06/15/2026
A new open hydrology textbook is in the works and CUAHSI is helping make it last.
Backed by a VIVA Open Education grant, a team led by co-editors JP Gannon (Virginia Tech), Dom Ciruzzi (William & Mary), and Christa Kelleher (Lafayette College) is writing a purpose-built, openly licensed textbook for introductory college hydrology courses. Ten chapter authors from across the country, a librarian project manager, and an instructional designer round out the team, and ten institutions have already committed to adopting the book.
The project targets a gap the editors identified in a study of 43 introductory hydrology syllabi, recently published in Water Resources Research. Syllabi from this study will inform the chapters and topics addressed in the book. Specifically, authors are excited to include material on modern topics like human impacts on the water cycle, climate change, and watershed modeling, in addition to more classic hydrology topics.
CUAHSI will host an interactive HTML version of the book and its source code at no charge, ensuring free, durable access alongside the Pressbooks, PDF, EPUB, and print editions distributed through VIVA Publishing and/or Virginia Tech Press.
Writing begins at a Virginia Tech workshop in summer 2026, with classroom piloting in spring 2027 and publication targeted for fall 2027. The team is hopeful this will be a useful resource for the community that will save students money.
Stay in the loop or pitch in: sign up for updates and/or tell us about hydrology data, images, or real-world examples you'd share for the book by filling out this short form.
Hosting of this textbook is supported through CUAHSI’s Open Learning initiatives. Learn more about our Open Learning Initiatives during our Virtual Open House on June 24th!
Thank you for your interest in our upcoming Introductory Hydrology textbook! Please fill out this form to stay updated and explore potential collaboration opportunities.
