Civil Engineering for Issues in Earth Sciences- myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Civil Engineering for Issues in Earth Sciences. Answer: Introduction Stormwater is water that is generated during events of precipitation and snow or ice. The water can either be held on the surface and evaporate, soak in the soil or even run off and thus end up in the nearby streams, lakes, river or other surface water bodies. Stormwater harvesting is thus the collection, treatment, storage and the use of this water from the cities and other urban areas. Stormwater harvesting is dissimilar to rainwater harvesting in the sense that in stormwater harvesting, the runoff is collected from the drains as opposed to roofs of buildings(Feldman, 2017, p.275). Stormwater has been identified as significantly untapped resources of water that has very high potentials of being utilized more productively in such a way that can substitute the prevailing demands of potable water supplies. Stormwater can also be used in meeting the demands of new developments beside beings a prerequisite in the conservation and restoration of urban waterways. Stormwater harvesting involves numerous procedure and steps that must be undertaken to ensure that the water is not harmful at the point of consumption. Among the stages of stormwater harvesting include harvesting, storage, treatment and then finally distribution(Maheshwari, 2014, p.147). Harvesting involves collected stormwater from its sources which is usually the drains. These drains belong to either the city council of the town or Melbourne Water. Storage helps in the temporarily holding of the collected water above or below the ground storages. This holding helps in creating a balance between the demand and the supply of water. This can constrain a scheme at time factoring in such issues as cost constraints and restrictions with space. Such factors may limit the amount of water that can be stored. Reducing the levels of pollutions and pathogens is the aim of treatment of stormwater(Maksimovi?, 2014, p.197). This aims at ensuring that the quality of water is viable for the intend ed purpose and that it does not pose any health risks to the public and the environment. After successful treatment and justification that the stormwater is fit for the intended purpose, the water can then be distributed to the intended areas of use among them industrial complexes, wetlands and sports facilities. Water extraction from waterways or works of Melbourne Water has been maintained at the current levels of allocation for a long time now in a bid to protect the security of supply as well as the values of the environment(Sharma, 2015, p.215). The government of Australia has established that urban stormwater is a highly potential resource that can be used in meeting the demands of potable supply for such functions as irrigation of race course, golf courses as well as public gardens and parks. In this regard, the government had adopted and enacted various rules for the collection and usage of stormwater in the urban areas. When considerations are made in making proposals for stormwater harvesting, the entire catchment area must be taken into consideration and the intrinsic value of rainfall be acknowledged with regard to replenishing the flows of surface water and recharge of the groundwater(Brebbia, 2015, p.312). Also considered are the social and the environmental values of the harves ting proposals to the urban waterways. Objectives The objectives of this study are to: Reduce the demand for potable water through the provision of an alternative source of water supply for use for such purposes as irrigation of parks and gardens(Feldman, 2017, p.278) Tap the potential of stormwater resource that in most cases end up in water bodies, evaporate or even sink into the soil all of which are of limited help to the public Explore the various ways in which stormwater can best be harvested, stored and distributed in such a way that it does not pose a threat to the public health and the environment Scope and description This study aims at exploring into details the potential of stormwater in Melbourne and the most appropriate strategies that can be used in stormwater harvesting in the city. This is aimed at reducing overreliance on potable water especially for activities in which alternative sources of water be used. The study covers the entire catchment areas of stormwater in Melbourne city, analyzing the potential that lies within each and every catchment area. The challenges of stormwater harvesting in Melbourne are given a consideration in the study as they will form a basis of making recommendations as well as providing avenues for further research as may be deemed necessary by the findings of the study(Maheshwari, 2014, p.222). The focus of the study will be in Melbourne city and will only concentrate on stormwater harvesting as the central focus. The comparison may be made to other forms of harvesting the water resource though not to any greater depth. References Brebbia, C.A., 2015. Sustainable Development (2 Volume Set). 2nd ed. New York: WIT Press. Feldman, D.L., 2017. The Water-Sustainable City: Science, Policy, and Practice. 6th ed. New York: Edward Elgar Publishing. Maheshwari, B., 2014. The Security of Water, Food, Energy, and Liveability of Cities: Challenges and Opportunities for Peri-Urban Futures. 3rd ed. London: Springer. Maksimovi?, ?., 2014. Rethinking Infrastructure Design for Multi-Use Water Services. 4th ed. London: Springer. Ashton Acton, P., 2012. Issues in Earth Sciences, Geology, and Geophysics: 2011 Edition. 4th ed. New York: ScholarlyEditions. Sharma, A.K., 2015. Rainwater Tank Systems for Urban Water Supply. 5th ed. Kansas: IWA Publishing.