Civil Engineering Consultant – Stormwater Management, Grading & Drainage
Paige Brue ArcGIS and QGIS are Geographic Information System (GIS) software programs developed to store, manage, and display geospatial data. GIS software allows you to perform analyses and generate maps. For many water resources professionals, GIS is a significant part of their professional lives. In the United States, most water resources professionals use the Environmental Systems Research … Read more
The purpose of a pump is to add energy to a fluid (water in the case of a rainwater harvesting system) such that the water leaving the pump has more energy than the water entering the pump. In this way, pumps make it possible to collect rainwater in a tank and use it for drip … Read more
Last year, I started a new job at a company that employs several landscape architects and landscape designers. I quickly discovered that although landscape architects receive training that is somewhat similar to civil engineering, they view the built world in a very different way. Where I am currently employed, specifically, people value permaculture and seek … Read more
I have heard the term “attenuation” thrown around throughout my career. However, it took me a long time to actually understand what the term means. It turns out that flow attenuation is actually a fairly simple concept. In summary, attenuation of flow refers to any means by which peak flow is reduced. Therefore, the attenuation … Read more
As a water resources engineer, many of the hydraulic models you prepare will be steady flow. This is because steady flow models are simpler and require less time to prepare. In many instances, this is appropriate. However, there are times when a more computationally sophisticated model is required to represent the physical processes that occur … Read more
There are specific considerations associated with designing an active rainwater harvesting system that will be located in a forested area and/or an area prone to wildfires. Storing water in fire-prone areas increases wildfire resilience because it can serve as a backup water supply in case of an emergency. In many cases, storing water in fire-prone … Read more
Humans have been capturing and storing rainwater for a very long time. However, the practice of rainwater harvesting is not very common in modern times because we have a network of pumps, wells, and treatment plants that transport clean drinking water to our taps. In general, many of us (in the United States) are fortunate … Read more
The following list describes some of the equations used in many stormwater engineers’ daily work. In some cases, an engineer may not directly apply these equations in a calculation/spreadsheet exercise. Rather, they may use these equations when preparing a hydraulic model. In such cases, it is still important to understand the theory/equations behind a hydraulic … Read more
Stormwater detention has been used as a strategy for managing urban stormwater runoff since the early 1970s. Originally, detention ponds were designed for larger storm events (10-year, 25-year, 50-year, or even 10-year). By the early 1980s, stormwater detention ponds were also being designed to improve water quality, specifically suspended pollutants. The following blog post outlines … Read more
Site grading is an essential skill for civil engineers to master. This is because grading is an extremely important part of the land development process. Site plans prepared for the purpose of constructing a new development typically include several sheets. One of these sheets will include the grading and drainage plan. In some cases, grading … Read more