文档介绍：Source: STANDARD HANDBOOK OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
CHAPTER 1
ENVIRONMENTAL
ENGINEERING
David Burstein, .*
THE ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER
Environmental engineering is essential for development of facilities for protection of the environment and
for the proper management of natural resources. The environmental engineer places special attention on the
biological, chemical, and physical reactions in the air, land, and water environments and on improved tech-
nology for integrated management systems, including reuse, recycling, and recovery measures.
Environmental engineering began with society’s need for safe drinking water and management of liquid
and solid wastes. Urbanization and industrialization significantly contributed to the formation of unsanitary
conditions in many areas. The terms “public health” and “sanitary” were first applied to those engineers
seeking solutions to the elimination of waterborne disease in the 1800s. More recently, abatement of air and
land contamination became new challenges for the environmental engineer. Today, management of toxic and
hazardous wastes are additional focus areas.
Traditionally, environmental engineers drew their basic education and training from civil engineering
programs. In order to broaden their perspective and capabilities, contemporary environmental engineers pur-
sue course work and postgraduate training in professional areas including biology, chemical engineering,
chemistry, and hydrology. Since the environmental engineer is now dealing with sensitive public issues,
training in public education, public policy, and other social sciences is desirable.
The principal environmental engineering specialties are well established: air quality control, water supply
management, wastewater disposal, storm water management, solid waste management, and hazardous waste
management. Other specialties include industrial hygiene, noise control, oceanography, and radiology.
Principal areas of emplo