The Basics of Water
Recognizing the importance of how we use and manage water is fundamental to life as we know it. It is a precious commodity that covers 71% of the planet—and of that, only 0.5% is “available” fresh water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Managing this valuable resource can be complex and involves many different processes and challenges. At our firm, sustainability is engrained in our culture for developing innovative water solutions. Whether that means we are designing drinking water treatment or water resource recovery facilities, modeling for climate change, mapping floodplains, planning for future sea level rise, or designing water collection or distribution infrastructure, our approach to water contributes to sustainable infrastructure, energy, communities, and fish and wildlife.
Sustainable Water Management in Ancient Civilizations
The history of managing water resources dates back centuries. From early farming and plumbing to today’s technology and infrastructure, the management of water has gone through a series of advancements.
One of the earliest examples of water management was the development of flood control and the advancement of dredging. Dredging is where material is excavated from water to reshape land and water features, helping to alter drainage, improve navigability, and make shipping lanes available for commercial use.
From there, beginning in the Middle East and North Africa, examples of an early form of plumbing called a qanat came to prominence. Qanats were developed to provide crucial water to areas with hot and dry climates. They use an intricate system of underground tunnels to transport usable water.
As their cities started to grow, the Romans engineered arched aqueducts, which supplied towns with water and became commonly used throughout the empire. Aqueducts allowed communities to transport water to locations that would not otherwise receive enough.
Around the turn of the century, chlorine was introduced for disinfecting water and the first lagoon sewer systems started being used. This came to fruition as people started to realize the importance of sanitation after the spread of the Black Death, a bubonic plague.
In the 1900s, engineers Edward Ardern and W.T. Lockett developed activated sludge, which collected and recycled biological solids back to the treatment process. This was a major advancement in treatment technology and significantly reduced the area of land while improving effluent quality. Activated sludge has been advanced to incorporate biological nutrient removal and is one of the widely used technologies today to treat wastewater.
Our commitment to water-conscious communities and clients is an ongoing effort with ever-changing technologies. Water is vital to everything we do, and it's important to minimize our human footprint on the water life cycle as best we can."Melinda Brown and Patrick Radabaugh