United States Department of Labor O*Net Data Collection Program

Hydrologists and Hydrologic Technicians:

You have the opportunity to participate in this important initiative and your input will help ensure that the complexities of your profession are described accurately in the O*NET database for the American public.

You are considered an Occupation Expert if you: 

  • Fit the Department of Labor occupation description for Hydrologists: “Research the distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters; and study the form and intensity of precipitation and its rate of infiltration into the soil, movement through the earth, and return to the ocean and atmosphere.” 
  • Hydrologic Technicians: “Collect and organize data concerning the distribution and circulation of ground and surface water, and data on its physical, chemical, and biological properties. Measure and report on flow rates and ground water levels, maintain field equipment, collect water samples, install and collect sampling equipment, and process samples for shipment to testing laboratories. May collect data on behalf of hydrologists, engineers, developers, government agencies, or agriculture.” 
  • Have at least one year of professional experience working in the occupation. 
  • Have a minimum of five years combined professional experience practicing, training, teaching, and/or supervising others who perform in the occupation. 
  • Are currently actively involved in the field and based in the United States

How to Participate: If you meet these criteria, please contact Jahmilah Rodgers at RTI International, the O*NET Data Collection Contractor, at jrodgers@onet.rti.org or 919-926-6634. 

Please provide the following in your email: 

  • Full Name and Job Title 
  • Years of experience in occupation 
  • Indicate which occupation (Hydrologists or Hydrologic Technicians)
  • Mailing Address with City, State and Zip Code 
  • Daytime Phone Number 
  • Email Address

Process and Participation Incentive: A random sample of experts responding to this request will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. Experts who are selected and agree to participate will receive $40.00 VISA gift code and an oak-framed certificate of appreciation from the U.S. Department of Labor. We encourage you to consider helping to keep information about your profession accurate and current for the benefit of our colleagues and the nation.

Thank you for your support. If you know anyone within your network who is also an expert and would be interested in participating, feel free to forward this information to them.

Frequently Asked QuestionsO*NET Brochure

2021 World Rivers Day

World Rivers Day takes place on the fourth Sunday of September. While it is important to take that day and celebrate local rivers, it is also important to work for their protection throughout the year.

Waterkeeper Alliance: Get involved with your local waterkeeper organization, or streamkeeper group, to protect your stream or river (https://waterkeeper.org/get-involved/). If none are in your area, please consider starting your own group. Look at ways you can clean up the river channel, plant vegetation to secure eroded banks, and work with local government to protect and preserve streams in your area.

Storm Drains: Most storm drains are linked to local waterways and so it is important to avoid washing your car near these drains and to avoid putting any kind of chemical, soap or other pollutant in the drains.

#WorldRiversDay

AIH Call for Articles

The next issue of the AIH Bulletin is scheduled to be published in the winter of 2021, for which the editorial team invites contributions from members.

Original articles on any aspect of hydrology (e.g., administrative, technical, socioeconomic) will be considered for publication. It is not required that the article be based on academic or scientific work; however, it should not be published elsewhere. Book reviews may also be submitted under this category.

  • Please provide an un-formatted word document of your story without embedded images. You can signify where you’d like a submitted image using brackets.
  • Images you wish to be included with your article must not be embedded in the Word document; send them separately and labeled with names corresponding to where you’d like them used in the Word document.
  • Articles must have a brief title and a byline.
  • Supply a high-resolution head-shot of the author.
  • Article length must be between 500 – 1000 words.
  • Please include an “About the Author” post script, to provide our audience with the context of your perspectives. Include how you would like your name and title to be presented.
  • Avoid using too many bulleted lists, diagrams or graphs in your article.

Beside original articles, members may also submit leads to items of interest to the hydrologists’ community. Such items may include news related to the field of hydrology, conferences, new publications, etc.

If you are interested in contributing, please send articles or other items of interest via the Dropbox link below by Friday, October 15, 2021. Please ensure submissions are identified properly (example: TitleofArticle-FirstLastName.doc) and that supporting graphics/images are of the highest possible quality. Be sure to include your contact information within your submission as well.

Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact our office at admin@aihydrology.org.

AIH Executive Committee Elections!

Please cast your vote online by September 24, 2021.

AIH is pleased to present the ballot to fill the Vice President for Policy and Advocacy and Secretary-Membership Liaison positions on the AIH Executive Committee. Please check your email for a link to cast your vote by September 24, 2021!

AIH appreciates your participation in this important process. If you have any questions, please contact the AIH Executive Office at (916) 231-2149 or admin@aihydrology.org.

Call for Volunteers - Board of Examinations and Board of Registration

AIH is seeking volunteers in AIH’s four specialty certification areas (groundwater, hydrologic technician, surface water, or water quality) for positions on the Board of Registration (BOR) and the Board of Examinations (BOE). Volunteer positions on the BOR or BOE are not elected positions. Certified members are selected by the Executive Committee to join the BOR and BOE. Members on either the BOR or BOE are requested to serve terms of no less than three years.

Members of the Board of Examinations, under the leadership of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, support updates to AIH certification examinations, along with study guides and reference materials for certification examinations.

Members of the Board of Registration, under the leadership of the Chairman, evaluate membership and examination application packages for AIH.

If you are interested in volunteering for the BOR or BOE please email admin@aihydrology.org. In the subject line indicate: “AIH Volunteer Position – (BOR or BOE)”. In your submission, please include a statement of interest (maximum 150 words), contact info, your specialty area, and a professional biography (maximum 150 words).

Congratulations to New Members

Congratulations to those who have been recently certified as Professional members of the American Institute of Hydrology!

Matthew Burnette – PH Surface Water

David Ho – PH Surface Water

Bill Szafranski – PH Surface Water

Megan Gehrke – PH Water Quality

Ji Qi – PH Surface Water

Vignon Houenou – PH Surface Water

Justin Coffman – PH Surface Water

Andrew Earles – PH Surface Water

Robert Parrish – PH Surface Water

Sarah Harris – PH Surface Water

Sean Aucion – Hydrologic Technician I

Nikolaos Apsilidis – PH Surface Water

John Ramirez-Avila – PH Surface Water 

Call for Photos

Our industry-diverse membership often finds themselves in a variety of interesting locations either performing research, working on a project, or attending a conference. And, with some of us now working from home our additional ‘hydro-office’ serves as another “interesting” location to add to the collection.

We want to broadcast the diversity of the hydrology industry and specifically showcase our AIH certified members. Take a moment to snap a few photos of your surroundings so we can paint a clearer picture of what hydrology really looks like. Are your cats or family part of your work from home life? Include them! Do you spend time surrounded by nature and breathtaking environments? We want to see it all!

Upload your photos to this link [https://www.dropbox.com/request/jLQB3udMBGFaAJLw0LEB] and label the file with your name, the location, and your agency.

Thank you for assisting us as we enhance and strengthen the standing of hydrology as a science and profession.

AIH Meet & Greet Event

AIH is planning a Meet and Greet interactive virtual event on September 9, 2021 from 3:00 to 4:00 PM (PDT). The event is designed for AIH’s members to meet and interact with AIH’s Executive Committee, Executive Director, and management office. We will feature opening remarks by AIH President, Jamil Ibrahim, and Executive Director, Sarah Erck, and introductions of AIH’s Executive Committee members. The agenda will also include an overview of AIH’s current initiatives and future activities. We look forward to meeting you and hearing your feedback!

2021 AIH Membership Report

By: Jolyne Lea, Acting Secretary

The 2021 American Institute of Hydrology (AIH) currently has 410 members. An overwhelming majority of the members specialize in surface water hydrology, which is nearly an equal mix of longtime members (who have been certified for over 20 years) and newer members. AIH currently has 15 Hydrologist-in-Training members. There are currently 14 Certified Hydrologic Technician members. Additionally, there are 23 Emeritus members who support the Institute and their profession. Figure 1 shows the Professional, student, and emeritus members by certification identification.

[Figure 1. AIH members by membership category.]

It is also interesting to look at the longevity of our members. The AIH certification identification can be determined when each person was originally certified by AIH. Members range from those who were founding members at the forming of AIH in 1982, to new members. Figure 2 shows current members’ length of membership. There has been a steady influx of new members since 2005, where over ten new members, per year, were certified.

[Figure 2. AIH membership year of certification.]

In figure 3, the membership is grouped in ten-year increments. Over half of the current members (233) have joined within the last twenty years. Long time members of 20-40 years of membership number 151. In the last ten years, AIH has added 112 new members.

[Figure 3. AIH membership grouped by length of membership.]

Lastly, AIH membership is widely distributed across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The largest number of members are located in California, Colorado and Texas. In addition, the Institute has ten international members: three from Mexico and seven from Canada.  Figure 4 shows the members by state/country.

[Figure 4. AIH member location]

In summary, based on a review of membership in 2021 compared to historical numbers, the AIH membership numbers appear to be strong and continue to expand with new certified members. The AIH Executive Committee is committed to improving the membership certification process, increasing membership benefits, and expanding student membership to keep the Institute strong for the future. But, we urge our members to contact the AIH Executive Committee regarding input on how AIH membership can continue to be improved and to be active by volunteering for roles where you can.

Interview with Amesha Morris, DEI Committee

Interviewed by: Jule Rizzardo, President-Elect

I sat down with Amesha Morris over a virtual cup of coffee.  Amesha has submitted her application to obtain her Professional Hydrologist certification with AIH, and she serves on the newly formed AIH Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Amesha is currently the stormwater program manager for the City of McKinney’s Stormwater Management Program in North Central Texas.

What is the most challenging thing about your job?

The most challenging part of my job is communication. My work requires coordination with 10 different departments and every year our permit has new requirements. It can be hard to juggle communicating with multiple personnel about changing parameters and changing program requirements.

Describe the most fun project team you’ve been part of at work?

Our department has been upgrading our data to be visualized using GIS. I have been nerding out, because we now have so many more options to display and analyze stormwater data.

What’s something people would be surprised to find out about you outside of work?

I started watching kdramas while I was in graduate school.  It was the perfect way to forget about my thesis for a few hours.

What is one thing you’re glad you tried but would never do again?

The Portland Saint Patty’s Fest Celebration – the event started with running a marathon and ended with lots of singing, dancing, and people celebrating in green.

What’s your favorite hydrologic feature and why?

Honestly, I enjoy a well-designed bioswale with diverse landscaping. Working in stormwater, I’ve learned that green infrastructure can be functional and aesthetically pleasing.

What is the best vacation you’ve taken?

I’m currently on a getaway vacation in Paso Robles California with my best friends, but the best vacation I’ve ever taken was visiting my dad stationed in Korea.

Where in the world do you want to travel next?

I really want to go to Portugal!  It seems like the perfect blend of metro and nature. If I could, I would love to retire there when the time comes.

Hydrologic Impacts of Water Resources Development

(a review of commonly overlooked hydrologic impacts)

By: Anand Prakash, Ph.D., P.E., P.H., F.ASCE, FIE

Capital and operation costs and the ensuing benefits are by far the most dominant determinant for the viability of any water resources development project. However, a cursory review of the analyses of a few recently completed projects indicates that some, relatively obscure, quantifiable and non-quantifiable hydrologic impacts and associated environmental costs are not adequately accounted for in the decision-making process. Examples of such implicit, though inherent, hydrologic impacts are identified herein. 

Quantifiable Perpetual Watershed Management – Perpetual floodplain management is necessitated due to continuing long-term alterations of the floodplain and potential future (almost permanent) damage to the hydrologic environment attributable to the project. A simple approach for continuing watershed management is to ensure that a constant amount of annual floodplain management fund, R1, is available in perpetuity. This amount has to be estimated by the project team based on judgment and experience. With an annual discount rate, i, the capitalized value over the project life, N, is given by, C1 = R1 [{(1+i) N – 1}/{ i (1+i)N }]. For perpetuity, with a large value of N, this gives C1 ≈ [ R1 / i ].      

Quantifiable Infrequent Flood Damages – These are damages due to flood events exceeding the design basis, which may occur during the project life. This cost may not be explicitly specified in project estimates, but has to be incurred periodically as special repairs. Quantification of such damages includes hydrologic modeling and economic analysis to develop a table of flood exceedance probability, Pk, versus damage, Dk, for selected return periods, k, above the design basis flood, arranged in descending order of Pk; and computation of incremental probability, ΔPk = (Pk – Pk+1); and the corresponding average damage, Davk = [(Dk + Dk+1)/2]. The expected annual damage, R2, is estimated as R2 = ∑ (Davk ΔPk) = ∫ Dk dPk and capitalized over the project life as C2 = R2 [{(1+i)N – 1}/{ i (1+i)N }].  The summation or integral goes from a low value of Pk indicative of catastrophic damages to a threshold (high) value of Pk, above which flood damages are considered insignificant. The lower limit may correspond to the design basis flood for the project. 

Quantifiable Consequences of Hydrologic Failure – A scary psychological concern related to major hydraulic structures, particularly dams, is that a major component may fail during the hydrologic event of probability, P, which exceeds the design basis flood. It may be worthwhile to consider insurance, indemnification, or some other compensation for such a hydrologic failure. Even though failure may or may not occur during the project life, the scare, though intangible, can result in real and involuntary hydrologic damage, and its causation is the project. Conceptually, the hydrologist, with the help of an economist, may estimate the present value, V, of failure consequences due to a flood of probability P. Statistically, the probability of failure in the nth year with no failure up to year n-1, is Pn = P (1-P) (n-1). So, expected present value of failure in the nth year = V P [(1-P) (n-1)] and expected insurance cost, C3, for N years of project life is, ∑ V P[(1-P) (n-1)]; the summation is from n = 1 to N. This gives, C3 = V{1-(1-P) N}.                                                                              

Non-Quantifiable Impacts – In addition to quantifiable impacts, there are hydrologic impacts which are not amenable to numeric quantification. Qualitative assessment of such impacts would require detailed hydrologic modeling for the affected surface and groundwater environment. One example of such impacts includes resettlement for which the hydrologist delineates the zone of evacuation to accommodate project structures. The compensation for evacuees must include a one-time payment to legal landowners and social cost for resettlement, rehabilitation, and development of the displaced population to an equivalent or better living standard. This must also include remedial or compensatory measures for the loss or dislocation of wildlife, fisheries, aquatic biota, forests, vegetation, unique historic features, and threatened or endangered plant and animal habitat. Other examples include project impacts on the floodplains and water quality including enhanced waterlogging potential downstream and safe decommissioning of project features at the end of the project life to ensure minimal impacts on future hydrologic environment. Despite being intractable in terms of present value, these impacts must be included in project costs.

Prudent decision making requires that due weight be given to all conceivable tangible and intangible hydrologic and environmental impacts, benefits, and leverage, and a consensus-based iterative process be used to finalize project planning in preference to the commonly used benefit-cost ratio based solely on quantifiable investments and revenues.

About Author

The author is a water resources engineer and has been working in the field for over sixty years. His professional activities include hydrologic and hydraulic analyses involving surface and groundwater flows, contaminant transport and designs of hydraulic structures (dams, spillways, tailings dams, riverine structures, groundwater pumping and dewatering wells, etc.) related to about 200 projects worldwide.