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Source: STANDARD HANDBOOK OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
CHAPTER 1
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING David Burstein, P.E.*
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 technology 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 pursue 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 c