CCE54400 - Subsurface Hydrology

April 16, 2026

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Basic principles of fluid flow in saturated and unsaturated materials. Darcy’s law, well hydraulics, determination of hydraulic properties of aquifers. Infiltration theory. Discussions of artificial recharge, land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, ground water quality and contamination.

Credit Hours: 3

Instructor(s): Rao S Govindaraju

Phone: (765) 496-3402

Email: govind@purdue.edu

Office: CIVL 1141B

Web: Instructor Homepage

Learning Objective: After completing this course, successful students will be able to:

Part 1

  • Describe the global and local water balance and quantify groundwater recharge from hydrographs
  • Identify underground waters, describe the properties of aquifers, and recall their classification
  • Explain and apply Darcy's law
  • Derive the groundwater flow equations, apply their solutions to solve practical problems
  • Understand the vadose zone and the influence of soil water content on groundwater recharge

Part 2

  • Describe the steady state flow to wells in confined and unconfined aquifers
  • Describe the unsteady flow to wells in confined, semi-confined, and unconfined aquifers
  • Explain slug tests
  • Model aquifers and wells
  • Explain how well fields work

Part 3

  • Describe the advection and dispersion transport processes in porous media
  • Solve advection and dispersion
  • Solve reactive transport problems
  • Apply transport models to real world problems

Topics Covered: Basic wave mechanics (wave descriptors, wave propagation, wave shoaling and refraction, and surf zone processes); water level fluctuations (storm surge, tides, and longer-timescale processes); breakwater design (armor stability, run-up, overtopping, transmission); sediment transport (wave- and current-caused); shoreline protection measures.

Prerequisites: Undergraduate courses in hydraulics, differential equations and computer sciences are recommended but not required.

Homework: 12 homework assignments comprising 67% of the final grade.

Exams: 3 exams comprising 33% of the final grade.

Textbooks: Applied Hydrogeology, C.W. Fetter, Pearson Education 0-13-88239-0