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<br />HYDROLOGIC ENGINEERING TECHNIQUES: ARE THEY <br />RESPONSIVE TO PLANNING REQUIREMENTS? (A) <br /> <br />By <br />Augustine J. Fredrich(B) <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />During the past two decades the complexity of water resources planning <br />has increased significantly. In addition to the complexities resulting <br />from the requirements for considering factors that were not considered <br />20 years ago (and the number and significance of these alone would probably <br />reduce to relative unimportance problems that were once considered to be <br />of major importance), there are complexities that result solely from the <br />development that has occurred during the past 25 or 30 years. Because of <br />this development, problems that would have been "simple" project planning <br />problems 20 years ago now become complex comprehensive planning problems <br />that require consideration of the integrated effects of existing and pro- <br />posed developments. <br /> <br />Despite this increase in complexity of planning studies, it appears <br />that the technical studies--including the hydrologic investigations--which <br />form the basis for the overall planning effort have been continually modified <br />and improved so that the increase in technological capability has at least <br />kept pace with the increase in complexity. Improvements in technical method- <br />ology have resulted from increased understanding of physical processes, <br />better conceptualization of the physical processes for use in engineering <br />and planning studies, and increases in availability and utility of electronic <br />computers for engineering studies. Beard (1) and Fredrich and Hawkins (2) <br />have discussed the impact of changes in technology on the techniques used <br />for hydrologic engineering investigations. Beard suggests that only through <br />intelligent application of the electronic computer can the hydrologic engineer <br />maintain analytical capability that is commensurate with the ever-expanding <br />problem complexity. Fredrich and Hawkins indicate that the changes in plan- <br />ning study requirements and recent innovations in computers and in hydrologic <br />theories have created an atmosphere conducive to the development of new <br />hydrologic engineering techniques. <br /> <br />(A) For presentation at the HEC Seminar on Hydrologic Aspects of Project <br />Planning. <br /> <br />(B)Chief, Planning Analysis Branch, The Hydrologic Engineering Center, <br />Davis, California. <br /> <br />3 <br />