Hydrology and the management of watersheds

Abstract

Recent developments show us the urgency of knowing what we're doing when we direct or redirect the flow of water--and of understanding how nature itself manages this precious resource. Hydrology and Management of Watersheds is essential to such an understanding. A basic account of hydrology and watershed management, it provides the fundamental information and practical methods necessary for solving water-use problems in a wide variety of settings and situations--forest or range, agricultural or environmental. The authors present a detailed discussion of the planning, implementation, and evaluation of watershed management, with an emphasis on the social and economic factors involved. They also include a section devoted to specific problems in different regions of the United States and elsewhere in the world. This new edition gives added attention to the cumulative effects of human activities on watersheds, the place of policy and institutions in guiding resource use, and the role of riparian and wetland systems in natural resource management. A key text for students in natural resource management, water resource sciences, and environmental studies, the book will also prove invaluable for administrators, technicians, planners, and natural resource managers.