Chair of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering

Members of the Chair of Hydraulic Engineering teach at all three study cycles at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering. At the undergraduate studies (first cycle) we participate at or coordinate the courses: Hydrology, Building Technologies in Water Science, Introduction to Drainage Engineering, Engineering Hydraulics, Introduction to Environmental Engineering, Technological Processes, Technology and Natural Disasters and Their Impact on Environment, Space and Society. At the second cycle master studies we teach the courses: Hydrological modelling, Drainage and Irrigation, Water Science, Hydraulic Structures, Water Power, River Regulation, Slope Processes and Torrents. At the third cycle doctoral studies Built Environment and Environmental Protection the Chair members are coordinators of the courses: Tools and Methods in Research of Built Environment, Hydrologic Measurements and Modelling, Hydrologic and Geotechnical Research on Landslides, Measurements and Modelling of Erosion and Sedimentation, Management of Water Regime, Data Acquisition and Modelling of Earth Surface in Natural Risk Assessment, Ecohydrology and Natural Risks in Alpine Environment. 

In the academic years 2013/14 and 2014/15 the Chair members successfully supervised 54 final theses of students finishing their first and second cycle Bologna studies and pre-Bologna academic studies. One final thesis received the Faculty’s Prešeren Award, one the Research Award of Pomurje and three the Goljevšček Awards.

Teachers in the Chair of Hydraulic Engineering cooperate also in other study programs at the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana (landscape architecture, forestry and renewable sources) and in cooperation with UNESCO-IHE (Delft), Technical University in Dresden and Technical University in Barcelona at the international Erasmus Mundus Master Study Program Flood Risk Management, attended by students from all around the world. Within this program Prof. Mitja Brilly supervised master theses of students from Poland, Vietnam and Mexico.

The Chair is in charge of the research and professional activity in its areas of work. The employees successfully manage and participate in the implementation of projects and tasks at the local, national and international levels. The Chair coordinates the LIFE project Ljubljanica Connects, aimed at improving the living conditions of targeted endangered species in the Ljubljanica river. The main measures to achieve these goals are renovation of fish passes by the barriers at Ambrožev Trg and by the dam in Fužine, renovation of the threshold in Zalog and optimization of the barrier operations at Ambrožev Trg. Within the SedAlp project the Chair was also in charge of the work package dealing with the influence of hydraulic structures on the processes of sediment transport. The project was oriented into holistic management with river sediments in Alpine basins. Within the KULTURisk project dealing with integral flood protection, the Chair was in charge of the workpackage focusing on the influence of structures. The Chair is also active in the IHP UNESCO programme of international decade called More space for waters. We participate at conferences, meetings and IHP events and perform measurements of ecohydraulic monitoring as well as maintain the measuring equipment at established experimental river basins. In the field of flood protection the Chair members participated in the preparation of the NACER model for damage assessment during the floods in the Republic of Croatia and elaborated a project Analysis of flood event in May 2014 in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the river Bosna within additional aid by the Republic of Slovenia. For the needs of the CLIMAPARKS project a hydrological model of the Reka river was elaborated. Within the research project Building the link between flood risk management and climate change assessment in the Sava river basin a hydrological report on the influence of climatic changes on the Sava river flow was prepared. At the national level the Chair successfully finished a project financed by the National Research Agency, titled Analysis of floods using Copula functions. The Chair members are internationally active in studies dealing with landslides in flysch. Thus, we cooperate with the University of Rijeka, Croatia, in a bilateral research project. Our research work dealing with geological and water related threats is connected to the research of some other chairs at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering. This resulted in the foundation of the Institute of Geoenvironmental and Hydrological Threats (RIGHT) at the end of 2014. The Chair helps strengthening the international reputation of the Faculty with its active role in the research of landslides. Consequently, the Faculty has been holding the status of World Centre of Excellence in the area of landslide protection since 2009.

The Chair members publish in visible scientific journals from the JCR index. We work as reviewers for numerous journals and are members of their editorial boards. We take part at national, foreign and international conferences, presenting our work, results and achievements and exchanging experiences and knowledge with international experts.