Advances in Water Resources Engineering

Abstract

The past 35+ years have seen the emergence of a growing desire worldwide that positive actions be taken to restore and protect the environment from the degrading effects of all forms of pollution—air, water, soil, thermal, radioactive, and noise. Since pollution is a direct or indirect consequence of waste, the seemingly idealistic demand for “zero discharge” can be construed as an unrealistic demand for zero waste. However, as long as waste continues to exist, we can only attempt to abate the subsequent pollution by converting it into a less noxious form. Three major questions usually arise when a particular type of pollution has been identified: (1) How serious are the environmental pollution and water resources crisis? (2) Is the technology to abate them available? And (3) do the costs of abatement justify the degree of abatement achieved for environmental protection and water resources conservation? This book is one of the volumes of the Handbook of Environmental Engineering series. The principal intention of this series is to help readers formulate answers to the above three questions. The traditional approach of applying tried-and-true solutions to specific environmental and water resources problems has been a major contributing factor to the success of environmental engineering, and has accounted in large measure for the establishment of a “methodology of pollution control.” However, the realization of the ever-increasing complexity and interrelated nature of current environmental problems renders it imperative that intelligent planning of pollution abatement systems be undertaken. Prerequisite to such planning is an understanding of the performance, potential, and limitations of the various methods of environmental protection available for environmental scientists and engineers. In this series of handbooks, we will review at a tutorial level a broad spectrum of engineering systems (natural environment, processes, operations, and methods) currently being utilized, or of potential utility, for pollution abatement and environmental protection. We believe that the unified interdisciplinary approach presented in these handbooks is a logical step in the evolution of environmental engineering. Treatment of the various engineering systems presented will show how an engineering formulation of the subject flows naturally from the fundamental principles and theories of chemistry, microbiology, physics, and mathematics. This emphasis on fundamental science recognizes that engineering practice has in recent y