Civil Engineering Photos

Photo Credit: Alex Mead

Seen here is an extremely valuable piece of equipment to many home owners who have septic tanks across the country. This machine empties the septic tank of its built up solids via a hose from the back end of the truck. Emptying the solids is important to do every two to three years to maintain proper septic tank function for an ordinary family home. The solids are then delivered to a local waste water treatment plant for disposal in the manner that ordinary municipal waste is dealt with.

Photo Credit: Nathan Shoemaker

Pictured above is a coal ash impoundment pond. Coal ash, a result from the combustion of coal in power-plants, is typically impounded in such ponds because the ash can be mixed with water into a slurry and pumped from the power-plant to the pond for extremely convenient handling. When deposited in the pond the ash will settle to the bottom and the water will be removed from the top and treated. Coal ash, classified as fly ash, bottom ash or boiler slag, depending on what part of the process the ash comes from is frequently disposed of in impoundment ponds. Exact disposal methods, however, are ultimately dependent on the state environmental code.