Book Review
Review of Hydrologic Analysis and Design,
4th Edition by Richard H. McCuen
Pearson, Hoboken, NJ, 07030; 2016; ISBN 9780134313122; 790 pp.;
$189.39
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by 80.82.77.83 on 04/23/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
Pierre Y. Julien, M.ASCE
Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering
Research Center, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO 80523-1320.
Email: pierre@engr.colostate.edu
DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001673
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
© ASCE
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 HECHMS. 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.
07518001-1
J. Hydrol. Eng., 2018, 23(7): 07518001
J. Hydrol. Eng.