The Hazardous Waste Dilemma
Issues and Solutions
The legal aspects, siting, management, disposal and site restoration of hazardous wastes are explored in an expansion of 30 of the technical papers that were presented at the 1980 conference...
Historic Preservation of Engineering Works
The preservation of historic industrial and transportation engineering works is examined. Preservation is reviewed in the context of history, and preservation through recording is explored....
Surface Water Impoundments
One hundred sixty papers presented at a symposium on surface water impoundments are included, with the aim of providing analysis of existing impoundments and planning new impoundments...
Why Bother with Historic Preservation�
Two case histories are examined regarding old dams that were preserved because of their historic importance, as well as their practical use. One example concerns a dam that was exposed...
Groundwater Contamination by Chlorinated Hydrocarbons: Causes and Prevention
Groundwater contamination by chlorinated hydrocarbons is becoming a major problem to public water suppliers and private homeowners who have their own wells. The chemical background, composition...
U.N. Launches International Water Decade; U.S. Role Uncertain
Over 13 million children die in developing countries annually, and a key factor in many of these deaths is the lack of both drinking water and safe human-excreta disposal. Two-thirds of...
Hazardous Waste Management in California: Lessons for the U.S.
California has what many say is the best hazardous waste management program in the U.S. In fact, the Federal government used the California program as the basis for a national plan for...
Hazadous Wastes Should be Destroyed by Incineration�Not Stored in Landfills; Cement Kilns Could do the Job
Presently, it is common practice to place in landfills various hazardous wastes. Yet, say some experts, landfilling these wastes is a mistake. Landfilling is not final disposal, but merely...
GAO Finds Massive Failure of Wastewater Treatment Plants
A year-long study by the General Accounting Office of 242 wastewater treatment plants in 10 states concluded that discharge permit violations are the norm, not the exception. The failures,...
The Deep-Shaft Process: Bright Future for Treating High-Strength Wastewaters
A Deep-Shaft wastewater treatment process may reduce by 10 to 30 percent the power requirements and land area needed for a plant. The technique is most attractive for treating high-BOD...
Ugly Dump Site Transformed into Recreation Mega-Facility
The civil engineering project selected as the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement of 1981 is described. While other communities bemoan the use and loss of land to refuse disposal,...
Big New Radio Telescope Array Listens in on Space
The world's most powerful radio telescope is so sensitive that it can detect a small CB rig operating on a distant planet. The Very Large Array (VLA) Radio Telescope Facility...
East Bay Waste Management: From Landfill to Park
A balancing act between public interests, government regulations, and a private concern evolved into a total waste-management system for the San Francisco Bay area cities. Civil engineers...
Can Clay Liners Prevent Migration of Toxic Leachate
According to recent research, low permeability clay barriers, used by landfill operators to contain hazardous wastes, can be rendered highly permeable by certain aggressive chemicals including...
Building Rehabilitation: The Last Resort
Rehabilitation of buildings often seems initially cheaper than new construction, but the hidden costs of renovation are making many builders prefer new structures. The advantages of new...
Construction Productivity Improvement: How to Get Started
The greatest cost reductions and improvements in speed and efficiency on construction sites have come when management analyzes work methods, administrative and environmental constraints,...
The Future of Nuclear Power: A Global View
At ASCE's International Convention in New York City this past May, there was some lively discussion about nuclear waste disposal, the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, the...
Thermal Destruction Options for Controlling Hazardous Wastes
Incineration will play an increasingly important role in the management of hazadous waste in the United States. Properly designed and operated incineration systems are capable of destroying...
EPA Moving to control Industrial Toxic Pollutants with New NPDES Permits
To date, the main thrust of the nation's water pollution control program has been to abate traditional pollutants (biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and heavy...
Industry Challenges EPA on Whether Certain Wastes are Hazardous or Not
Before the U.S. can clean up its hazardous wastes, it must first decide which wastes are hazardous, which not. The case histories presented here show that this decision is not always easy...
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