TOPIC 6

Transportation Engineering and Environmental Engineering

TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

What is transportation?

 Transportation is all about moving goods and

people from one place to another

 It is also Safe, efficient, reliable, and

sustainable movement of persons and goods

over time and space.

What is Transportation engineering?

 Transportation engineering is a type of civil engineering which focuses on the infrastructure of

transportation: all the elements which support the movement of goods and people. Transportation

engineers design runways, build bridges, layout roads and plan docking facilities. They look at

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traffic patterns, determine when new transport facilities are needed and come up with better ways to

get from point A to point B.

 Also Application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design,

operation, and management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide for the

safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatible movement of

people and goods.

The characteristics of transportation system

The characteristics of transportation system that makes it diverse and complex are listed below:

1. Multi-modal: Covering all modes of transport; air, land, and sea for both passenger and freight.

2. Multi-sector: Encompassing the problems and viewpoints of government, private industry, and

public.

3. Multi-problem: Ranging across a spectrum of issues that includes national and international

policy, planning of regional system, the location and design of specific facilities, carrier

management issues, regulatory, institutional and financial policies

4. Multi-objective: Aiming at national and regional economic development, urban development,

environment quality, and social quality, as well as service to users and financial and economic

feasibility.

5. Multi-disciplinary: Drawing on the theories and methods of engineering, economics, operations

research, political science, psychology, other natural, and social sciences, management and law.

The context in which transportation system is studied is also very diverse and are mentioned below:

1. Planning range: Urban transportation planning, producing long range plans for 5-25 years for

multimodal transportation systems in urban areas as well as short range programs of action for less

than five years.

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2. Passenger transport: Regional passenger transportation, dealing with inter-city passenger

transport by air, rail, and highway and possible with new modes.

3. Freight transport: Routing and management, choice of different modes of rail and truck.

4. International transport: Issues such as containerization, inter-modal co-ordination therefore as we

understand from above Transportation Engineering is a very diverse and multidisciplinary field,

which deals with the planning, design, operation and maintenance of transportation systems. Good

transportation is that which provides safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and

environmentally compatible movement of both goods and people. This profession carries a distinct

societal responsibility. Transportation planners and engineers recognize the fact that transportation

systems constitute a potent force in shaping the course of regional development. Planning and

development of transportation facilities generally raises living standards and enhances the

aggregate of community values.

Generally a transportation system has three elements this are

 Infrastructure: which includes Road, canal, rail, air Transfer points Supporting elements

(signs, signals, safety)

 Vehicles: which includes Planes, trains, autos, buses, ships, trucks

 Operators/Content : which includes Drivers, pilots, freight, passengers

History of transportation engineering

Long before cars, snowmobiles and airplanes, humans had migrated to all over the Earth

powered almost exclusively by their feet. Eventually, people got tired of walking around and

carrying everything they needed on their backs. They started to use domesticated animals to carry

goods. They also built machines and devices, like sleds and travois, to help them carry more. In

some parts of the world, they began using the wheel and axle to build carts and carriages. As

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people travelled back and forth, establishing trading routes, well-used paths became more and

more permanent. These paths became the first roads. As time went on, people started to maintain

the roads and look at ways in which they could be made easier to travel, these people were the

first transportation engineers. The strong interrelationship and the interaction between

transportation and the rest of the society especially in a rapidly changing world is significant to a

transportation planner. Among them four critical dimensions of change in transportation system

can be identified; which form the background to develop a right perspective.

1. Change in the demand: When the population, income, and land-use pattern changes, the

pattern of demand changes; both in the amount and spatial distribution of that demand.

2. Changes in the technology: As an example, earlier, only two alternatives (bus transit and rail

transit) were considered for urban transportation. But, now new systems like ITS ,LRT, MRTS, etc

over a variety of alternatives.

3. Change in operational policy: Variety of policy options designed to improve the efficiency, such

as incentive for car-pooling, bus fare, road tolls etc.

4. Change in values of the public: Earlier all beneficiaries of a system was monolithically

considered as users. Now, not one system can be beneficial to all, instead one must identify the

target groups like rich, poor, young, work trip, leisure etc.

Major disciplines of transportation

Transportation engineering can be broadly consisting of the four major parts:

1. Transportation Planning

2. Geometric Design

3. Pavement Design

4. Traffic Engineering

Transportation planning

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Transportation planning essentially involves the development of a transport model which will

accurately represent both the current as well as future transportation system.

Geometric design

Geometric design deals with physical proportioning of other transportation facilities, in contrast

with the structural design of the facilities. The topics include the cross-sectional features,

horizontal alignment, vertical alignment and intersections. Although there are several modes of

travel like road, rail, air, etc.. the underlying principles are common to a great extent. Therefore

emphasis will be normally given for the geometric design of roads.

Pavement analysis and design

Pavement design deals with the structural design of roads, both (bituminous and concrete),

commonly known as (flexible pavements and rigid pavements) respectively. It deals with the

design of paving materials, determination of the layer thickness, and construction and

maintenance procedures. The design mainly covers structural aspects, functional aspects,

drainage. Structural design ensures the pavement has enough strength to withstand the impact of

loads, functional design emphasizes on the riding quality, and the drainage design protects the

pavement from damage due to water infiltration.

Traffic engineering

Traffic engineering covers a broad range of engineering applications with a focus on the safety of

the public, the efficient use of transportation resources, and the mobility of people and goods.

Traffic engineering involves a variety of engineering and management skills, including design,

operation, and system optimization. In order to address the above requirement, the traffic

engineer must first understand the traffic flow behavior and characteristics by extensive collection

of traffic flow data and analysis. Based on this analysis, traffic flow is controlled so that the

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transport infrastructure is used optimally as well as with good service quality. In short, the role of

traffic engineer is to protect the environment while providing mobility, to preserve scarce resources

while assuring economic activity, and to assure safety and security to people and vehicles,

through both acceptable practices and high-tech communications.

Factors in Transportation Development

Transportation develops because of several and frequently overlapping factors. From the many,

the following are important:

Economic Factors

Almost all transport development is economic in origin. The chief preoccupation of the first human

was the procurement of food, shelter and sometimes clothing. As they become more highly

developed their needs increased, often beyond what their local economy could supply. Means of

transporting goods from distant places had to be devised, adding to the costs of the goods thereby

secured. The need for transporting individuals over wider areas also arose. Increasing

transportation productivity and lower unit costs have occurred over the years as the system of

transportation becomes more highly developed and complex.

Geographical Factor

Geography is closely related to economics. The geographical location of natural resources

determines the transport routes that gives access to those resources and create economic utility,

that is, time and place utility, by taking them from a location where they have little values to

processing and consuming areas where their values is vastly increased.

Political Polices

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Political polices frequently play a deciding role in transport development. Basically is in a way to

form integrated political system and control.

Military

The military might of a nation is primarily intended to support its political polices and to provide for

national defense. Consequently, often it has direct influence on transport development.

Technological Factor

Progress in direct and supporting technologies has played an obvious role in transportation, for

instance introduction of new economical transportation mode to the exist system calls for the

development of transportation

Competition

The competitive urges have given a powerful impetus to transport development. Railroads

compete with railroad also with trucks, barges, pipelines and airlines. Airlines have counted

heavily on speed but have also been forced to greater safety and dependability to meet ground

transport competition. No less real is the competition between products and industries tributary to

transport. Bituminous material competes with concrete as the road surface. Diesel won steam but

may face competition with electricity.

Urbanization

The rapid growth of urban areas by an even more rapidly expanding population is a phenomenon

that cannot be overlooked among transport development factors. Accessibility to land and the

intensity of land use are closely related to transport availability.

Role of transportation in society

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Transportation is a non-separable part of any society. It exhibits a very close relation to the style of

life, the range and location of activities and the goods and services which will be available for

consumption. Advances in transportation has made possible changes in the way of living and the

way in which societies are organized and therefore have a great influence in the development of

civilizations. This topic conveys an understanding of the importance of transportation in the

modern society by presenting selected characteristics of existing transportation systems, their use

and relationships to other human activities. Transportation is responsible for the development of

civilizations from very old times by meeting travel requirement of people and transport requirement

of goods. Such movement has changed the way people live and travel. In developed and

developing nations, a large fraction of people travel daily for work, shopping and social reasons.

But transport also consumes a lot of resources like time, fuel, materials and land.

Economic role of transportation

Economics involves production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. People

depend upon the natural resources to satisfy the needs of life but due to non-uniform surface of

earth and due to difference in local resources, there is a lot of difference in standard of living in

Different societies. So there is an immense requirement of transport of resources from one

particular society to other. These resources can range from material things to knowledge and skills

like movement of doctors and technicians to the places where there is need of them. Without the

ability to transport manufactured goods, raw materials, and technical know-how, a country is

simply unable to maximize the comparative advantage it may have in the form of natural or human

resources.

Social role of transportation

Transportation has always played an important role in influencing the formation of urban societies.

Although other facilities like availability of food and water, played a major role, the contribution of

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transportation can be seen clearly from the formation, size and pattern, and the development of

societies, especially urban centers. Formation of settlements: From the beginning of civilization,

the man is living in settlements which existed near banks of major river junctions, a port, or an

intersection of trade routes. Size and Pattern of Settlement: the initial settlements were relatively

small developments but with due course of time, they grew in population and developed into big

cities and major trade centers. The size of settlements is not only limited by the size of the area by

which the settlement can obtain food and other necessities, but also by considerations of personal

travels especially the journey to and from work. The increased speed of transport and reduction in

the cost of transport has resulted in variety of spatial patterns. Growth of Urban Centers: When the

cities grow beyond normal walking distance, then transportation technology plays a role in the

formation of the city. For example, many cities in the plains developed as a circular city with radial

routes, whereas the cities beside a river developed linearly. The development of automobiles and

other factors like increase in personal income, and construction of paved road network, the

settlements were transformed into urban centers of intense travel activity.

Environmental role of transportation

The negative effects of transportation are more dominating than its useful aspects as far as

transportation is concerned. There are numerous categories into which the environmental effects

have been categorized. They are explained in the following sections.

Safety

Growth of transportation has a very unfortunate impact on the society in terms of accidents.

Worldwide death and injuries from road accidents have reached epidemic proportions. Present

indications are that about half a million killed and about 15 million injured on the road accidents

annually. Increased variation in the speeds and vehicle density resulted in a high exposure to

accidents. Accidents result in loss of life and permanent disability, injury, and damage to property.

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Accidents also causes numerous non-quantifiable impacts like loss of time, grief to the near ones

of the victim, and inconvenience to the public. The loss of life and damage from natural disasters,

industrial accidents, or epidemic often receive significant attention from both government and

public. This is because their occurrence is concentrated but sparse. On the other hand, accidents

from transport sector are widespread and occurs with high frequency.

Air Pollution

All transport modes consume energy and the most common source of energy is from the burning

of fossil fuels like coal, petrol, diesel, etc. The relation between air pollution and respiratory

disease has been demonstrated by various studies and the detrimental effects on the planet earth

are widely recognized recently. The combustion of the fuels releases several contaminants into

the atmosphere, including carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, and other

particulate matter. Hydrocarbons are the result of incomplete combustion of fuels. Particulate

matters are minute solid or liquid particles that are suspended in the atmosphere. They include

aerosols, smoke, and dust particles. These air pollutants once emitted into the atmosphere,

undergo mixing and disperse into the surroundings.

Noise Pollution

Sound is acoustical energy released into atmosphere by vibrating or moving bodies whereas noise

is unwanted sound produced. Transportation is a major contributor of noise pollution, especially in

urban areas. Noise is generated during both construction and operation. During construction,

operation of large equipment’s causes considerable noise to the neighborhood. During the

operation, noise is generated by the engine and exhaust systems of vehicle, aerodynamic friction,

and the interaction between the vehicle and the support system (road-tire, rail-wheel). Extended

exposure to excessive sound has been shown to produce physical and psychological damage.

Further, because of its annoyance and disturbance, noise adds to mental stress and fatigue.

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Energy consumption

The spectacular growths in industrial and economic growth during the past century have been

closely related to an abundant supply of inexpensive energy from fossil fuels. Transportation

sector is unbeliever to consume more than half of the petroleum products. The compact of the

shortage of fuel was experienced during major wars when strict rationing was imposed in many

countries. The impact of this had cascading effects on many factors of society, especially in the

price escalation of essential commodities. However, this has few positive impacts; a shift to public

transport system, a search for energy efficient engines, and alternate fuels. During the time of fuel

shortage, people shifted to cheaper public transport system. Policy makers and planners

thereafter gave much emphasis to the public transit which consumes less energy per person. The

second impact was in the development of fuel-efficient engines and devices and operational and

maintenance practices. A fast depleting fossil fuel has accelerated the search for energy efficient

and environment friendly alternate energy source. The research is active in the development of

bio-fuels, hydrogen fuels and solar energy.

Modes of Transportation

Transport modes are the means by which people and freight achieve mobility. They fall into one of

three basic types, depending on over what surface they travel – land (road, rail and pipelines),

water (shipping), and air. Each mode is characterized by a set of technical, operational and

commercial characteristics.

Road transportation

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Road infrastructures are large consumers of space with the lowest level of physical constraints

among transportation modes. However, physiographical constraints are significant in road

construction with substantial additional costs to overcome features such as rivers or rugged

terrain. Road transportation has an average operational flexibility as vehicles can serve several

purposes but are rarely able to move outside roads. Road transport systems have high

maintenance costs, both for the vehicles and infrastructures. They are mainly linked to light

industries where rapid movements of freight in small batches are the norm. Yet, with

containerization, road transportation has become a crucial link in freight distribution.

Rail transportation

Railways are composed of traced paths on which are bound vehicles. They have an average level

of physical constrains linked to the types of locomotives and a low gradient is required, particularly

for freight. Heavy industries are traditionally linked with rail transport systems, although

containerization has improved the flexibility of rail transportation by linking it with road and

maritime modes. Rail is by far the land transportation mode offering the highest capacity with a

23,000 tons fully loaded coal unit train being the heaviest load ever carried.

Pipelines

Pipeline routes are practically unlimited as they can be laid on land or under water. The longest

gas pipeline links Alberta to Sarnia (Canada), which is 2,911 km in length. The longest oil pipeline

is the Transiberian, extending over 9,344 km from the Russian arctic oilfields in eastern Siberia to

Western Europe. Physical constraints are low and include the landscape and pergelisol in arctic or

subarctic environments. Pipeline construction costs vary according to the diameter and increase

proportionally with the distance and with the viscosity of fluids (from gas, low viscosity, to oil, high

viscosity).

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Maritime transportation

Because of the physical properties of water conferring buoyancy and limited friction, maritime

transportation is the most effective mode to move large quantities of cargo over long distances.

Main maritime routes are composed of oceans, coasts, seas, lakes, rivers and channels.

However, due to the location of economic activities maritime circulation takes place on specific

parts of the maritime space, particularly over the North Atlantic and the North Pacific. The

construction of channels, locks and dredging are attempts to facilitate maritime circulation by

reducing discontinuity. Comprehensive inland waterway systems include Western Europe, the

Volga / Don system, St. Lawrence / Great Lakes system, the Mississippi and its tributaries, the

Amazon, the Panama / Paraguay and the interior of China. Maritime transportation has high

terminal costs, since port infrastructures are among the most expensive to build, maintain and

improve. High inventory costs also characterize maritime transportation. More than any other

mode, maritime transportation is linked to heavy industries, such as steel and petrochemical

facilities adjacent to port sites.

Air transportation

Air routes are practically unlimited, but they are denser over the North Atlantic, inside North

America and Europe and over the North Pacific. Air transport constraints are multidimensional and

include the site (a commercial plane needs about 3,300 meters of runway for landing and take off),

the climate, fog and aerial currents. Air activities are linked to the tertiary and quaternary sectors,

notably finance and tourism, which lean on the long distance mobility of people. More recently, air

transportation has been accommodating growing quantities of high value freight and is playing a

growing role in global logistics.

Intermodal transportation

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Concerns a variety of modes used in combination so that the respective advantages of each mode

are better exploited. Although intermodal transportation applies for passenger movements, such

as the usage of the different, but interconnected modes of a public transit system, it is over freight

transportation that the most significant impacts have been observed. Containerization has been a

powerful vector of intermodal integration, enabling maritime and land transportation modes to

more effectively interconnect.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is transportation engineering important?

Providing high efficient traffic flow through ample research and innovative design efforts. To

produce free flow of traffic. Use research to design roadways and highways that increase traffic

safety (strategic implementation of stop signs, traffic signs, and traffic lights)

What is the difference between traffic engineering and transportation engineering?

Transportation Engineering is a broad specialization which deals with various transport modes

including highways, railways, airways and waterways etc. ... Operations and management

involves traffic engineering such as traffic control system, signs, signals etc.

Where do Transportation engineers work?

Employment opportunities are available both in the public sector (e.g., federal and provincial

government transportation ministries, regional and municipal roads, traffic and transit agencies)

and the private sector (e.g., engineering consultants, trucking, railroad and airline companies,

vehicle manufacturing).

What education do you need to be a transportation engineer?

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To become a transportation engineer, earn a bachelor's degree in civil engineering or a related

field. Pursue an internship with a transportation company or civil engineering firm to gain hands-on

experience in planning and designing transportation projects, preparing estimates, and evaluating

traffic patterns.

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Environmental engineering is a job type that is a professional engineering discipline and

takes from broad scientific topics like chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, hydraulics, hydrology,

microbiology, and mathematics to create solutions that will protect and also improve the health of

living organisms and improve the quality of the environment. Environmental engineering is a sub-

discipline of civil engineering and chemical engineering.

Environmental engineering is the application of scientific and engineering principles to improve

and maintain the environment to:

• protect human health,

• protect nature's beneficial ecosystems,

• and improve environmental-related enhancement of the quality of human life.

Environmental engineers devise solutions for wastewater management, water and air

pollution control, recycling, waste disposal, and public health. They design municipal water supply
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and industrial wastewater treatment systems, and design plans to prevent waterborne diseases

and improve sanitation in urban, rural and recreational areas. They evaluate hazardous-waste

management systems to evaluate the severity of such hazards, advise on treatment and

containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps. They implement environmental

engineering law, as in assessing the environmental impact of proposed construction projects.

Environmental engineers study the effect of technological advances on the environment,

addressing local and worldwide environmental issues such as acid rain, global warming, ozone

depletion, water pollution and air pollution from automobile exhausts and industrial sources.

ETYMOLOGY

The word environmental has its root in the late 14th century French word environ (verb),

meaning to encircle or to encompass. The word environment was used by Carlyle in 1827 to

refer to the aggregate of conditions in which a person or thing lives. The meaning shifted again in

1956 when it was used in the ecological sense, where Ecology is the branch of science dealing

with the relationship of living things to their environment.

The second part of the phrase environmental engineer originates from latin roots and was

used in the 14th century French as engignour, meaning a constructor of military engines such as

trebuchets, harquebuses, longbows, cannons, catapults, ballistas, stirrups, armour as well as

other deadly or bellicose contraptions. The word engineer was not used to reference to public

works until the 16th century; and it likely entered the popular vernacular as meaning a contriver of

public works during John Smeaton's time.

HISTORY

Ancient civilizations

Environmental engineering is a name for work that has been done since early civilizations,

as people learned to modify and control the environmental conditions to meet needs. As people

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recognized that their health was related to the quality of their environment, they built systems to

improve it. The ancient Indus Valley Civilization (3300 B.C.E. to 1300 B.C.E.) had advanced

control over their water resources. The public work structures found at various sites in the area

include wells, public baths, water storage tanks, a drinking water system, and a city-wide sewage

collection system. They also had an early canal irrigation system enabling large-scale agriculture.

From 4000 to 2000 B.C.E., many civilizations had drainage systems and some had

sanitation facilities, including the Mesopotamian Empire, Mohenjo-Daro, Egypt, Crete, and the

Orkney Islands in Scotland. The Greeks also had aqueducts and sewer systems that used rain

and wastewater to irrigate and fertilize fields.

The first aqueduct in Rome was constructed in 312 B.C.E., and from there, they continued

to construct aqueducts for irrigation and safe urban water supply during droughts. They also built

an underground sewer system as early as the 7th century B.C.E. that fed into the Tiber River,

draining marshes to create farmland as well as removing sewage from the city.

Modern era

Very little change was seen from the fall of Rome until the 19th century, where

improvements saw increasing efforts focused on public health. Modern environmental engineering

began in London in the mid-19th century when Joseph Bazalgette designed the first major

sewerage system following the Great Stink.[13] The city's sewer system conveyed raw sewage to

the River Thames, which also supplied the majority of the city's drinking water, leading to an

outbreak of cholera. The introduction of drinking water treatment and sewage treatment in

industrialized countries reduced waterborne diseases from leading causes of death to rarities.

The field emerged as a separate academic discipline during the middle of the 20th century

in response to widespread public concern about water and air pollution and other environmental

degradation. As society and technology grew more complex, they increasingly produced

unintended effects on the natural environment. One example is the widespread application of the

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pesticide DDT to control agricultural pests in the years following World War II. While the

agricultural benefits were outstanding and crop yields increased dramatically, reducing world

hunger, and malaria was controlled better than ever before, the pesticide brought numerous bird

species to the edge of extinction due to its impact on their reproductive cycle. The story of DDT as

vividly told in Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) is considered to be the birth of the modern

environmental movement which led to the modern field of "environmental engineering."

EDUCATION

Many universities offer environmental engineering programs through either the department

of civil engineering or chemical engineering and also including electronic projects to develop and

balance the environmental conditions. Environmental engineers in a civil engineering program

often focus on hydrology, water resources management, bioremediation, and water and

wastewater treatment plant design. Environmental engineers in a chemical engineering program

tend to focus on environmental chemistry, advanced air and water treatment technologies, and

separation processes. Some subdivisions of environmental engineering include natural resources

engineering and agricultural engineering.

Courses for students fall into a few broad classes:

• Mechanical engineering courses oriented towards designing machines and mechanical

systems for environmental use such as water and wastewater treatment facilities, pumping

stations, garbage segregation plants, and other mechanical facilities.

• Environmental engineering or environmental systems courses oriented towards a civil

engineering approach in which structures and the landscape are constructed to blend with or

protect the environment.

• Environmental chemistry, sustainable chemistry or environmental chemical

engineering courses oriented towards understanding the effects of chemicals in the

environment, including any mining processes, pollutants, and also biochemical processes.

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• Environmental technology courses oriented towards producing electronic or electrical

graduates capable of developing devices and artifacts able to monitor, measure, model and

control environmental impact, including monitoring and managing energy generation from

renewable sources.

APPLICATIONS

Water supply and treatment

Environmental engineers evaluate the water balance within a watershed and determine the

available water supply, the water needed for various needs in that watershed, the seasonal cycles

of water movement through the watershed and they develop systems to store, treat, and convey

water for various uses.

Water is treated to achieve water quality objectives for the end uses. In the case of a

potable water supply, water is treated to minimize the risk of infectious disease transmission, the

risk of non-infectious illness, and to create a palatable water flavor. Water distribution systems are

designed and built to provide adequate water pressure and flow rates to meet various end-user

needs such as domestic use, fire suppression, and irrigation.

Wastewater treatment

Sewage treatment plant, Australia

There are numerous wastewater treatment technologies. A wastewater treatment train can

consist of a primary clarifier system to remove solid and floating materials, a secondary treatment

system consisting of an aeration basin followed by flocculation and sedimentation or an activated

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sludge system and a secondary clarifier, a tertiary biological nitrogen removal system, and a final

disinfection process. The aeration basin/activated sludge system removes organic material by

growing bacteria (activated sludge). The secondary clarifier removes the activated sludge from the

water. The tertiary system, although not always included due to costs, is becoming more prevalent

to remove nitrogen and phosphorus and to disinfect the water before discharge to a surface water

stream or ocean outfall.

Air pollution management

Scientists have developed air pollution dispersion models to evaluate the concentration of

a pollutant at a receptor or the impact on overall air quality from vehicle exhausts and industrial

flue gas stack emissions. To some extent, this field overlaps the desire to decrease carbon dioxide

and other greenhouse gas emissions from combustion processes.

Environmental impact assessment and mitigation

Main article: Environmental impact assessment

Water pollution

Environmental engineers apply scientific and engineering principles to evaluate if there are likely

to be any adverse impacts to water quality, air quality, habitat quality, flora and fauna, agricultural

capacity, traffic, ecology, and noise. If impacts are expected, they then develop mitigation

measures to limit or prevent such impacts. An example of a mitigation measure would be the

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creation of wetlands in a nearby location to mitigate the filling in of wetlands necessary for a road

development if it is not possible to reroute the road.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What exactly does an environmental engineer do?

Environmental engineers use the principles of engineering, soil science, biology, and chemistry to
develop solutions to environmental problems. They work to improve recycling, waste disposal,
public health, and water and air pollution control.

Who is a famous environmental engineer?

People who are well known in the environmental engineering industry are Ellen Henrietta Swallow
Richards and G.D. Agrawal. Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards was the first woman admitted to the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and later, an instructor in sanitary chemistry.

What skills do environmental engineers need?

Key skills
• Proficient maths skills and the ability to utilise those skills quickly.
• Creative thinker.
• Good writing skills.
• Brilliant analytical and problem solving skills.
• Good communication and people skills.
• Strong project management skills.
• Ability to use technical software such as Autocad or SAS

Can a civil engineer be an environmental engineer?

Can you become an environmental engineer with a civil engineering degree? ... Environmental
engineering is part of civil engineering. Add to that geotechnical, water resources, engineering
management, transportation, and of course structural engineering. Therefore you can definitely
become an environmental engineer.

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REFERENCES:
https://tnigatu.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/chapter-11.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_engineering

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