EARTH 458Physical Hydrogeology
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Science
- Subject
- Earth Sciences
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
An introduction to physical hydrogeology, including Darcy's law, the groundwater flow equations for steady-state and transient conditions, applications to flow nets, aquifer testing, groundwater resources, and groundwater protection. The role of groundwater in the hydrologic cycle is explored with emphasis on natural groundwater flow systems and their influence on stream flow. Physical processes controlling groundwater contamination are introduced.
Prerequisites
- Complete 1 of the following
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed the following:
- EARTH123 - Introductory Hydrology (0.50)
- Complete 1 of the following
- Must have completed the following:
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Complete all of the following
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 6984 | 59 / 75 | MWF 10:30–11:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
56% liked it73% easy61% useful
From 34 ratings and 9 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Course is fine enough. I did well in this course because I have taken similar courses in the past. Thank heavens they removed this course from the mandatory environmental engineering courses for future students. If you are a future ENVE student who does not need this course and you are considering it as an elective, stay away!
Other than that, it is definitely a science course. If the answer you give on a test doesn't exactly match the answer they have in the answer key, you will lose all marks for the question. I highly recommend attending the midterm review session because they are much more lenient there – I was able to get back 5 percent or so each time.Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
This course is a lot of work with 2 midterms, a few very substantial assignments, and a completely unessescary final project. Not to hard to get a good grade though as its not too hard to get a good grade on all the different components. There's also lots of opportunities for bonus marks in the course. Content is cool and lecture notes are really good to where you could just learn the whole course from them.
Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Boring. Ta's sucked.
Aug 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Great course for people who are actually interested in this stuff
May 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
This course is essentially a review of things for ENVEs, but it's taught using different language and that makes it annoying. It also is basically useless for ENVEs because you're learning more from the lab course which is also required. The lecture videos are also just the same content in the in-person lectures which are basically tutorials because it's a flipped classroom style course.
Jul 2024 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
6 posts and comments in 6 threads mention EARTH 458, April 2016 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Spring 2024
Want to get ahead before fall 6 points, 8 comments
u/sin_cos_tan_: “I really want to get ahead in courses I’ll be taking this fall - EARTH 458 - PHYS 225 - PHYS 449 Any suggestions from anyone who’s taken these courses as to what I should brush up on right now to go into it a little more prepared? Can’t find any lecture material for these ones”
Spring 2023
EARTH 458 1 point, 0 comments
Winter 2023
EARTH 458 Grade Breakdown 3 points, 3 comments
u/123loststudent: “Whoever took EARTH 458 this semester, what was the grade breakdown?”
Spring 2019
Anyone trying to work on 458 together this term? 3 points, 4 comments
u/reddit_boi_69: “EARTH 458 isn't that hard man c'mon”
Fall 2017
Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments
“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”
u/Jackhofmann: “PSYCH 483 PSYCH 484 PSYCH 485 PSYCH 486 PSYCH 490R PSYCH 499A PSYCH 499B PSYCH 499C PSYCH 621 PSYCH 630 PSYCH 677A PSYCH 704A PSYCH 704B PSYCH 707 PSYCH 710 PSYCH 714 PSYCH 717 PSYCH 720A PSYCH 721A …”
u/Jackhofmann: “… EARTH 235 EARTH 260 EARTH 331 EARTH 342 EARTH 421 EARTH 436A EARTH 436B EARTH 440 EARTH 444 EARTH 458 EARTH 458L EARTH 461 EARTH 499 EARTH 625 EARTH 626 EARTH 627 EARTH 650 EARTH 653 EARTH 668 EARTH 691 EARTH 692 EARTH 695 EASIA 201R EASIA 202R EASIA 203R EASIA 204R EASIA 231R …”
Winter 2016
EARTH 458 1 point, 3 comments
u/droningvarlot: “Just wondering if anyone can tell me anything about EARTH 458? They have a disclaimer on the course calendar claiming a first year calculus course and a second year linear algebra course are recommended but the prof says it isn't math extensive. …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them