ABSTRACT
This chapter draws together various strands of knowledge which have been developed separately in the text together with some new concepts. Open channel flows of the steady, varying and unsteady types, hydrology and sediment transport all play a part in river engineering. The vast body of literature which has been produced over the last 100 years bears witness to the fascination, complexity and controversial nature of the subject. There is no complete theoretical approach to many of the problems, though various numerical models can help the engineer to make rough predictions, some of which are described in this chapter. Above all, the engineer concerned with river hydraulics must be a careful observer who uses his knowledge to co-operate with natural laws as far as is possible. Before any major modifications are made to the course of a river, it is usual to institute physical and/or numerical model studies as a check on the viability of the proposals.
