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Recent Advances in Hydraulic Engineering for Water Infrastructure
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Recent Advances in Hydraulic Engineering for Water Infrastructure

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 1815

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Dariusz Młyński

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sanitary Engineering and Water Management, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Geodesy, The University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Interests: hydrology; hydrometeorology; water management; hydrological modelling; floods; climate change; ecohydrology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydraulic engineering plays a vital role in shaping sustainable development and protecting water resources and the environment. In the face of intensifying climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressure on catchment areas, effective water management has become one of the most critical challenges for engineers, scientists, and decision-makers worldwide. Engineering hydrology, as a discipline focused on the circulation of water in the natural environment, provides essential information for flow modeling, flood risk assessment, and water resource planning under changing climate conditions. Its close integration with hydraulic engineering enables the design of modern, resilient, and intelligent infrastructure systems that combine data analysis with practical technical solutions.

The Special Issue presents the latest developments in hydraulic engineering and water infrastructure. It serves as a platform for knowledge exchange between the academic community and practitioners involved in the design, operation, and modernization of hydraulic structures such as retention reservoirs, dams, canals, levees, and urban drainage and wastewater treatment systems.

This issue aims to showcase innovative solutions, including advanced hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, the integration of spatial data (GIS and remote sensing), and the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in water resource management. It also emphasizes the importance of sustainable infrastructure planning that takes into account both human needs and the protection of aquatic ecosystems.

The included case studies and applied analyses from various regions of the world illustrate how modern water engineering supports adaptation to extreme weather events such as droughts, heavy rainfall, and flash floods. Special attention is given to topics such as river restoration, urban water management, and the integration of green and blue infrastructure with existing technical systems.

This Special Issue is intended for researchers, designers, engineers, and policymakers involved in shaping water policy. It provides a valuable source of current knowledge and inspiration for all those interested in the advancement of water engineering in the context of contemporary and future hydrological challenges.

Dr. Dariusz Młyński
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydraulic engineering
  • water infrastructure
  • climate change adaptation
  • sustainable water management
  • hydrologic and hydraulic modeling

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 8340 KB  
Article
Model Predictive Control for Multi-Objective Optimization of Separate Sewer Networks Based on Dynamic Weights
by Chonghua Xue, Yaxin Ren, Xu Tan, Feng Xiong, Manman Liang, Shengkai Wang, Yimeng Zhao, Fengchang Zhao and Junqi Li
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(11), 5177; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16115177 - 22 May 2026
Viewed by 127
Abstract
Urban separate sewer systems face significant challenges from rainfall-derived infiltration and inflow (RDII) during the wet season. To achieve the integrated optimization of operational safety, energy consumption, and carbon emissions, this study proposes a dynamic optimal control method. A real-time regulation framework was [...] Read more.
Urban separate sewer systems face significant challenges from rainfall-derived infiltration and inflow (RDII) during the wet season. To achieve the integrated optimization of operational safety, energy consumption, and carbon emissions, this study proposes a dynamic optimal control method. A real-time regulation framework was developed by coupling a Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) hydraulic model with a Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) multi-objective optimization algorithm within a Model Predictive Control (MPC) structure. Based on real-time water level risks, the framework adaptively adjusts the priority among three objectives: overflow reduction, pumping station energy consumption, and methane emission potential. Using a real separate sewer network in CZ city as a case study, the method was evaluated under light, moderate, and heavy rainfall scenarios. Results show that, compared with traditional rule-based control (RBC) and fixed-weight static model predictive control (SMPC), the proposed dynamic model predictive control (DMPC) strategy reduces overflow by 37.2% during heavy rain, and achieves 16.5% energy savings and a 15.8% reduction in methane emission potential during light rain. The strategy also balances network storage utilization, mitigates local overload, and demonstrates enhanced robustness to rainfall forecast errors, providing an effective technical solution for safe, energy-efficient, and low-carbon urban drainage operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Hydraulic Engineering for Water Infrastructure)
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20 pages, 10396 KB  
Article
Trend Analysis of Selected Low-Flow Indicators in Catchments of the Vistula River Basin
by Agnieszka Cupak
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(7), 3160; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073160 - 25 Mar 2026
Viewed by 304
Abstract
Climate change is altering the frequency, duration, and seasonality of low flows, which are critical for water availability, ecosystem functioning, and river management. Low-flow characteristics, defining the minimum, often seasonal, flow levels in rivers or streams primarily fed by groundwater, snow or glacier [...] Read more.
Climate change is altering the frequency, duration, and seasonality of low flows, which are critical for water availability, ecosystem functioning, and river management. Low-flow characteristics, defining the minimum, often seasonal, flow levels in rivers or streams primarily fed by groundwater, snow or glacier melt, or lake drainage, are essential for assessing hydrological droughts and water resource vulnerability. In the Upper Vistula River Basin, variable precipitation and rising air temperatures increase the risk of droughts, impacting both natural systems and human water use. This study analyzed long-term trends in annual low flows and associated parameters, including drought frequency, duration, and deficit volume, across 41 small- and medium-sized catchments. Two datasets were considered: 25 stations with 58-year daily discharge records (1961–2019) and 41 stations with 38-year records (1981–2019). Low flows were identified using the threshold level method (TLM) at 70% and 90% exceedance (FDC70 and FDC90). Trends were assessed with the Mann–Kendall test, and spatial drought patterns were mapped to evaluate regional variability. Deep and shallow low flows occurred at all analyzed cross-sections. For the period 1961–2019, deep low flows (FDC90) occurred almost annually in 18 of the 25 cross-sections since 2012. Statistically significant increasing trends in deep low-flow parameters were detected in five cross-sections for 1961–2019 and in seven cross-sections for 1981–2019. Shallow low flows (FDC70) occurred in all sections; four rivers exhibited annual shallow droughts during 1961–2019, whereas 12 rivers showed annual events in 1981–2019. Summer droughts predominated over winter events, reflecting enhanced evapotranspiration and higher seasonal water demand. These findings highlight the relevance of analyzing low-flow parameters for understanding hydrological droughts. Such information can support water resource management, planning, and ecosystem protection under variable climatic conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Hydraulic Engineering for Water Infrastructure)
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20 pages, 3595 KB  
Article
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Water Consumption in a Selected Tourist Destination in Poland
by Tomasz Bergel, Karolina Hap and Małgorzata Kolaj
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(7), 3139; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073139 - 24 Mar 2026
Viewed by 350
Abstract
The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on water consumption in tourist destinations. The city of Ostróda, located in north-eastern Poland in the Warmian-Masurian Province, was selected as the subject of the study. The data for [...] Read more.
The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on water consumption in tourist destinations. The city of Ostróda, located in north-eastern Poland in the Warmian-Masurian Province, was selected as the subject of the study. The data for the analysis was obtained from Przedsiębiorstwo Wodociągów i Kanalizacji Ostróda sp. z o.o. (Ostróda Water Supply and Sewerage Company). It included monthly water consumption in individual consumer groups and the hourly volume of water pumped into the network. The following periods were subjected to a comparative analysis: before (1 January 2018–31 March 2020), during the pandemic (1 April 2020–31 May 2022), and in the phase of easing restrictions (1 June 2022–31 December 2023). Water consumption was analyzed using parametric and non-parametric tests in individual customer groups, with a distinction made between the following sectors: households, non-production services, food industry, wholesale, production services, and other industries. In addition, an analysis was carried out of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the daily and hourly unevenness of water supply to the water supply network in individual research periods. Based on the analyses carried out, it was found that the impact of the pandemic on total water consumption in the water supply system was insignificant, but varied greatly among individual consumer groups. However, the pandemic did not have a major impact on the values of the coefficients of unevenness of water supply to the network or on the volume and times of peak supply. Based on the analyses, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly affect water consumption in households, but significant changes were observed in the industrial and service sectors (η2 = 0.26–0.37; ε2 = 0.36–0.52). There was no significant impact of the pandemic on the values of water supply irregularity coefficients or the size and hours of water supply peaks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Hydraulic Engineering for Water Infrastructure)
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