The increasing frequency of major flooding
in parts of the United States coupled with dam failures such as the breached
Edenville and Sanford dams in Michigan should serve as a warning on the
vulnerability of our infrastructure during extreme weather, according to Mark
Anderson, an instructor at South
Dakota School of Mines & Technology’s Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering.
“The nation’s water infrastructure is in need of engineering
attention,” says Anderson, who previously served as the director of the United States
Geological Survey (USGS) Dakota Water Science Center in Rapid City, and has
spent his career working on water issues.
These challenges highlight the need for scientists and
engineers trained at institutions like South Dakota Mines. Civil engineers can
lead the way in innovative renovations to existing infrastructure and designs
for new dams, bridges and roads that are more resilient to withstand a changing
climate. Environmental engineers can help design new infrastructure that works
in harmony with the natural world. Scientists like meteorologists and
climatologists can lend to the understanding of what is coming and what society
will need to do to prepare.
The Un...