ENVE 573Contaminant Transport

Units: 0.50
Faculty: Engineering
Subject: Environmental Engineering

When it runs

Ran in 1 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Importance and complications associated with environmental modelling, the model building process, limitations, and measures of success. Types of contaminants; transport phenomena with a focus on advection-dispersive transport; development of governing equations; types and utility of boundary and initial conditions; and mass balance considerations. Review of completely mixed systems including lakes, streams, source functions, feedback systems, and toxic substance models. Model calibration, sensitivity, and uncertainty; methods and approaches. Solute transport models and solution techniques including random walk, method of characteristics, finite difference method and finite volume method. Aspects of multiphase flow (gas/water and NAPL/water systems) with an emphasis on groundwater problems. Introduction to mass removal technologies for remediation of soil and groundwater systems.

Prerequisites

Complete all of the following
- Must have completed the following:
  - ENVE225 - Environmental Modelling (0.75)
  - ENVE375 - Physico-Chemical Processes (0.50)
- Complete 1 of the following
  - Complete all of the following
    - Students must be in level 3B or higher
    - Enrolled in H-Environmental Engineering
  - Complete all of the following
    - Students must be in level 4B
    - Enrolled in H-Chemical Engineering, H-Civil Engineering, or H-Geological Engineering

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
Section	Class	Enrolled	Meets
LEC 001	7863	0 / 60	TTh 11:30–12:50
LEC 701	8198	25 / 9999	Online or by arrangement
TUT 101	7866	0 / 60	M 15:30–16:20

Reviewed on UW Flow

100% liked it17% easy92% useful

From 3 ratings and 3 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

Remember the complicated problems from modelling that Brush alluded to but didn't make you do? This course is for those problems. It's basically modelling 2. If you liked modelling, highly recommend this course as it's a similar structure just with more variables to consider in each problem. The codes for each problem are usually modified versions of codes in the lectures so as long as you know how to modify code in matlab, most of the framework is given to you. The problems are difficult and require some thought so don't do assignments the night before.

Sep 2025 · liked itOn UW Flow Remove this
Fun course but unless you’re very proficient in matlab or very good at excel do not take this. The assignments are quite difficult and generally do not show you any code so you must already know how to solve ODE and so on

Jan 2024 · liked itOn UW Flow Remove this
Super fun course and long as your code works. Basically a continuation of the endless "calculus for environmental engineers" type courses (which I didn't like, but did enjoy this course), luckily limited handwritten math here as most assignments are solved via matlab's ODE functions. Quite technical, should be a List 1 TE for enviros imo, not sure why it's in List 2.

Dec 2023 · liked itOn UW Flow Remove this

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