"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Month: December 2025
Soil Boring Logs
12/06/25
“How do we encode soil conditions from a soil boring test?”
Engineers perform soil boring tests to understand subsurface properties. This information is categorized into Soil Boring Logs. Soil boring logs detail the subsurface lithology, rock density, grain size, and moisture content. Soil boring logs also provide information on groundwater and aquifers encountered in the drilling process.
Sewer Capacity
12/05/25
“How can we represent the total amount of wastewater a sewer can handle?”
Sewers are one of the most important sanitary inventions. However, they can only handle a certain amount of wastewater, called Sewer Capacity, before they fail. Sewer capacity is dependent on a multitude of factors, such as pipe length, diameter, slope, material, as well as existing blockages and water speed. Sewer capacity may require expansion if a city is rapidly expanding.
MS4 Operators
12/04/25
“Who is responsible for managing MS4 systems?”
MS4 systems are a wonder of modern technology. In the U.S., whoever owns and operates these systems, whether it’s a city, county, or some other entity, are designated as an MS4 Operator. MS4 operators are legally required to develop and maintain a stormwater management program and to review stormwater pollution prevention plan applications.
Stormwater Management Programs (SWMP)
12/03/25
“How do municipalities plan for stormwater management?”
Nearly every part of the world receives stormwater, whether it’s the Syrian desert or the Amazonian Rainforest. The runoff from this stormwater can carry pollutants from municipalities to nearby water bodies. Towns and cities are required to devise a plan for managing stormwater pollution transport. In the U.S., these plans are called Stormwater Management Programs (SWMPs). The Clean Water Act requires public entities that operate MS4 systems to develop stormwater management programs.
Impaired Water Bodies
12/02/25
“How does the EPA classify water bodies that don’t meet water quality standards?”
Water bodies all over the world have different levels of pollution. In the U.S., some water bodies are so polluted that they don’t meet water quality standards, leading the EPA to classify them as Impaired Water Bodies. Impaired water bodies are eligible to have a total maximum load pollution limit and environmental review for projects that may impact them to protect against further degradation.
Grade Separation
12/01/25
“How can we separate different transportation paths by placing them at different heights?”
Transportation routes are one of the most fundamental parts of how people move around, whether it’s a pedestrian street, a set of train tracks, or a highway. However, sometimes we may not have enough space for all paths to run together. So how can we use our engineering and planning mindsets to solve this? Well, what if we were to place different transportation paths at different heights? With Grade Separation, the same space can hold more potential paths. Examples of grade separation include the pedestrian and car bridges over 580 in Oakland, the bicycle lanes in New York City’s Rockaway Corridor, and the NH 248-BB in India.
Isaac's science blog 