Environmental engineering : “ application of science

and engineering principles to minimize the adverse

effects of human activity on the environment” .

 Negative impacts - brought under control through

◦ public education,
◦ conservation,
◦ regulation, and
◦ the application of good engineering practice.”

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 Population growth and increased sewage wastes

One of the first applications was the removal of sewage, a

practice that became increasingly important as populations
grew. At first there was no treatment; wastes were simply
transported to the nearest stream.

Because sewage disposal eventually caused obvious damage to

natural waters, engineers and others began in the early 1900s
to develop methods of treating wastewater prior to discharge.

This has evolved into a large industry.

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 The second major factor - Rising standard of living.
◦ A higher living standard generates greater consumption of natural
resources and more pollution

development of the synthetic organic chemical industry.

◦ These industries produced toxic and hazardous chemicals in great
quantities long before they were known to be harmful.
◦ Unlike sewage, even small amounts of synthetic chemicals can be
harmful, but the technology to detect these chemicals at low levels
did not exist. There were no attempts to control chemical production,
use, or disposal.

 In the late 1960s and early 1970s, synthetic organic chemicals came
under increasing scrutiny. Thus, environmental regulations were passed.

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 http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/15-current-environmental-problems.php

 Global Warming: Emission of Greenhouse gases.

Global warming leads to rising temperatures of the
oceans and the earth’ surface causing melting of
polar ice caps, rise in sea levels and also unnatural
patterns of precipitation such floods.
 Overpopulation: Intensive agriculture practiced to
produce food damages the environment through use
of chemical fertilizer, pesticides and insecticides.
Overpopulation is one of the crucial current
environmental problem.

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 Natural Resource Depletion: Natural resource
depletion is another crucial current environmental
problems. Fossil fuel consumption results in
emission of Greenhouse gases, etc.
 Climate Change: Climate change has various
harmful effects but not limited to melting of polar
ice, change in seasons, occurrence of new diseases,
frequent occurrence of floods..etc.
 Loss of Biodiversity: Human activity is leading to
the extinction of species and habitats and and loss
of bio-diversity. Destruction of coral reefs in the
various oceans, which support the rich marine life.

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 Deforestation: Our forests are natural sinks of carbon
dioxide and produce fresh oxygen as well as helps in
regulating temperature and rainfall.
 Ocean Acidification: The ocean acidity has increased
by the last 250 years but by 2100 it may shoot up by
150%.
 Ozone Layer Depletion: The ozone layer is an invisible
layer of protection around the planet that protects us
from the sun’s harmful rays. Depletion of the crucial
Ozone layer of the atmosphere is attributed to
pollution caused by CFC’s.

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 Acid Rain: Acid rain occurs due to the presence of certain
pollutants in the atmosphere (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
oxides etc.). Acid rain can have serious effect on human
health, wildlife and aquatic species.
 Urban Sprawl: Urban sprawl refers to migration of
population from high density urban areas to low density
rural areas. Urban sprawl results in land degradation,
increased traffic, environmental issues and health issues.
 Genetic Engineering: Genetically modified crops can cause
serious environmental problems as an engineered gene
may prove toxic to wildlife. Another drawback is that
increased use of toxins to make insect resistant plant.

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 Environmental regulations have existed for centuries.

 Because of poor air quality near his palace in about A.D.

1300, King Edward II of England reportedly ordered any
person burning coal to be hanged.

 The first significant laws in this area were federal statutes

passed in the United States in the 1970s dealing with air
and surface water quality and hazardous waste.

 What is legal or accepted practice today may be illegal in a

few years.

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 In the US, the U.S. Congress writes environmental
laws.
 When Congress passes environmental legislation, it
directs the appropriate federal agency to develop and
publish regulations to implement it.
 In 1970 Congress created the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. Since then the EPA has been
responsible for enforcing applicable federal laws.
 https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations

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 There are laws, for example, to protect people from
the toxic effects of lead in drinking water. These
require the EPA to determine acceptable levels of the
contaminants and what must be done to bring
excessively high levels into compliance.
 In this case the EPA set maximum contaminant levels
for metals, and public utilities are now required to
test their drinking water for actual amounts. If a
public water supply has levels in excess of the limits,
responsible officials must initiate a treatment plan to
reduce the contamination.

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 Hazardous wastes became more of an issue during
the 1970s. Many synthetic organic chemicals are
carcinogenic.
 Thus, it took decades for scientists, engineers, and
physicians to recognize the link, between particular
chemicals in the environment and adverse health
effects.

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 One initial missing element was the ability to detect
chemicals at extremely low levels. One cannot regulate
something that cannot be detected.
 Typical laboratory detection limits were in the mg/L range
in the 1950s, they are in the µg/L or ng/L range today.
 Even today we do not understand what effects extended
exposure to low levels of many chemicals may cause.
 However, technical people have gradually become aware
of environmental problems related to a wide array of
synthetic chemicals, many of them herbicides and
insecticides.

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 Congress created the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency in December of 1970, giving it several
missions:
◦ to establish standards to protect the environment consistent
with U.S. goals;
◦ to conduct research on the adverse effects of pollution and
methods and equipment for controlling it;
◦ to gather information on pollution and its effects; to use this
information
◦ to strengthen environmental protection;
◦ to help others protect the environment through grants and
technical assistance; etc.

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 The EPA is the primary agency responsible for
protecting the environment, although several other
agencies are also involved in particular areas (i.e.
nuclear waste).
 EPA's duties include enforcement of air quality
standards, drinking water quality standards, stream
discharge standards, solid and hazardous waste
disposal standards, and the cleanup of abandoned
hazardous waste sites.

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 In general, for a state to enforce the federal
regulations, it must first adopt regulations equivalent
to or stricter than federal requirements.
 The city or industry (discharger) must obtain a permit
that states the types of pollutants that may be
discharged and the allowable amounts.
 The discharger, as a part of the permit, must not only
check levels, but also submit reports on these levels
every 3 months.

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 Solid Waste Regulations
◦ Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965: This promoted better
management of solid wastes and supported resource
recovery.
◦ Resource Recovery Act of 1970. The Resource Recovery Act
redirected the emphasis in solid waste management from
disposal to recycling and energy recovery.

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 The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976
(RCRA). EPA has issued regulations for solid and
hazardous waste disposal.

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 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation
and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA or Superfund). This
places the responsibility for cleaning up abandoned or
improper disposal sites. Where several companies placed
hazardous substances at a site, all are liable for the full
extent of cleanup.
 Where companies no longer are operating, or are
bankrupt and do not have sufficient funds, the
government pays for the cleanup with money generated
from taxing chemical and petrochemical companies and
through general revenues such as those from federal
income taxes.

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