American engineers have been a quiet force behind our nation’s water infrastructure for hundreds of years. They are vital to planning water conveyance via canals, storage in reservoirs, and treatment systems for both water and wastewater that keep society running and our ecosystems protected.
World Engineers’ Day is a great opportunity to look at the benefits technology and science have brought to humanity, and to look forward to new advancements innovated by Engineers every day. These contributions include: Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) that make conveyance planning more efficient, SCADA which allows for real-time controls, process engineering for activated-sludge and tertiary filtration for treatment plants…even AI services that prioritize pipe renewal by age and material!
Here in our valley, one of the driest places in the world, engineers help plan, operate and maintain a network of five water reclamation plants from Palm Desert to Thermal. This complex system utilizes hundreds of miles of sewer mains, canals and lift stations. Current projects emphasize non-potable reuse, most notably at Wastewater Reclamation Plant 4 (WRP-4) in Thermal where tertiary-treated effluent will be re-used to offset groundwater pumping and reduce reliance on Colorado River source waters. These projects are governed by carefully engineered process controls which manage water chemistry (nitrification), mechanically engineered filtration systems and disinfection (biological) processes. This highly complex process then delivers recycled water through a network of distribution lines designed by our civil engineers.
A major pain point for California residents is feeling impacts by demand-side water restrictions (bans on lawn-watering, etc.), however, engineers have contributed immensely through mitigation strategies before anything is asked of the end user. Engineers constantly refine and improve recycled water systems for golf courses and farms, innovate new leak detection and pressure zone tuning in potable systems, and design automated irrigation systems to run at the optimum time to minimize loss due to evaporation. The hard-working Engineer stretches every drop of water while protecting our aquifer our local community depends on. So next time you turn on the tap, raise your glass (of water) to honor the Engineers who solve the complex problems beneath our feet and keep our faucets flowing.
