World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2019: EWRI History and Heritage Symposium

The Augusta Canal launched an innovative economic development that created the first multi-user, multi-purpose, industrial district in the agrarian south. It was the first canal in the United States built for the multiple purposes of water power, water supply, and transportation, and is the only existing canal continuously operated for all of its original uses. The Augusta Canal is a civil engineering masterpiece of sustainability which provides a consistent source of renewable energy along with its recreational, educational, and economic development opportunities. On May 4^th, 2018, the Augusta Canal and Industrial District was designated as an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) national historic civil engineering landmark.

ASCE promotes the history and heritage of American engineering and has played a major role in developing the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) program to document historic structures that contributed to the development of the United States. The Erie Canal was a significant early American civil engineering achievement and was one of the first subjects documented for HAER in the 1960s. HAER has revisited the Erie Canal several times since then. Many elements of the original Erie Canal have been destroyed or subsumed by subsequent development, thus HAER surveys have concentrated on surviving parts of the Enlarged Erie Canal. HAER surveys include the aqueduct at Schoharie Creek, Locks 18 and 29, and the surviving flight of five locks at Lockport. HAER demonstrated new integration of industrial archaeology and the study of industrial landscapes in the survey of original Erie Canal locks 37 and 38.

This paper describes specialty board certification in civil engineering today and peers into the future of how it must take shape tomorrow. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) created the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE), along with two additional academies, to advance the profession of civil engineering by developing and administering a rigorous post-licensure specialty certification process. To date, AAWRE has board-certified over 700 water resources engineers based on their high levels of expertise, experience, and commitment to the profession. To highlight the dedicated and advanced skills of board-certified water resources engineers, the Academy instituted a series of awards for outstanding professionals recognized for their contributions to their profession, innovation, and the academy. The paper closes by comparing civil engineering board certification with that of other professions, particularly the medical profession, to provide a glimpse into the future of board certification.

Edward Manning Bigelow (1850–1916), known as the "Father of Pittsburgh's Parks," was an 1880 American city engineer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended Western University of Pennsylvania (today's University of Pittsburgh) as a civil engineering student. Bigelow planned major improvements in the city's infrastructure, such as new boulevards, water and sewer systems, and parks, many of them in today's Oakland neighborhood. The city engineer was transformed in 1888 into Director of Public Works, a position Bigelow held for three terms of office, first from 1888 to 1900, again between July 1901 and Nov. 1901, and then from 1903 to 1906. In 1911 the Governor of Pennsylvania named Bigelow as a commissioner of the newly formed State Highway Department from 1911 to 1915. As head of city planning in 1900, he started work on a system of grand boulevards [including Beechwood, Grant (later named Bigelow), and Washington Boulevards] to connect the urban parks he planned. Oakland as a City Beautiful Community is primarily the work of three visionaries: Edward Manning Bigelow, Andrew Carnegie, and Franklin F. Nicola. Andrew Carnegie’s gifts were the Carnegie Museums, Library, and Music Hall, and the buildings of the Carnegie Technical Schools, now Carnegie Mellon University.

Floods are capable of happening almost anywhere given the right circumstances, but timely prediction and response still proves to be challenging. The Great Johnstown Flood of 1889 is notorious as causing the greatest single-day civilian loss of life prior to September 11, 2001. Despite the cause of this flood having been studied and debated thoroughly for decades, the precise unfolding of events leading to the flood are still being modeled in search of definitive answers; answers that could help change the flood prone nature of Johnstown and similar areas. Decision support systems (DSS) that warn of flooding are based on hydrologic models to predict flood prone areas. The level of accuracy represented in the model depends on both the accuracy of the measuring instruments and the proper analysis of variables. Geographic information systems (GIS) can assist in both the development of these models and with geostatistical analysis to determine potential sources and effects of bias. The modeling capabilities and potential of GIS have significantly increased over the decades, serving as a useful tool in hydrological analysis and modeling. Creating accurate watershed models can both inform a DSS to more effectively assist civil authorities in protecting at risk regions of flooding, in the hopes of preventing any instances resembling that of the Johnstown flood, and potentially aid in constructing practical runoff retention systems. This paper will review the flood history of the Johnstown area as well as hydrologic literature modeling flooding of this area. The results of each flood will be analyzed, and the method behind each analysis examined and compared to modern techniques. Conclusions about the integrity of modern flood modeling will be made based on their capabilities and the past methods of analysis.

The purpose of this presentation is to inform and educate EWRI 2019 Congress delegates about the activities that led to the formation of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The impetus for establishing a new organization within ASCE to better serve the environmental and water resources community emerged from a strategic planning retreat held in 1996. At the conclusion of the retreat, there was a strong potential for creating an institute that could serve as an integrator for ASCE members and others active in the fields of water resources and the environment. Major stakeholders within ASCE included the Environmental Engineering Division, the Water Resources Engineering Division, and the Water Resources Planning and Management Division. In 1999, the ASCE Board approved the formation of EWRI and an EWRI founder's celebration was held at the Charlotte, NC, annual ASCE convention in 1999.

John A. Roebling (1806–1869) is recognized for his contributions in the development of the cable suspension bridge in North America. Roebling’s expertise with wire cables had its origins with his innovative manufacturing and use of wire rope to replace hemp ropes on the Allegheny Portage Railroad near Johnstown in 1842. Subsequent projects in Pittsburgh included a wire cable supported suspension aqueduct across the Allegheny River (1845) and a cable suspension bridge across the Monongahela River (1846). Roebling’s success with wire rope and cable in western Pennsylvania established his reputation leading to the increased use of wire rope and cable on other more prominent projects.

Of interest to EWRI leaders and members of the EWRI History and Heritage Committee, the Global Engineering Congress 22–26 October, 2018, hosted by the Institution of Civil Engineers in London, provided a large global gathering of engineers to agree upon actions with the potential to change the world within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This occurred during the 50th anniversary of World Federation of Engineering Organizations and the U.K. Government’s Year of Engineering. On 25 October, there was an unveiling at ICE headquarters in London by CSCE, ASCE, and ICE of an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (IHCEL) plaque (sponsored by HHC-ASCE) recognizing the 1818 ICE founding by eight young engineers. [This was the ICE 200^th Anniversary (1818–2018).] In the future, EWRI and engineers will have a vital role to play in delivering clean water, sustainable energy, and a connected world. Slides will be presented of the London Brunel Museum, SS Great Eastern launch areas, Mayflower Pub, Water and Steam Museum, and a Thames boat tour under several Brunel and London bridges. From 27 October, slides were taken of the 1820 Union Suspension Chain Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed (likely to be dedicated as an IHCEL on July 26, 2020), the Paxton estate, three historic Berwick bridges, and some historic Edinburgh locations.

Pennsylvania is home to an impressive 23 National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. From colonial times through the 20^th century, Pennsylvania has been at the forefront in many areas of civil engineering achievement. Spanning the state, these landmarks chronicle Pennsylvania’s industrial growth and its leadership position in westward expansion by road, canal, river, rail, and superhighway. As a result these projects have been recognized by ASCE for their significance in advancing the practice of civil engineering in the United States. This presentation will highlight Pennsylvania’s Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks and provide conference attendees an appreciation of these landmark projects and how they contributed to Pennsylvania’s significance in the history and development of our profession.

The intent of this paper is to present the background of the founding and history of The American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) at the twentieth anniversary Congress of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) in Pittsburgh, PA. AAWRE was founded in October 2004 under the leadership and guidance of members of the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) and was the first ASCE Academy created within Civil Engineering Certification, Inc. (CEC). AAWRE started the Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (D.WRE) certification program to adhere to ASCE’s Policy 465—to broaden and deepen the body of knowledge for practicing engineers and to elevate the standards in civil engineering. AAWRE was the pilot program and the first of multiple professional certification programs at ASCE. Currently the AAWRE certification program has granted over 700 diplomate certifications. Among the diplomate ranks are eight current and past ASCE Presidents, more than twenty past and existing EWRI Presidents and Board members, and several dozen ASCE Distinguished Members.

William Kelly was born in Pittsburgh on Aug. 21, 1811, and later studied metallurgy at the Western University (now University of Pittsburgh). In the early 1840s, Kelly and his brother set up the profitable Eddyville Iron Works. William Kelly invented the process in which air is blown through molten pig iron to oxidize and remove unwanted impurities to save fuel and produce the first inexpensive steel. Between 1851 and 1856, Kelly built a series of experimental furnaces in the woods behind his plant. When Kelly learned of the Bessemer patent in 1856, he objected to Bessemer applying in the U.S. and Kelly received a patent in 1857. In 1859, Kelly renewed his experiments at the Cambria Iron Works in Johnstown, PA, and by 1862 built a steel plant in Wyandotte, MI. Within two years, he produced the first commercial steel, using the Kelly process. In 1863, the Kelly Pneumatic Process Company was organized. Kelly merged with the Bessemer interests in 1866, and thereafter steel production expanded rapidly. William Kelly lived in quiet retirement in Louisville, KY, until his death on Feb. 11, 1888. Henry Bessemer in the U.K. (1813–1898) did produce the first patent and became known for the steel making process. Bessemer invented over 100 items in the fields of iron, steel, and glass. Unlike most inventors, he managed to bring his own projects to fruition and profited financially from their success. Bessemer planned Sheffield, England. In 1865, Andrew Carnegie started managing the Keystone Bridge Company. From about 1872–73, at about age 38, he began concentrating on steel, founding near Pittsburgh the J. Edgar Thomson Steel Works, which would eventually evolve into the Carnegie Steel Company. In the 1870s Carnegie’s new company built the first steel plants in the United States to use the new Bessemer steelmaking process, borrowed from Britain and William Kelly.