Environmental engineering, is the application of science and engineering principles to improve the environment. (The environment described as; air, water, and/or land resources) These engineers, designs, plans, or performs engineering duties for the prevention, control of, and the remediation of polluted sites; the end result is to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation.
These engineers incorporates water and air pollution control, the recycling of resources, proper waste disposal, an oversight into public health issues and a knowledge of environmental engineering law. It also includes the study of the, waste treatment sites and plants, procedures and methods for site remediation, ways to prevent or control pollution, and understanding what and how the environment could be impacted from a proposed construction project.
The environmental engineer, will conduct hazardous-waste management studies to evaluate hazards, advise on treatment and containment, and then develop the regulations to prevent future mishaps. They also design water supply and wastewater treatment systems. They also address environmental issues such as; acid rain, global warming, ozone depletion, and water and air pollution.
Water supply and treatment
The environmental engineer, and scientists work towards securing our water supplies for potable and agricultural use. They evaluate the available water supply, assess the amount of water needed, and they develop systems to store, treat, and convey water for various uses. Water is treated to achieve water quality for the end uses. The potable water supply, is treated to minimize the risk of infectious diseases and illness, and to create a palatable water flavor. Water distribution systems are designed to provide adequate water pressure and flow rates to satisfy the end users needs; the end users are: domestic use, manufacturing and industrial use, fire suppression, and agricultural irrigation.
Wastewater conveyance and treatment
Most urban and many rural areas deposit waste into water and convey it from households via sewer systems. The engineers and scientists have developed collection and treatment systems to carry the waste away from where people live and produce the waste and then discharge it into the environment. There are numerous wastewater treatment technologies that have been develop by the engineers, these technologies basically do this; they remove the waste materials, filter the water, and biologically and organically disinfect the water before discharging it to a surface water stream or ocean outfall.
Air quality management
Engineers, applies scientific and engineering principles to reduce air pollutant emissions to acceptable levels. They utilize scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators, and catalytic converters, to remove particulate matter, and other air pollutants prior to allowing their emission to the atmosphere. Scientists have developed dispersion models to evaluate pollutants at a receptor, and they monitor the overall air quality from vehicle exhausts and industrial flue gas stack emissions. The desire is to decrease carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion processes.
The main task of environmental engineering is to protect the public health, this can be accomplished by protecting, preserving, and enhancing the environment. These are the engineering and scientific fields and disciplines that help to maintain our environment: process engineering, environmental chemistry, water and sewage treatment (sanitary engineering), waste reduction/management, and pollution prevention/cleanup. This is a synthesis of these various disciplines.
The engineers that make up this field do the following duties and tasks, incorporating the skills and abilities as needed for the accomplishment of the work at hand: They collaborate with environmental scientists, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, and other specialists to address environmental problems. The engineers, do through inspections of industrial and municipal facilities to evaluate their effectiveness and ensure compliance with the regulations. The engineering staff designs and supervises the processes and equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality. Finally, the engineering staff provides assistance in the network analysis that is needed, guidance with regulatory analysis, and detailed planning for database development.
For more information on Environmental Engineering, contact American Academy of Environmental Engineers, 130 Holiday Court, Suite 100, Annapolis, MD 21401.
The various engineers that make up this group come from many different disciplines and have many job titles, here is a listing of some of these engineering job titles: Sanitary Engineer, Environmental Analyst, Hazardous Substances Engineer, Regulatory Environmental Compliance Manager, Environmental Remediation Specialist, Air Pollution Control Engineer, Marine Engineer CPVEC (Marine Engineer Commercial Passenger Vessel Environmental Compliance)
Environmental engineering is expected to have employment growth of approximately 30% over the next decade, much faster than the average for all occupations. Because of this employment growth, job opportunities should be favorable.
Well to all of you environmental engineers, thanks for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the environment around us it is cleaner, and we know it will stay that way.
