Chapter 23

Questions & Answers

Question 1

In what ways was Lisas work in

Thailand and the United States
similar?

Both her work in Thailand

and the US had drainage
problems.

Question 2

What problem does Lisa describe in

Bostons sewage system?

The problem in Boston is

mainly with overflow and
old sewers.

Question 3

How is a reservoir different from a

lake?

A reservoir is a place that holds

water that is going to be used,
where as a lake is just a source of
available water.

Question 4

Why is the location of a reservoir

significant?

Reservoirs must be higher above

the earth's surface so that gravity
can be used to get the water to its
final destination.

Question 5

What is the maximum height water

will flow up into a skyscraper in
Boston without the need to use
pumps?

525 feet

Question 6

What happens to the velocity of

water as the diameter of the pipe in
which it flows is decreased?

The velocity in the

pipe increases.

Question 7

Why cant engineers handle excess

wastewater problems by designing
a system with larger pipes?

The flow within the pipes

will decrease to much.

Question 8
Lisa is an environmental engineer. Use the
library or the Internet to do some research
on the field of environmental engineering.
What other kinds of jobs do environmental
engineers hold?

They survey building sites to see how

the environment will be affected by a
certain type of structure being built
there.

Question 9
Do reservoirs ever get too full? What
happens in a drought? Find out how much
your local drinking water reservoir can
hold, and find out when backup reservoirs
would be activated in a drought situation.

Yes, reservoirs can get too full. During a

drought, though, the reservoir can be used.
Big Creek Lake (our water reservoir) is
3,600 acres. Backup reservoirs are used in
situations like a drought.