Introduction to Civil Engineering: Water Management

Introduction to Civil Engineering (CE-UY 1002)

• The course is titled CE-UY 1002: Introduction to Civil Engineering
• This is a Fall 2024 course by NYU Tandon

Water and its Importance Throughout History

• Images of modern and ancient water sources were presented in class, illustrating the historical importance of maintaining clean water for human welfare
• The evolution of understanding water management and treatment throughout history.

Pure Water in Antiquity

• 4000 BCE: Early civilizations recognized the need for water treatment methods (boiling, filtration) for improved aesthetic properties.
• 1500 BCE: Egyptians used purifying apparatuses (with alum addition) evidenced by pictures found on Egyptian walls.
• 400 BCE: Hippocrates recognized the correlation between water management and health.
• 1st Century CE: Aqueducts and settling reservoirs further evolved water management systems.

More Recent Developments in Water Treatment

• 1854: John Snow's study on cholera outbreaks marked a turning point in understanding waterborne diseases.
• 1892: Robert Koch identified filtration as a mechanism to remove cholera-causing bacteria.
• 1908: Introduction of chlorination for municipal water treatment; Jersey City, NJ, was the first city to implement this method. Municipal water treatment significantly reduced the number of deaths.

Water Facts and Figures

• Only approximately 0.8% of Earth's water is potable and readily available for use (held in aquifers, lakes, rivers, plants, etc.)
• Freshwater volume (lakes & rivers): 2.5 x 10¹⁶ gallons
• Groundwater volume: 2.8 x 10¹⁸ gallons
• 70% of precipitation evaporates, 20% runs off into surface water, and 10% soaks into the ground.

Hydrologic Cycle

• Describes the continuous movement of water on Earth.
• Shows the process of evaporation, cloud formation, precipitation, infiltration, and groundwater replenishment.
• Shows a diagram of the water cycle.

More Water Facts and Figures

• Daily per capita water requirement: 2-3 liters
• Number of people globally without access to safe drinking water: 0.7 - 1.7 billion
• 80% of diseases and 33% of deaths in developing countries are linked to contaminated water consumption

Human Water Usage (US Estimates)

• Personal use (drinking, cooking, laundering, bathing, etc.): 15 Billion Gallons per Day (BGD)
• Industrial use (paper, petroleum, chemicals): 36 BGD
• Irrigation (mostly agriculture): 100 BGD
• Other uses (power generation): May contribute to thermal pollution

Health Risks Associated with Water

• Waterborne Diseases: Diseases resulting from ingesting water contaminated with pathogens (cholera, cryptosporidiosis).
• Water-Privation Diseases: Diseases related to insufficient water quantity and hygiene (skin/eye infections, dysentery).
• Water-Contact Diseases: Diseases resulting from contact with organisms in water (Guinea worm disease, schistosomiasis).
• Water-Insect Related Diseases: Vector-borne illnesses spread by insects utilizing water sources for breeding (malaria, West Nile, Zika).
• Toxic Chemicals: Pollution from minerals (arsenic), fertilizers (nitrates), and industrial waste (heavy metals)

Health Risks, Continued

• Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) and Guideline Values (GV) for chemicals in water.
• Calculation of ADI using No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) or Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level (LOAEL) and uncertainty factor (UF).
• Calculating Guideline Value (GV) using ADI, body weight (BW), proportion of ADI allocated to drinking water (P), and consumption rate (C).
• Examples: Calculating ADI and GV for Arsenic in drinking water exposure.

Water Quality and Pollution

• Various sources of water pollution.
• Agricultural run-off (soil erosion, fertilizers, animal waste, pesticides).
• Urban runoff (oil, gasoline, leaves, pesticides).
• Point Sources: Domestic wastewater, Industrial wastewater discharge.
• Diagram illustrating sources of water pollution.

Water Quality and Pollution Continued/Municipal Water Treatment Process

• Diagram showing the municipal drinking water treatment process, including water collection, treatment plant, and distribution system.
• Steps in typical municipal water treatment process: screening, coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection.

Conclusion

• Lack of access to clean drinking water is a significant global public health concern, particularly in developing countries.
• While developed countries have a less severe problem, illnesses and deaths from poor water quality still occur annually.
• Population growth and climate change are contributing factors to the persistence of this problem.