ENGINEERING

Water engineers face special challenges today. There are more than 200,000 individual water systems in the United States, processing over 40 billion gallons of potable water per day for domestic use. About 300 billion gallons per day of untreated water are used for agriculture and other commercial purposes. Roughly one million miles of pipelines and aqueducts carry water in the United States and Canada. And most of the infrastructure used to process and carry the needed water supply is old and deteriorating.

Regulatory constraints are daunting. Water engineers must meet stricter drinking water standards. They must minimize the contamination of lakes and streams from industrial, municipal, and agricultural water discharges. Flora and fauna must be protected, particularly the fish that populate fresh water streams and reservoirs.

WRE engineers face these challenges daily, as they help clients address potable water, storm water, and wastewater problems.