Civil Engineering versus National Parks

Ethics
When it comes to ethical decisions, civil engineers have an especially important job. As in many other professions, engineers’ responsibility is to the public. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the code of ethics for engineers include the following principles:

Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering profession by:

1.      Using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare and the environment.

2.      Being honest and impartial and serving the fidelity the public, their employers, and clients

3.      Striving to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering profession

4.      Supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines.

With this in mind civil engineers face ethical decisions every day. One major issue is how engineering projects affect the environment. There are many cases where a road installment or water containment has been put in to question based on how it would affect the environment around it. A specific example is how these civil engineering decisions affect national parks and how the public reacts to these structures.

Some would say that no matter what the cost innovation and progress is the most important thing for the future of the United States. However other, including myself would argue that it is also important to preserve what natural resources we still have. As a future civil engineer, I believe that although improving society and technology is very important and a goal, it is equally important to protect land for the enjoyment of all citizens and ultimately for future generations.
 

Hetch Hetchy Valley
There have been multiple times that civil engineering projects have clashed with the national park ideals. A very famous debate occurred in 1913 when the city of San Francisco wanted to dam the Hetch Hetchy Valley even though this act would directly affect Yosemite National Park. In this example the controversy involved water resource engineers, wanting to provide for the citizens of San Francisco, versus environmentalists. As it turned out Congress won, and the valley was dammed to provide water for the growing population, destroying some of the natural beauty of the national park for all visitors to come. Below are pictures showing the before and after affect of the dam.

It isn’t as if the Hetch Hetchy Valley was San Francisco’s only option for a water source. Sometimes although a source is close and easier for engineers, it is important to take in to count the non-monetary cost to the environment. The least expensive solution isn’t necessarily the best choice. For more articles on the Hetch Hetchy Valley follow these links:

http://www.hetchhetchy.org/ ; http://www.archives.gov 

Appalachian National Scenic Trail
A more recent example of civil engineering conflicting with national parks is in 2008 North Carolina Department of Transportation released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which included plans to build a road and tunnel system that crossed the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. This construction would impact forests and ultimately a trail that is historic in the fact that it was the United State’s first National Scenic Trail.

When does transportation become so much more important than preserving our nation’s history? Again, aren’t there more options? It is not as if this is the only place a road could be placed.

If you would like more information on this plan follow this link: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com

Controversy
While it is true that the examples provided show economic and civil engineering necessity for some people, it is also true that there must be a balance. It is an engineer’s job to “enhance human welfare and the environment” (Code of Ethics Principle), so both aspects are important.
Often times it is easy for preserving natural resources to get over looked when roads and water controls seem so important, but the environment should be kept aesthetic, clean, and preserved none the less. This is especially true when the development affects national parks, whose sole purpose to begin with is to maintain that natural beauty.

Sandpiper Pipeline Article Analysis

SANDPIPER PIPELINE
In reading the article by Patrick Tsai entitled, “The Sandpiper pipeline: Enbridge profits and the destruction of local farms and livelihoods”, it is evident that the transportation of crude oil can affect all of us. This article addresses a growing concern, which is how these pipelines have leaks and then pollute the land around it. Specifically, if Enbridge does build the sandpiper pipeline, farms and land across North Dakota and Minnesota will have the potential risk of eventually being contaminated by a leak. The picture shows the plans for where Enbridge might place the pipeline.

This article, however, states that local resident have taken steps in opposing Enbridge through organizing a group called the Carlton County Land Stewards. According to the article, Enbridge focuses on the job opportunities related to the new pipeline, but the Carlton County Land Stewards oppose this through looking at how the pipeline will affect the land.

ANALYSIS
Understandably, it is important to analyze an article like this, because it is important for readers to know if it is a biased representation, just the facts, or someone’s logical conclusions. The three areas to look at are ethos, pathos, and logos, and they are how the author tries to persuade you in to thinking one way or the other about an issue. Either the article will have credible facts (ethos), logical conclusions (logos), appeal to the reader’s emotions (pathos), or a combination of these. If you would like more information about ethos, pathos, and logos, follow this link: http://pathosethoslogos.com/

The article is very convincing in reasons why the pipeline would be a negative affect for the area, but this is mostly because the author focuses on the farmer’s stories and not on how the pipeline could help the area. Take a look at the video used in the sandpiper article by following the link below:

           http://www.youtube.com

Obviously the author wants the readers to feel a sense of sadness and pity toward the farmers. By including videos and using statements, such as “swatch of trees would have to be cut down affecting … maple syrup production”, it is evident that Patrick Tsai is on the side of the land owners. A few more words that evoke an emotional response include: destruction, risks, and protect.

As far as the use of ethos is concerned, the author, Patrick Tsai, is credible in the fact that he writes for the Institute and Agriculture Trade Policy organization and has a degree in biology. This fact, however, just proves that he would be biased in writing an article that supports land preservation. He provides a few credible examples, such as stating that over 300 oil spills have gone unreported in the past two years, but these examples always agree with his bias. Because of this, the article’s persuasive elements are largely based on pathos, not logos or ethos.
 

REFLECTION
While reading, I thought of multiple questions about the pipeline including:

·         Is there a better way for Enbridge to transport the oil?

·         Is the railroad any safer since many spills occur through this transportation already?

·         In today’s economy, shouldn’t an opportunity for more jobs be considered a positive thing?

I am not saying that I think the residents are wrong or that Enbridge is wrong either. My argument for this article is that it only addresses one side of the issue, so instead of getting caught up with one side, I want to understand more about why the pipeline is a good project to go forward with.

When it comes to this particular article, readers will be interested in the possibility for oil spills with this pipeline, because this pollution ultimately affects the crops and therefore the food quality and prices we pay on those goods. Readers can also think about considering the possible economic growth through projects like this. If you would like to read more articles about the sandpiper pipeline, use the following links:

http://www.enbridge.com/SandpiperProject.aspx

http://www.startribune.com

 

New Technology in Civil Engineering

Introduction

It is easy to think of roads or buildings when thinking of civil engineering, but environmental engineering is quickly becoming an important aspect of this growing field. Scientists, politicians, and ultimately the public have become increasingly interested in working toward a cleaner environment.

That being said, a technological development whose goal is to assist in creating safer soil and water is nano-scale zero valent iron (NZVI). This nano-particle works with removing contaminants, such as PCBs and heavy metals, from ground water.   

Background

A large part of understanding a new technology is understanding how the new research works at achieving its goal. Therefore, I will now describe some reasons why NZVI is beneficial and how it works.

First of all, NZVI is a particle that is suspended in a liquid, such as water. As contaminants pass through a permeable wall that has NZVI particles, the NZVI cleans the ground water. The image (www.arstechnologies.com )depicts a scene where groundwater remediation occurs, showing how the pollutant passes through the NZVI wall.

 

Research

Researchers that study NZVI consider what substance the particle should be coated with, because this affects how effectively the reaction to remove the pollutant occurs. (It’s all quite chemical, but if you want to learn more about the chemistry follow this link: http://www.sciencedirect.com) The following image shows how the chemical reaction occurs.

Overall, some starches that can coat the NZVI include, but are not limited to, tapioca and wheat. The goal is to keep the nano-particle suspended in the liquid, so it can react with the most amount of contaminant. For example consider orange juice that has pulp. If you shake it, more pulp is distributed throughout the juice (therefore the pulp has more surface area exposed to the liquid). Once the pulp settles, there is less surface area, because the pulp touches other pulp pieces, not the liquid.

 

It is similar with NZVI. Because of this, the goal is for the NZVI particles to stay suspended as long as possible, so that the most amount of pollution can be removed from the ground water. If there is less surface area exposed for each particle, the remediation (or cleaning) process is less efficient.

Effect on Society

So why is NZVI so important to everyone and not just researchers or civil engineers? It is very important, because pollution happens on a daily basis. Once the contaminant enters the soil, it follows voids and enters the ground water. This now polluted water can flow into fields and forests, affecting the cleanliness of the environment, which is why this is an environmental engineering concern.

Almost anything we eat has something to do with the land, such as vegetables, wheat products, and fruit, so it is especially important to keep this soil and the water that feeds these fields uncontaminated. People definitely don’t want to eat anything that could cause them to get sick, because the food was from a polluted field.

Similarly, pollution can cause plant life found in parks and other recreation areas to die. Who really wants to walk their dog in a park with dead trees and no flowers? Probably not many people. 

Environmental engineering, such as nano-scale zero valent iron, affects people every day. Even if you don’t notice the individual advances it makes in research, you certainly are affected by how it helps create cleaner products and environments every day. 

Why Should You be Interested in Civil Engineering?

What is Civil Engineering?
Civil engineering is seen everywhere around us. From water in ditches to the bridges and buildings you drive by, civil engineers work daily to improve and innovate new ideas for public use. There are so many disciplines such as environmental, transportation, and structural, to name a few, which means that everyone is directly affected by this vital field of study each day. Ultimately civil engineering helps the public progress into a future of greater efficiency and safety.

 

                                                                                 http://www.city-data.com

 This photograph taken at the corner of 2^nd Ave N and Broadway in Fargo, North Dakota shows aspects of all the civil engineering disciplines, which are transportation, environmental, structural, water resources, and geo-technical.

The broad subject of transportation engineering includes everything from constructing better roads to the timing of traffic light signals. Engineers consider the amount and type of traffic an area will get when designing projects. Some questions they consider are: will semi-trucks use the road, or is this area going to experience a busy rush hour? For a more specific example of how transportation is included in aspects of city planning follow this link: http://www.cityofnapa.org.

Types of Civil Engineering
Environmental engineering’s goal is to provide a healthy environment, which incudes clean air, land, and water. When transportation engineers consider putting a road in a location, environmental engineers make sure that the habitat, including wild and plant life, won’t be too disturbed to ensured. Environmental engineers also focus on removing contaminants, such as pollutants in soil, so that our food and water is safer and healthier to consume. Overall environmental engineers focus on how to best preserve the natural beauty of a location to protect it and its products for future generations. If you are interested in learning about more aspects of environmental engineering follow this link: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm.

Water resources focuses on water, including how it’s transported and controlled effectively. An example that could be found in the picture above is a fire hydrant at the corners of blocks. This water must travel first from a source, follow a series of pipes underground, and emit from the nozel with just the right amount of pressure. For more information concerning water resources engineering use the following link: http://whatiscivilengineering.csce.ca/water_resources.htm

Also shown above in the photo are multiple buildings, which is a large focus of civil engineering called structural engineering. We all enter buildings multiple times a day, which makes this discipline so crucial to public welfare. Whether it’s for work, sleeping, exercising, or shopping, buildings provide stability, reliability, and safety due to the careful calculations and designs of structural engineers. For more information follow this link: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/structural_engineer_job_description.htm

The final area of civil engineering is geo-technial engineering. This area deals with ensuring a stable base for buildings and bridges, but it can also include ensuring safe construction sites for workers. Basically without geo-technical engineering, structural engineering efforts would fail, since the soil type and compaction could be incorrect for the specific project. More information on geo-technical engineering can be found through following this link: http://www.ntnu.edu/bat/geotechnics.

How Civil Engineering Affects Society
Overall, every civil engineer holds multiple responsibilities to society. All civil engineers want to provide a safe environment (whether it’s building, streets, or water) to the public. At the same time they must be honest, keep people informed about projects, and always consider how a new design will affect the people that already live on the site plan.

It is very important for the public to understand civil engineering, because ultimately engineers want to work well with the people involved in the designs they have for a more efficient and safe future.