BOOK REVIEWS
policies will benefit from the book as the content can lead to
Review of Curve Number Hydrology: State
of the Practice by R. H. Hawkins,
T. J. Ward, D. E. Woodward, and
J. A. Van Mullem
ASCE, Reston, VA 20191-4400; ISBN 978-0-7844-1004-2.
R. H. McCuen
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Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-
3021. E-mail: rhmccuen@eng.umd.edu
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not
simpler.”
Albert Einstein 共1879–1955兲
Vic Mockus followed Dr. Einstein’s advice when he developed
the runoff curve number 共CN兲. He provided a simple-to-use
method that was not overly simplified. I imagine that Vic was
trying to solve an immediate problem when he donned his inno-
vation cap and put together the CN method. At that time, I doubt
that he realized the extent in both time and space that his creativ-
ity would impact the discipline of hydrology. The CN method
continues to be used a half-century later and all over the world.
We should all be so lucky to have such a legacy. The simplicity of
the CN method is certainly a factor in its widespread use, but the
CN was designed in a way that it was sufficiently flexible and
could be used for a wide variety of problems in planning, design,
and evaluation.
This book by Hawkins, Ward, Woodward, and Van Mullem is
a must read for every person who deals with hydrology. The book
would be useful to a student because 共1兲 it provides a basic back-
ground on the CN method, and 共2兲 it demonstrates that structural
simplicity and conceptual complexity can be achieved simulta-
neously. It is important for students of hydrology to recognize the
implications of CN use even though it is computationally simple.
The book is not intended as a primary text for a university course,
but it would be valuable as a supplemental text. The book con-
tains important knowledge for the hydrologic designer as it de-
scribes the constraints and limitations of the method, which
should help in deciding whether or not to apply the method or use
a more complex procedure. Fundamental issues such as return
period equivalency, drainage area limitations, and nonhomogene-
ity are discussed and would be relevant when using the method in
design. The book will be of value to those in research because the
book identifies limits of the method, all of which offer the oppor-
tunity to conduct research that could lead to improvements in a
method that is a centerpiece of hydrology. Just a few CN issues
mentioned where research is needed include the adaptation of the
CN model to continuous moisture accounting models, identifying
and evaluating reasons for storm-to-storm variation of CN, and
remote sensing assessment of CNs. The book also acts as a com-
prehensive literature review of the subject, which will help pro-
vide a good starting point for research. The reference list is very
comprehensive, with entries to 2007. Those who are responsible
for developing drainage manuals, design practices, or storm-water
1046 / JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGIC ENGINEERING © ASCE / SEPTEMBER 2009
J. Hydrol. Eng., 2009, 14(9): 1046-1047
guidelines for proper practice with curve number hydrology, such
as on the issues of antecedent moisture or the initial abstraction
coefficient. In summary, the book contains something for every-
one.
The 73-page book 共plus 33 pages of appendices, including 27
pages of references and bibliography兲 is divided into four chap-
ters. The chapters after the introductory chapter focus on the
curve number method, findings, and development, and then the
concluding chapter, which is far more knowledge-meaty than
would be suggested by its title or length. Chapter 1 共“Introduc-
tion”兲 is a potpourri of well-written thoughts, including some his-
torical notes, clarifying points about just what constitutes the
curve number method, and its roles in applications.
In Chapter 2 共“Curve Number Method”兲, the basic method is
described and then followed by important points about its appli-
cation. The content initiates discussions of controversial topics
such as the assumption of equivalent return periods of rainfall and
runoff, the questionable drainage area limitation on the CN
method, and whether or not the CN method implies an infiltration
model. Definitive answers to these issues are not given, nor
should they be expected, as these are unanswered questions
throughout the domain of hydrologic modeling. Many of these
application concerns are relevant to other hydrologic methods
such as unit hydrograph modeling. The chapter discusses many
other issues 共e.g., soils, units兲 that every reader has needed to
consider. It is important that these points are raised in the book, as
they are central to its proper application and, in some way, serve
as red flags about the use of the CN method.
Chapter 3 共“Findings and Developments”兲 includes discus-
sions of many aspects of the CN method from its sensitivity to the
calibration of CNs, from a component like the initial abstraction
to the issue of antecedent soil moisture, and from GIS and remote
sensing applications to current practices. With such a diverse
array of subjects, it is difficult to summarize the content of the
chapter. Let it suffice to say that those who are intending to use
the CN method should be familiar with all of these issues. The
book provides a concise, well-written summary of each topic. The
discussion demonstrates that the CN method is much more than a
simple estimation method that uses a rainfall depth and a number
taken from a table. The model has implications of watershed
losses and their time distribution when the CN equation is applied
with a time distribution of rainfall. While the discussions are
brief, they are sufficient to provide a reasonably full understand-
ing of the issues. If the references cited are consulted, the cover-
age is fully adequate.
Chapter 4 共“Summary, Conclusion, Discussion, and Recom-
mendations”兲 is a “must read” for the researcher. The content of
this eight-page chapter is rich in research needs. The current sta-
tus of the CN method is discussed with respect to issues such as
continuous modeling, its universality, the Ia versus S coefficient,
and calibration to local conditions. These are just a few of the
issues discussed, but it will generate considerable thought to any-
one who has ever used CN hydrology. The curious researcher can
use the content of the chapter to conduct research on the CN
method.
A book review should identify both the strong points and weak
 points of the book. The breadth of coverage in Curve Number
Hydrology is certainly a strong point, but increased depth of cov-
erage on a few topics would have been helpful. The extensive list
of references and bibliography is a definite positive. Also, the
authors avoided drawing conclusions that were unsupported by
analyses; therefore, the discussions are unbiased. A more com-
plete CN table would have been helpful. A more comprehensive
index would also be helpful to the reader. All in all, the positives
overwhelm the negatives. I suspect that this book will be widely
read and widely referenced, as it should be. In some ways, the
book is a history book that focuses on one narrow but important
part of the growth of the field of hydrologic analysis and design.
Many of the CN topics discussed are relevant to other hydrologic
methods, such as the calibration of the coefficients, the return
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period issue, and the effects of soils. If a book was written about
the rational method or continuous simulation, the structure used
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGIC ENGINEERING © ASCE / SEPTEMBER 2009 / 1047
J. Hydrol. Eng., 2009, 14(9): 1046-1047
by the authors in writing Curve Number Hydrology: State of the
Practice would be good model.
“Never worry about theory as long as the machinery does
what it is supposed to do.”
Attributed to Robert A. Heinlein 共1907-1988兲 novelist and
science fiction writer
In the Hawkins et al. book, many of the concerns about the
basis for the CN methods are discussed. These issues should be of
concern to some users, especially those using CNs in design.
However, the decades of successful use of the CN method sug-
gests that it is a piece of hydrologic machinery that works and
works very well. Experience has shown that the CN “machinery”
does what it is supposed to do in spite of the questions about the
underlying theory. I expect that the CN method will continue to
serve the hydrologic community for decades to come.