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Environmental engineering applies scientific principles and engineering tools to improve the natural environment, address pollution problems, and ensure environmental sustainability. Environmental engineers provide safe drinking water, treat and dispose of hazardous wastes, clean up contaminated soil and groundwater, and maintain the quality of air, water, and land resources.

Air pollution: Environmental engineers design chemical and mechanical means of preventing pollutants from being discharged into the atmosphere.

Hazardous waste: From chemical neutralization to genetically engineered “waste-eating” bacteria, environmental engineers devise better ways to clean up hazardous wastes.

Industrial hygiene: Engineers specializing in industrial hygiene help design efficient industrial and manufacturing processes that minimize waste and hazardous by-products.

Water resources: Measuring and modeling stream flow, designing systems to collect and treat stormwater, and predicting the impact of increased rainfall intensity on water conveyance systems are activities that ensure the quality of municipal water supplies and natural water systems.

Solid waste management: Environmental engineers lead the way in solid waste management, from designing landfills that won’t contaminate soil or groundwater, to reducing the amount of trash through better recycling processes, to understanding how various materials biodegrade.

Wastewater: Treating sewage and other wastewater is vitally important, not only for aquatic habitats but for human health as well. Engineers design facilities and processes to minimize the environmental impact of wastewater treatment.

Sample curriculum