Page 29 - Fair, Geyer, and Okun's Water and wastewater engineering : water supply and wastewater removal

JWCL344_fm_i-xxx.qxd 8/26/10 5:51 PM Page xxiii

Preface

History of This Book
This text is a revision of the classic text Water and Wastewater Engineering, originally au-
thored by Gordon M. Fair, John C. Geyer, and Daniel A. Okun. Just before beginning the
preparation of this third edition of Water and Wastewater Engineering: Water Supply and
Wastewater Removal, the last surviving member of the original authors, Professor Daniel A.
Okun, died on December 10, 2007. In the normal course of events Professor Okun would
have been with us in preparing this book. In his memory we are including his latest article
on dual water systems, published in 2007 in Water 21 Magazine, as part of Chapter 8.

Goals of This Book
Today, effective design and efficient operation of engineering works ask, above all, for a fuller
understanding and application of scientific principles. Thus, the results of scientific research
are being incorporated with remarkable success in new designs and new operating procedures.
Like other fields of engineering, water and wastewater engineering has its science and its art.
To reach the audience to which this book is addressed, the science of water and wastewater en-
gineering is given principal emphasis. However, the art of water and wastewater engineering is
not neglected. Enough elements of engineering practice, experience, common sense, and rules
of thumb are included to keep the reader aware of the water environment and constructions
that place water at the service of cities and towns, villages and homesteads.

Further Study in Addition to Classroom Education
The study of scientific principles is best accomplished in the classroom; the application of
these principles follows as a matter of practice. To further bridge the way from principle to
practice, we suggest that the study of this textbook be supplemented by (a) visits to water
and wastewater works, (b) examination of plans and specifications of existing water and
wastewater systems, (c) readings in the environmental science and engineering periodicals,
(d) study of the data and handbook editions of trade journals, (e) examination of the cata-
logs and bulletins of equipment manufacturers, and (f) searching for the latest water and
wastewater engineering developments from the internet.

Intended Audience
Like its forerunners, the new work is intended for students of civil and environmental
engineering, regardless of whether they belong to the student body of a university or are
already established in their profession. Specifically, the target audience is engineering
students who have had introductory calculus, chemistry, and fluid mechanics, typically civil
and environmental engineering majors. Several chapters of this book contain introductory
material appropriate for juniors as well as more advanced material that might only be appro-
priate for upper-level undergraduate engineering students. Applied hydrology and hydraulics
are reviewed and included in this book. The inclusion of this material makes this book impor-
tant also to physical and investment planners of urban and regional developments.

xxiii