The role of engineers in the water industry

Water Engineering

The Role of Engineers in the Water Industry

From the times the Romans built the aqueducts -- indeed, since the time the fields of Mesopotamia were irrigated -- one of the most essential services of engineering to society has been the manipulation of water. As one of the basic necessities of life, the ability to provide water where none can be found is vital to today's agricultural industry and the upkeep of many cities and whole populations of people. Just as essential, though perhaps somewhat less grand in the way it comes across, is the use of water in the removal of wastes, both in the form of sewage and industrial waste. The prevention of disease and environmental degradation depends upon the ability to efficiently and effectively remove waste from areas where it is created, and it is up to engineers to implement the methods for achieving this. Engineers employed in such fields are a subset of civil engineers, most often employed by various governmental agencies and working on behalf of the citizens (DOT 2003). Specifically, engineers in the various water industries possess a specific knowledge base concerning how water can be moved, and harnessing its power in a variety of ways for the maintenance and betterment of society.

Water engineers do not simply assist their own societies, however, but also export their talents to the developing world -- helping it, in fact, to develop. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for instance, is involved in many international projects to help certain countries and communities develop better water systems and infrastructures to provide clean water and adequate sewage systems to their citizens (USACE 2009). This affords the water engineers working on these projects opportunities to travel and see cultures and parts of the world, and to do some real good for the people living there. The fact that water engineering is so closely tied to the quality of life and of health for a given community is one of the aspects of this field of engineering that makes it such a compelling career option; the services provided by water engineers are essential to a healthy, happy, and functioning society. This is also likely one of the reasons that engineering jobs, especially for civil engineering projects such as most water engineering endeavors, are expected to remain stable or even rise in the coming years, despite the possibility of a continued economic slowdown (U.S. BLS 2009). The projects in which water engineers are engaged are truly indispensable, meaning that those who are willing to push themselves and achieve truly great things in what they strive to do will never need to worry either about job security or job satisfaction -- there will always be newer and bigger projects and prospects on the horizon. When the work itself would be so engaging and imperative -- designing systems to deliver water efficiently to many locations in sufficient quantities, for instance, or establishing a sewage treatment system that occupies less space and takes less time -- the work would simply become that much more enjoyable.

Other areas of water engineering include flood prevention and a multitude of environmental specialties, many of which relate to other areas of water engineering. Finding ways to divert runoff to prevent erosion, for example, has both civil and environmental applications, and involves identical principles in most situations (Kalle 2009). Effective strategies for collecting and draining runoff water in a way that doesn't simply divert the problem can be a lot more complex than it might at first seem, especially in environmental situations, and this is precisely why water engineers remain must have a comprehensive view of many different areas of engineering, including fluid mechanics, a knowledge of different materials for conducting water, effective ways of filtering and/or treating water, etc. The amount of knowledge required to take on any major water engineering project virtually guarantees that the engineer will have the knowledge and skill set for other jobs, too, meaning that the variety and the opportunities for water engineers simply will not cease. An emerging field in water engineering is that of the storm water technician, who actually monitors and develops methods of collecting and discharging storm water in both rural and urban areas (NACE 2009). With increasing environmental concerns of water shortages worldwide, this field could become even more important in coming years as conservation becomes a key component of our every day lives. This provides yet another example of the unending essentiality of water engineers to the societies they serve. Water is such a basic need for so many reasons, and at the same time can be such a threat, and there will always need to be those who can utilize water's abilities for society and protect against the misuse of water resources and the destructive forces of water itself. This is why water engineers will always exist for this purpose.