The unsung heroes of our communities were feted in Washington, D.C. this week when the American Council of Engineering Companies hosted its annual Engineering Excellence Awards. The council honors the innovation and achievements of individuals and firms who design innovative projects that solve complex problems.
In today’s world of infrastructure, there is rarely a simple problem to be solved, no matter how uncomplicated something appears from the outside. That’s why the expertise of professional engineers is so critical as the wrong design or use of improper materials can have significant consequences. In 1986, the winner of ACEC’s engineering award was the company responsible for the Ft. McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore. The tunnel is 1.5 miles long and runs underneath the Patapsco River, which exerts tremendous pressure on the structure yet it remains stable today because of the strength of its design. Two years ago, the new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was recognized as a similar feat of engineering excellence that is expected to last at least 150 years and withstand earthquakes.
Those are the kinds of projects people think of when they hear “infrastructure” – roads, bridges and tunnels that we see every day. But there’s a lot more to infrastructure than meets the eye. Buried infrastructure such as a water and wastewater project is equally important, and those systems are also recognized by the engineering council for the complexity and innovation. Given the state of water infrastructure in our country, we need some innovative techniques.
A report from the Value of Water campaign notes that the United States’ investment in infrastructure has not kept pace with the need for repair and replacement. Water mains are aging and wastewater systems, many of which were built before the 1960s, are also struggling to keep up with demand. The costs for replacement are staggering: the United States “needs to invest a total of $123 billion per year in water infrastructure over the next 10 years to achieve a good state of repair,” according to the report.
Equally staggering are the costs accrued by communities and industries when there are service disruptions to water- and wastewater systems. Nationally, an eight-day disruption in water service would be the equivalent of a 1 percent loss in GDP, which would also put nearly 2 million jobs at risk. There’s just too much at stake for us not to make water infrastructure a priority for investment dollars and not to trust the judgment of the experts.
Professional engineers team up with our nation’s water utilities and local governments to make sure that infrastructure projects are done right from start to finish. There are efforts underway in several states to deny these experts the chance to continue enjoying this collaborative process by usurping their decisions through heavy-handed state legislation. This is unacceptable. Despite the fact that no state has passed one of these bills, supporters still try to force local governments to select project bids based solely on front-end material costs instead of relying on engineers’ judgment to identify the materials best suited for the build area.
Water pipes deliver clean and safe water to our homes and businesses while wastewater systems serve an equally important purpose. Simply put, our towns and cities would cease to function if either of those were seriously compromised. This year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the engineering council’s awards. It was an opportunity to thank the professional engineers who devote their careers to designing and overseeing the projects that allow our communities to run and to promise them that their judgment will continue to be respected.
