STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IN THE U.S.: THEN, NOW, AND THE FUTURE

Stormwater management has long been an issue of infrastructure engineering in the U.S. Compounded by the movement to urban communities, localities all across the country have to contend with controlling the runoff from the built environment and managing it to mitigate risks while also developing applications that may better make use of it.

How did it start, how does it stand now, and how far will it go from this point?

A Brief History

Under amendments to the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency was tasked to establish measures to control certain stormwater runoff. In response, the EPA came up with two sets of regulations – first in 1990, and then in 1999, which established requirements for municipal separate storm sewer systems as well as industrial activities.

These led to the identification of quite a number of sources pending permission, which the agency and other administrative systems were unable to manage. As a result, water quality control was still not fulfilled. Read more from this blog. http://bit.ly/2mkutbA

LESSONS FROM THE NAPOLEON AVENUE DRAINAGE PROJECT VERIFY THE NEED FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS

As the Napoleon Avenue Drainage Project nears completion, residents express hope for better planned infrastructures in the future.

Part of the $2 billion Southeast Louisiana (SELA) Drainage Project, intended to decrease flooding and its harmful effects on New Orleans and nearby areas, the Napoleon project instead drew myriad lawsuits from locals who complained of property damage and ill health effects due to its construction. Hiring civil engineering consultants would have helped address these problems at the onset. Such consultants only need to point to the Napoleon project’s travesties to persuade agencies to seek their expertise for future drainage undertakings.

Consider Property Damages

Constructing a drainage system requires equipment that produces strong vibrations, enough to wreak damages to nearby buildings and residences. In Uptown and Carrollton districts, residents filed a class-action suit against the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, SELA’s administrator, for extensive property damages. Read more on this article. http://bit.ly/2mkDOA9

What Resilient Infrastructures Mean for Structural Engineering Services in New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina ravaged 50 floodwalls and levees in New Orleans. At the same time, it exposed the absence of quick disaster-response systems in the city. Since then, engineers, politicians and residents have striven to create more resilient infrastructures that can withstand similar or stronger natural and manmade disasters.

The concept of resiliency encourages structural engineering services to incorporate human factors and holistic considerations that further ecological, social and economic interests.

Incorporating Human Factors in Resilient Infrastructures

The essence of resilient infrastructures lies in the greater obligation of humanizing and collectivizing the decision-making process of built environments. Lehigh University infrastructure researchers defined resilient buildings as products and reinforcers of the community fabric. They stressed that resilience entails mixing imagination, planning, multi-stakeholder contributions and long-term perspectives in order to determine all forms of possible hazards and their repercussions. Read more from this blog. http://bit.ly/2mkrQXa 

WILL STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FIRMS GET MORE WOMEN CIVIL ENGINEERS IN THE FUTURE?

Structural engineering firms may expect more women civil engineers to join the field in the coming years if recent numbers and perspectives are any indication. In fact, some of these firms have been established (and owned) by women.

Recent data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) shows a boost in the number of women taking degrees in civil engineering within recent years. From 13.5% of women who began their civil engineering studies in 2007, that number grew to 20.3% in 2016. Within that reporting period for any year, the highest number of women students is 875.

Some data from some schools in the United States share similarities to the above result. Per 2015 federal data, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows female Bachelor of Engineering graduates at more than 50%. In Yale University, women engineering graduate numbers reach 49%.

New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College even claims a first for any U.S.-based research university: its 2016 women engineering graduates outnumbered their male counterparts for that same school year. Read more from this blog. http://bit.ly/2lKD4I3

Better Systems, Better Tech: A Quick Look on the Trends for Civil Engineering Companies

As design and construction practices are continually revamped to incorporate more functionality and precision, so are the technologies that harness them. The industry is, after all, governed by the qualified incorporation of systems into the real world to make things work.

Here are three of the upcoming new trends forecasted to be integral to civil engineering companies and other construction-related teams this year.

The Internet of Things

Simply put, the Internet of Things is the interconnectivity that exists between different devices, platforms and systems. In civil engineering, this technology will be harnessed to make way for more installations of wireless sensor networks through local computing networks and software. These are to be used for monitoring the health of structures, particularly in measuring vibrations, change in concrete humidity and chloride content, deformations and the corrosion-state of reinforcement.

The Internet of Things will also facilitate easier communication between teams, allowing them to access and share necessary information in real-time. Read more on this article. http://bit.ly/2lKBLJ7

HOW CIVIL ENGINEERING FIRMS CAN STRETCH OUT FEMA-FUNDED ROADWORKS

Civil engineering firms are in a better position to offer cost-efficient expert services. First, they can serve as contractors of these streets. Second, they can offer lower overall lower costs to the government.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) analyzed and compared in-house and private engineering consulting services in 2011. They learned that a private engineer cost 15% less than an in-house one. These are even conservative estimates and actual differences could rise well beyond 15%. This study showed why the city should consider hiring private civil engineering firms for the design and construction of these roads. Read more from this blog. http://bit.ly/2lKyNEm

Civil Engineering Consultants Share Recommendations for Effective Stormwater Management Programs

All over the U.S., local governments face difficulties in managing stormwater, especially as population and regulatory requirements continue to increase. Public officials explore different options that can maximize limited planning and construction timeframes and financial resources.

Civil engineering consultants can offer their expertise in evaluating the costs and benefits of stormwater treatment practices and make appropriate recommendations for effective stormwater management programs.

Read more on this article: http://bit.ly/2jlsC9y

Structural Engineering Services Include Stormwater Pollution Prevention

Stormwater pollution prevention is an important concern for local governments and citizens because significant stormwater runoff can have negative environmental and health consequences. Companies offering structural engineering services can craft effective plans for averting stormwater pollution.

Impacts of Stormwater Runoff

Stormwater runoff refers to rain or melted snow that flows over land and does not become absorbed by the soil. It is a natural occurrence and does not pose harmful effects in small amounts. However, big storm events can heighten runoff volume, velocity and temperature which could result in lower soil infiltration.

Read more on this article: http://bit.ly/2k7LXbj

Storm Water Management Techniques Your Business Needs to Implement

When water from rain or melting snow doesn’t soak into the ground, it can flow and collect animal waste, litter, salt, pesticides and other contaminants along the way. It is important to prevent this untreated and contaminated water from entering lakes, rivers, wetlands and other waterways.Here are several green methods your business can use to prevent stormwater from accumulating and impacting the surrounding areas.

Consider Installing Pervious Pavement

You may have concrete or asphalt around your entire property. Although these materials are
durable and great for commercial properties, they are not permeable. This means water doesn’t
get soaked up and ultimately flows to other places, potentially adversely affecting the
environment.

Read more on this article: http://bit.ly/2k7YIm5

From Girls in High School to Women in Civil Engineering Firms

An increasing number of women are completing science and engineering degrees, according to several top universities and colleges in the U.S. In 2015, more than 50% of bachelor in engineering graduates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were women, according to federal data. In Yale University, 49% of engineering graduates were women.

There are compelling reasons as to why more women opt to pursue science and engineering degrees. For one, science and engineering fields want more women because performance studies show positive social gains. Increasing the number of female engineers improves gendered innovations. In the case of civil engineering firms, this can result in public structures that respond better to diverse gender mobility needs and practices.

Read more on this article: http://bit.ly/2k7LE0o