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WATER ENGINEERING HISTORY
For over a decade, Louisiana groups have been planting cypress and tupelo trees to help buffer hurricanes; 30,000 are planned near Lake BorgneVolunteers are replanting thousands of trees near Lake Borgne, Louisiana. These efforts aim to rebuild a natural buffer against storm surge...
In 1949, Australia began building the Snowy Mountains Scheme to redirect alpine rivers; 25 years later, it had 16 dams and 145 km of tunnelsAustralia's Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme began in 1949 to address power shortages. This ambitious project involved diverting river...
In 1933, California began building an aqueduct that would pump Colorado River water 493 meters uphill and carry it 389 km across the desert to supply its fast-growing citiesLos Angeles faced water shortages due to its growing population in the early 1920s. Planners chose the Colorado River as a vast water sourc...
It’s cool, calm, collecting: Why data centres won’t cripple consumer availability of water and powerGlobal tech giants are investing billions in Indian data centers for digital sovereignty. These facilities are essential for India's nation...
In 1982, a failed engineering experiment by an African American turned into the world's most famous water gun that changed summers foreverSuper Soaker water gun invention: An engineer's bathroom experiment unexpectedly sparked the invention of the Super Soaker water toy. Lonni...
In 1874, an African-American inventor designed an improved bathroom system for trains: How Lewis Howard Latimer along with Charles W. Brown changed railroad travel with a safer water closet patent?In 1874, an African-American inventor designed an improved bathroom system for trains through a patent filed by Lewis Howard Latimer and Ch...
In the 1930s, a Florida nurseryman scattered Australian tree seeds from an airplane to dry wetlands; the trees later invaded more than 400,000 acres of Florida wetlandsIn the 1930s, melaleuca trees were introduced to Florida's Everglades. These trees were intended to drain wetlands for development and farm...
On Edge: The Great Nicobar project faces a great engineering questionIndia plans a major infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island. This development aims to boost maritime trade and reduce foreign port r...
In Istanbul, commuter trains run 60 meters beneath the sea through the deepest immersed tunnel ever sunk, the first rail link joining Europe and Asia under the BosphorusIstanbul's Marmaray Tunnel serves as a vital link between Europe and Asia, effectively slashing commute times for thousands. This remarkabl...
In the 1950s, a Soviet engineer proposed damming the Bering Strait and pumping the ocean to melt the Arctic, a deliberate plan to thaw the top of the world and warm SiberiaA Soviet engineer proposed damming the Bering Strait to warm the Arctic. This ambitious plan aimed to melt ice and change global weather pa...
In 2003, an Iraqi engineer left California to re-flood wetlands Saddam had turned into desert; up to 60% of the ancient marshes later returnedAzzam Alwash embarked on a mission to restore the ravaged Mesopotamian Marshes upon his return to Iraq. By implementing a straightforward p...
In the 1970s, Roxanne Quimby raised twins in a Maine cabin without electricity or running water; after building Burt’s Bees, her family donated 87,500 acres and $20 millionAn artist named Roxanne Quimby moved to Maine and lived simply in the woods. She co-founded Burt's Bees, which became a successful natural ...
'Miracle on the Hudson': Why American pilot Sully's river landing that saved 155 passengers on a US Airways flight is one of aviation's greatest feats'Miracle on the Hudson': US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing on the Hudson River. Captain Chesley Sullenberger piloted the jet...
In 1998, an Arizona man secretly cut holes through Tucson’s street curbs to steal stormwater; the illegal experiment eventually changed city policyIn Tucson, Arizona, Brad Lancaster took a bold step by illegally cutting curbs to harness rainwater, turning a lifeless alley into a flouri...
In 1628, Sweden's pride became one of history's most famous shipwrecks in just 20 minutesSweden's powerful Vasa warship sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. The ship was found in 1956 after a two-year search. Divers raised the Vas...
In 1900, Chicago made its river flow backward to keep sewage out of Lake Michigan, redirecting the water toward the Mississippi Basin insteadChicago reversed its river flow in the late 1800s to protect its drinking water. This engineering feat sent waste away from Lake Michigan a...
In 2013, the Army Corps fortified Lake Borgne with the $1.1 billion 'Great Wall of Louisiana,' the biggest design-build in its history, to shield New Orleans from another KatrinaIn the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the weaknesses in infrastructure were starkly highlighted, leading to the creation of the IHNC–Lake ...
In 2011, the US began tearing down two century-old dams on Washington's Elwha River, the largest dam removal in US history at the time, freeing over 20 million cubic yards of trapped sedimentThe Elwha River dams were dismantled after nearly a century of operation. This significant engineering project restored over ninety miles o...
In 1964, American engineers drew up NAWAPA, a plan to redirect the rivers of Alaska and Canada through the Rockies to water the US desert, re-plumbing an entire continentA 1964 plan proposed moving water from Alaska to the arid American West. This ambitious engineering project aimed for continental water red...
For decades, the Soviet Union planned to reverse the flow of Siberia's mighty rivers, turning them south to water Central Asia, one of the largest schemes ever seriously proposedA Soviet engineering dream aimed to reverse Siberian rivers for Central Asian agriculture. This ambitious plan involved studying over 120 i...