run like silver lining through the entire document. The author should also be complimented for incorporating ethics concepts in this textbook. There is a wealth of valuable information to digest for the undergraduates. The author also manufactured numerous problems to assist anyone teaching this class—enough problems to teach this class multiple years without reassigning any problem twice.

The text, graphics, equations, tables, and figures are presented in a clear layout. Despite definite effort to use thin paper, the magnitude of the work still resulted in a relatively heavy textbook to carry to school. The price is definitely high for undergraduates, although used copies may be available.

Despite the effort to reduce the length of this book, this remains an exhaustive masterpiece in hydrology. In this context, the topics on water quality and sedimentation should be considered of secondary interest. For instance, the chapter on sedimentation seemed dusty and reflecting dated methods. Actually, this entire new edition only includes a handful of references from the new millennium. This textbook describes well-accepted classical methods, e.g., curve numbers, Muskingum method, Bulletin 17B, and others. However, other essential hydrological components may have been left out. For instance, it would have been great to introduce the reader to (1) floods and droughts, climates and meteorology; (2) a perspective on global warming, climate change, and sea level rise; and (3) computer models like HEC-HMS. Because this text is already so voluminous, there may have been ways to cover these topics in replacement of Chapters 11, 12, and potentially 13.

In summary, the textbook Hydrologic Analysis and Design is truly a magistral piece of work on the traditional methods in hydrology. The detailed description of classical hydrology component is truly phenomenal. It is highly instructive and well presented. The book is a bit heavy and definitely pricy for students, but it will serve as a reference for years to come. It will be treasured by professors teaching large enrollment classes.