Program Overview

Sustainable Water Resources Management Module

The Sustainable Water Resources Management module (EV41006) provides a critical examination of sustainability, its meaning, and its application in environmental management. This module is designed to help students develop critical thinking abilities in relation to the sustainable use of water resources, with a focus on hydro power development.

What You Will Learn

In this module, students will:

• Develop critical thinking abilities in relation to the sustainable use of water resources, focusing on hydro power development
• Develop knowledge of hydro power development, balancing generation interests with environmental protection
• Appreciate the contested nature of sustainability
• Prepare for a career in the environment and resource management sectors by adopting a critical approach to understanding major areas of applied environmental activity

By the end of this module, students will be able to:

• Understand key concepts of catchment definition and characterisation
• Understand physical principles behind the generation of hydro energy
• Assess the water resource of a catchment for the purposes of an abstraction licence application
• Appreciate wider aspects of water resources development, including conflicting interests such as nature conservation
• Understand the need for integrity in determining resource potential, linked to ethical issues relating to false assessments, investor, and environmental implications
• Know about the main models of hydro development, including:
  • Run of river
  • Storage
  • Flow diversions
  • Public
  • Commercial
  • Community ownership models
• Derive a catchment/estimate the flow at a given point of a stream
• Give a good estimate of possible energy production from a scheme
• Evaluate the economic viability of a scheme and recommend the best set-up
• Assess the significance of uncertain estimates of catchment characteristics, such as area, rainfall, and evaporation
• Find and make use of relevant environmental regulations

Assignments / Assessment

The module assessment consists of:

• Essay (35%)
• Report (35%)
• Essay-type exam (30%)

Teaching Methods / Timetable

The module will be taught through:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Guest presentations
• In-class interactivity

Courses

This module is available on the following courses:

• Environmental Sustainability MA (Hons)
• Environmental Sustainability and Geography MA (Hons)
• Environmental Science and Geography MA (Hons)
• Environmental Science BSc (Hons)
• Geography and Politics MA (Hons)
• Geography and History MA (Hons)
• Geography and Psychology MA (Hons)
• Geography and Environmental Science BSc (Hons)
• Geography with Spanish MA (Hons)
• Geography MA (Hons)
• Geography with French MA (Hons)
• Geography BSc (Hons)
• Business Economics with Marketing and Geography MA (Hons)
• Geopolitics MA (Hons)

Module Details

• Credits: 30
• Module code: EV41006
• Level: 4
• Semester: Semester 2
• School: School of Humanities Social Sciences and Law
• Discipline: Energy Environment and Society