ABSTRACT
The Roman civilization was the next to make major contributions to water resources management. Roman engineering was generally based on the intensive application of simple principles. Contemporary writers often point out that the Romans contributed little to pure science. The 18th century brought Bernoulli's equation, Chezy's formula and further improvement in measurements of precipitation and flow velocity. In the 20th century quantitative hydrology continued to use empirical approaches to solve practical hydrological problems, and slowly started to replace empiricism with the analysis of observed data. The water resources management profession is involved in seeking solutions to problems which have a complex impact on society. The range of solutions must be determined and evaluated in terms of life improvements, resource commitments, public health and safety. The management role emphasizes the need to examine all possible alternatives that could lead to more efficient use of available resources, protecting the environment while meeting the sometimes conflicting demands of the public.
