Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Water and Wastewater (Face-to-Face)

CE 4410-01

Course: CE 4410-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ET
CRN: 10670

Course Description

The Water and Wastewater course examines the needs for water quality and how to achieve it by drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment, and other water-quality control strategies. The course covers both the design of water supply systems and urban drainage systems. Design of water supply systems includes groundwater wells, surface water intakes, pipelines, pumping, storage reservoirs, and water distribution systems. Design of urban/municipal drainage systems includes sanitary sewer systems, sewage pumping stations, and appurtenances and special structures. (Spring [As Needed]) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): (ME 3300 and ME 3305) or CM 3270 or CCET 3670 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: D-

Required Texts

No textbook is required. Students will use instructor-generated and Web-based materials and their experience in heavy civil construction projects.

Required Software:
  • EPANET, 
  • Bentley WaterGEMS, 
  • SewerGEMS, 
  • Flow 3D Hydro, 
  • Sewer Inspection Data, and 
  • Wastewater Modeling.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Fundamental Principles of Water and Wastewater Treatment
  • Explain the fundamental principles governing water quality protection and treatment processes.
  • Describe the theory and conceptual design behind physical, chemical, and biological treatment systems, including sedimentation, filtration, disinfection, and sludge handling.
  • Analyze reactor theory, process kinetics, and process models relevant to water and wastewater treatment systems.
Design of Water Supply and Distribution Systems
  • Apply engineering principles to design and evaluate water distribution systems, including pressure zones, demand analysis, and hydraulic modeling.
  • Select appropriate materials, valves, appurtenances, and hydraulic controls needed for efficient water distribution.
  • Prepare preliminary designs for water supply pipelines, surface water intake structures, groundwater wells, and storage reservoirs.
Wastewater Collection and Pumping Systems
  • Develop preliminary designs for wastewater collection systems in accordance with U.S. standards (including NSF/ANSI/CAN).
  • Evaluate hydraulic requirements for sanitary sewer systems, including gravity sewers, manholes, and flow conditions.
  • Design sewage pumping stations by determining pump requirements, wet well sizing, controls, and operational considerations.
Water and Wastewater Treatment Process Design
  • Design preliminary and secondary treatment units used in water and wastewater treatment facilities, applying fundamental engineering principles.
  • Evaluate and select appropriate treatment processes based on influent characteristics, regulatory requirements, and environmental objectives.
  • Integrate natural treatment systems and engineered treatment approaches into conceptual plant layouts.
Systems Analysis and Engineering Judgement
  • Identify and analyze critical issues in planning, designing, and operating treatment facilities under current and future regulatory constraints.
  • Apply mathematical models, mass balance principles, and engineering judgment to solve complex water and wastewater treatment problems.
  • Assess tradeoffs between process efficiency, cost, sustainability, and regulatory compliance when designing treatment components.
Application of Engineering Tools and Techniques
  • Use modern engineering techniques and analytical tools for the design and assessment of treatment processes, distribution systems, and sewer networks.
  • Apply computational methods, hydraulic calculations, and data interpretation techniques relevant to water and wastewater engineering practice.
Professionalism, Ethics, and Sustainability
  • Demonstrate understanding of ethical and professional responsibilities related to public health, environmental protection, and societal impacts of water and wastewater systems.
  • Evaluate design decisions considering global, environmental, social, and economic contexts.
  • Communicate technical recommendations clearly to stakeholders, regulators, and community entities.
Independent Learning and Knowledge Integration
  • Acquire and apply new technical knowledge as needed to address evolving water and wastewater challenges using appropriate learning strategies.
  • Integrate scientific, engineering, and regulatory principles to develop comprehensive solutions for water and wastewater infrastructure.
Mapping to ABET Civil Engineering Outcomes
This course contributes to the development of:
  • Outcome 1: Ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems using engineering, science, and mathematics.
  • Outcome 2: Ability to apply engineering design addressing public health, safety, welfare, and environmental considerations.
  • Outcome 4: Ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities and understand global, societal, and environmental impacts.
  • Outcome 7: Ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed.

Course Requirements

To successfully complete CE 4410, students are expected to engage in lectures, assignments, laboratory practices, computer labs, demonstrations, design projects, and examinations. The total course grade is based on 1,000 points, distributed as follows:
1. Class Participation – 100 points
  • Active participation is essential for learning the engineering principles behind water quality protection and treatment systems. Students are expected to contribute to class discussions, engage in case studies, and participate in problem-solving sessions that support understanding of water and wastewater processes.
2. Hands-On Assignments and Quizzes – 100 points
  • Assignments and quizzes reinforce concepts taught during lectures by requiring students to apply theoretical knowledge to practical examples. These tasks may include calculations, short design exercises, conceptual questions, and application-based problems involving treatment processes, hydraulics, and distribution/collection system design.
3. Computer Labs (Individual Evaluation) – 100 points
Students will complete structured labs using industry-standard software tools such as:
  • EPANET – hydraulic analysis of water distribution systems
  • Bentley WaterGEMS & SewerGEMS – modeling of water and wastewater networks
  • Flow 3D Hydro – computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for hydraulic structures
  • Sewer inspection and wastewater modeling tools
 These labs strengthen students’ ability to analyze, model, and evaluate water supply and wastewater systems using modern engineering software.
4. Laboratory Practices – 100 points
Students will gain hands-on experience with essential water and wastewater testing procedures, including:
  • Conductivity and total solids
  • pH and standard solution preparation
  • Chlorides and hardness (calcium hardness)
  • Nitrogen analysis and spectrophotometry
  • Turbidity, sulfates, and dissolved oxygen
These laboratory activities provide practical insight into water quality assessment and treatment process monitoring.
5. Term Project (Group Evaluation) – 100 points
The term project includes Design of Water Supply Systems and Design of Wastewater Systems, focusing on:
  • Water Supply System Design:
    • Water supply design considerations
    • Surface water intake structure design
    • Well design
    • Water storage and distribution systems
    • Structural design of water tanks
    • Pump stations and hydraulic controls
    • Pressure release, check, and tank valves
  • Wastewater Treatment and Collection Design:
    • Process analysis and treatment system selection
    • Wastewater network and pumping system design
    • Wastewater hydraulics and pumping optimization
    • Instrumentation, controls, and plant automation
    • Facility condition assessment and rehabilitation planning
    • Solids treatment, biosolids management, and co-digestion
    • Energy efficiency and methane-to-CNG conversion strategies
6. Problem-Solving Tutorials
  • Regular tutorial sessions guide students through complex engineering problems related to hydraulics, treatment processes, mass balances, chemical dosing, and network analysis. Tutorials help students strengthen analytical skills and prepare for exams.
7. Mid-Term and Final Exams – 400 points
Two major exams evaluate students’ mastery of water and wastewater engineering concepts, including:
  • Treatment process theory and kinetics
  • Reactor design principles
  • Hydraulic calculations for distribution and collection systems
  • Water quality concepts and laboratory analysis
  • Design principles for water supply and wastewater treatment systems
  • Exams include computational problems, conceptual questions, design evaluations, and application-based scenarios.

Total: 1,000 Points
  • Successful completion of CE 4410 requires consistent engagement in lectures and labs, timely completion of assignments, effective participation in group design work, and firm performance on computer labs and examinations.

Course Outline

WEEKS 1–2 (Thursdays)
PART (1): WATER & WASTEWATER HYDRAULIC AND STRUCTURAL DESIGN
Instructor: Dr. Mohamed Askar
1. Water Demand and Supply Design Considerations
  • Design period
  • Unit water use
  • Variability of demand
  • Water sources: surface water, groundwater, reclaimed wastewater
  • Plant sizing and facility layout
WEEKS 3–4 (Thursdays)
2. Intake Structures Design and Surface Water
  • Intake design elements
  • Intake tower hydraulic design
  • Intake crib hydraulic design
  • Intake conduit hydraulic design
  • Intake wet wells
  • Intake pump capacity
WEEKS 5–6 (Thursdays)
3. Wells Design and Groundwater
  • Well design elements and construction
  • Hydraulic analysis of wells
  • Number & location of wells
  • Pump selection and capacity
  • Well diameter, depth, and screen configuration
  • Screen entrance velocity
  • Pump power requirements
WEEK 7 (Thursdays)
4. Water Storage and Distribution System Design
  • Demand estimates: fire flow, peak-hour demand, design flow
  • Service pressure requirements and system design criteria
WEEKS 8–9 (Thursdays)
4. Water Storage and Distribution System Design (Continued)
5. Pipe Network Design
  • Pipe material selection
  • Pipe diameter and spacing
  • Hydraulic design equations
  • Minor losses
  • Network evaluation
  • Valve selection
  • Hydrant spacing
6. Storage Tank Design
  • Terminology, tank levels, volume, and location
7. Pump Selection
  • Pump types
  • Parallel/series operation
8.  Network Analysis
9. EPANET Modeling Applications
10. Bentley WaterGEMS Modeling Applications
WEEKS 10–12 (Thursdays)
11. Structural Design of Water Tanks
  • Design loads
  • Rectangular reinforced concrete tanks
  • Above-ground cylindrical tanks (flexible & rigid joints)
  • Reinforced concrete tower (elevated) tanks
WEEKS 13–14 (Thursdays)
12. Wastewater Network Analysis and Design
  • Manholes, lift stations, inverted siphons
  • Predesign activities
  • Gravity sewer network design:
  • Flow estimation
  • Pipe selection
  • Slope, alignment, manholes, transitions
  • Sewer layout and branch design
  • Alternative sewer systems: SDG, pressure, vacuum
  • Pump station design
  • Bentley SewerGEMS modeling applications

PART (2): WATER & WASTEWATER TREATMENT
Instructor: Prof. Barney


WEEKS 1 & 2 (Tuesdays)
1. Introduction to Wastewater
Water supply → wastewater generation
Wastewater quality characteristics
WEEKS 3 & 4 (Tuesdays)
2. Sanitary Sewer Systems (Prof. Askar)
Quantities of sewage
Sewage layout concepts
Flow in partially filled sewers
Collection system design
Pump station design
WEEKS 5 & 6 (Tuesdays)
3. Storm Sewer Systems
  • Runoff quantity estimation
  • IDF curves
  • Rational method for storm sewer design
WEEKS 7 & 8 (Tuesdays)
4. Wastewater Treatment – Fundamentals
  • Aeration processes
  • Facultative & aerated lagoons
  • Disinfection (chlorination)
  • Sand filtration
  • Activated sludge systems
WEEKS 9 & 10 (Tuesdays)
5. Reactor Tanks
  • Complete mix tanks
  • First-order reaction kinetics
  • Plug-flow reactors
  • Dispersed-flow systems
  • Tanks-in-series
  • Residence time distribution (RTD)
WEEKS 11 & 12 (Tuesdays)
6. Sedimentation Tanks
  • Sedimentation theory
  • Basic design
  • Flocculation
  • Water softening
  • Adsorption & ion exchange
WEEKS 13 & 14 (Tuesdays)
7. Granular Filtration
  • Filter media characteristics
  • Filtration theory
  • Hydraulics of granular filters
  • Filtration system operations

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

  1. Missed Lectures: Students are responsible for all material covered in class during an absence. Students who are absent from a lecture should ask a classmate or the instructor for lecture notes. The PowerPoint slides do not cover everything discussed in class. 
  2. Missed/Late Assignments: Contact the instructor to check about missed assignments. Students are responsible for completing assignments made on time during their absence. Assignments handed in late will be penalized 15% of the total point value for each class day late.
  3. Missed Quizzes: Quizzes are usually given during the first 10 minutes of class. There will be no makeups for missed quizzes. 
  4. Missed Labs: In-class portions of the labs cannot be made up. An absence will result in a 0 for that day’s lab activity, and the lowest lab grade will be dropped. When students are asked to finish a lab at home, labs handed in late will be penalized 15% of the total point value for each class day late.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is required for Face-to-Face, Synchronous Remote, or Hybrid courses. If you are ill, you may request that a faculty member record the class and share it with you or request other reasonable accommodations. Your instructor will work with you to develop a plan for completing coursework. To receive academic accommodations and ensure that your request is communicated to faculty, you must submit this self-report form.

Course Fees

N/A

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.