Water Transportation Depth

[Suns Den]

I debating which depth to take and would like some of our seniors to shed some light.

WaterResources

Pros:

Cons:

Transportation

Pros:

Cons:

Thanks in advance

 

[IlPadrino]

Here is my perspective...

Transportation requires more references (and so you've got to spend more time becoming familiar with them) and design experience will make it easier.

Water resources requires one reference (the CERM - though I don't think the hydrology is enough), and design experience doesn't really add much accept an intuitive sense about some solutions.

I don't think anyone can go wrong with water resources... it's whether another depth is more "right" for a person.

 

[Suns Den]

Here is my perspective...
Transportation requires more references (and so you've got to spend more time becoming familiar with them) and design experience will make it easier.

Water resources requires one reference (the CERM - though I don't think the hydrology is enough), and design experience doesn't really add much accept an intuitive sense about some solutions.

I don't think anyone can go wrong with water resources... it's whether another depth is more "right" for a person.

Thanks Sraymond, I am little worried about the Environmental for the water which goes really deep in Metcalf

 

[IlPadrino]

Thanks Sraymond, I am little worried about the Environmental for the water which goes really deep in Metcalf

I took and passed the exam last April for the first time with only the CERM and Testmasters notes. I, too, was worried about the Environmental so spent some time (5-10 hours) going over water treatment chemistry (equivalent weights, pH, alkalinity, hardness, precipitation) and didn't see much return on that investment. The wastewater was pretty basic stuff, if I remember right, but for sure I didn't prepare much past BOD, oxygen deficit, and flows. The groundwater was very straightforward and no more difficult than water resources to prepare.

As I've said many time before, I really appreciated the Testmasters notes because it gave me confidence to work only to its depth rather than all of the CERM. Perhaps that was a false confidence and I passed by the skin of my teeth... who knows? To do it again, I'd get another reference for hydology but that's it.

 

[Guest]

^^^ I completely agree with IlPadrino's statements in regards to Tranportation Depth vs. Water Resources Depth. When I took the exam for the last time I took the WR depth module. I felt that the problems for the WR portion of the depth and those for the Env section were fair in terms of the quantitative solutions. Some of the qualitative problems were a real bugaboo.

I would also pick up a good hydrology book in addition to the CERM. I am partial to Ram Gupta's Hydrology and Hydraulic Systems book. It is an older text but provides excellent coverage of hydraulics and hydrology.

Best of luck!

JR

 

[NCcarguy]

The addition of the Environmental piece in the afternoon is what's been keeping me from taking that afternoon module. I KNOW I would lay an egg on that piece.

 

[Suns Den]

also heard a lot of people take Transportation and so the scope of error is much less then compared to Water, Is it true? or is it just :BS:

 

[ALBin517]

I debating which depth to take and would like some of our seniors to shed some light.
WaterResources

Pros:

Cons:

Transportation

Pros:

Cons:

Thanks in advance

I passed in April (transportation - first attempt).

Simply procuring your references will get you halfway home on the transportation afternoon.

Knowing where everything is in the books - that is the other half.

But I was a toss-up between transportation and water myself. What it came down to for me was not wanting to volunteer myself for any more environmental than necessary. That and having a good friend who offered to loan his books after he recently passed transportation.

 

[Suns Den]

I passed in April (transportation - first attempt).
Simply procuring your references will get you halfway home on the transportation afternoon.

Knowing where everything is in the books - that is the other half.

But I was a toss-up between transportation and water myself. What it came down to for me was not wanting to volunteer myself for any more environmental than necessary. That and having a good friend who offered to loan his books after he recently passed transportation.

Thanks ALB,

Let me ask you, what are the most important references.

I do have the AASHTO Green Book 2001 with updated sheets for 2004, HCM,and MUTCD.

what are the other must haves and desireables.

 

[Road Guy]

Whats your background? more water or more dirt/transpo?

But if you can learn your way around the HCM and Green Book the transpo isnt that bad, but there are a ton of charts & hidden formulas in both of those books, plus the roadside design guide, and you get those bonus geotech questions that we all hate.

 

[Suns Den]

Whats your background? more water or more dirt/transpo?
But if you can learn your way around the HCM and Green Book the transpo isnt that bad, but there are a ton of charts & hidden formulas in both of those books, plus the roadside design guide, and you get those bonus geotech questions that we all hate.

umm... I have little bit of both (would say half and half in the past 4 years). I have not done much design though in transpo mostly rehabs and construction, as far as water goes you know we do less of the stuff solving or see in the exam and more usage of computer programs, what the "hec"! right.

you got me thinking on GeoTech, what are the types of questions in this area we can expect (the bonus once).