Under the High Patronage of his Excellency
The President of the Republic of Lebanon
GENERAL EMILE LAHOUD
“ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM”
ALES 2000 Annual Convention
Bechtel Engineering Building
American University of Beirut
Beirut, Lebanon
July 20 – 22
Conference Organization Chairs
Fouad G. Matta, P.E., President
American Lebanese Engineering Society
73 Spruce Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Phone:
617-727-9780
Voice-mail: 508-422-3345
Fax:
617-727-9793
E-mail:
mattaus@mediaone.net
http://www.foliage-sys.com/ales/
Nelly M. Abboud, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
President-elect of ALES
The University of Connecticut
Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering
32 Hillside Avenue
Waterbury, CT 06710
Phone:
203-236-9861
Fax:
203-236-9805
E-mail:
abboudn@uconnvm.uconn.edu
http://www.engr.uconn.edu/~abboud/
International Scientific Committee
N. Abboud, University of Connecticut, USA
Y. Abousleiman, University of Oklahoma, USA
N. Ash, Geo-Comp, USA
P. Boulos, Montgomery Watson, USA
P. Bousader, Chas. H. Sells, Inc., USA
Y. Corapcioglu, Texas A & M, USA
M. Harajli, American University of Beirut,
Lebanon
A. Harb, Harbco, USA
N. Hourani, Mass Highway, USA
A. Naaman, University of Michigan, USA
W. Najjar, Chas. H. Sells, Inc., USA
F. Matta, Comm of Mass., USA
B. Morsi, University of Pittsburgh, USA
R. Mohtar, Purdue University, USA
A.Sfeir, Lebanese American University,
Lebanon
Introduction
Engineering Technology was changing at an accelerated pace in the last decade of the twentieth century.
The remarkable advancements in the Information Technology led to innovations and new design methods
in all fields of engineering. Also, with the perpetual increase in the world population and with a more
rapidly growing demand for engineers, there seems to be a pressing need for repair, rehabilitation, and
renovation of existing engineering systems, as well as designing more sophisticated and complex systems
to meet the demand in the twenty first century.
The Middle East and especially Lebanon are presently in an era of new construction, rehabilitation, and
implementation of information technology systems. The selection of Lebanon as the location for the
Convention is intended to serve as a large scale interactive workshop, as well as a means for the scientific
community to contribute to the peaceful efforts to re-normalize this country after more than sixteen years
of civil war.
Objective
The objective of the Convention is to provide a forum for public administrators, owners, specialists,
professionals, and researchers from different parts of the world. These professionals will have the
opportunity to discuss practical ideas, share experience, knowledge and vision into the future. They will
identify the needs in the twenty first century and how these needs will be met by engineers and scientists
collaborating across the borders, in the Middle East region and all over the world.
Sponsors
American Lebanese Engineering Society, USA
American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon
Harbco, USA
Siemon company, USA
University of Connecticut, USA
Financial Organizers
American Lebanese Engineering Society (ALES), USA.
Language
The official language of the convention will be English. All presentations and discussion will be in
English.
Local Organizing Committee-Lebanon
M. Harajli, American University of Beirut
I. Kaysi, American University of Beirut
S. Khoury, American University of Beirut
M. Najjar, University of Balamand
G. Nicolas, Lebanese American University
B. Zaouk, Certification Board of Professional Engineers
2
Thursday July 20, 2000
7:30am - 9:00am
9:00am - 10:00am
10:00am - 10:15am
10:15am - 11:00am
11:00am - 11:45am
12:00am - 1:15pm
1:15pm - 2:00pm
2:00pm - 2:45pm
2:45pm - 3:00pm
3:00pm - 3:45pm
3:45pm - 4:30pm
4:30pm -5:15pm
5:30pm - 7:00pm
Friday July 21, 2000
Registration
Opening- Planetary Keynote Speaker, President
Lahoud's Representative, Minister Nagib Mikati,
Minister of Public Works, Lebanon
BREAK
Nabil Hourani, PE, Mass Highway, Massachusetts,
USA
"Application of Ground Improvement Techniques in
the Northeastern United States"
Dr. Antoine Hobeika*, Tammam Nakkash, Ph.D.,
Jamal El-Zarif, and Linda Katran, TEAM Int'l,
Lebanon, *Virginia Tech, Virginia, USA
"Evaluating Transportation Investments in Beirut,
Lebanon"
LUNCH
Dr. Rabi Mohtar, and M. Benner, Purdue University,
IN, USA
"Analysis of Air Sparging Systems for Soil and
Groundwater Remediation"
Dr. Walid Salim Najjar, PE and Philippe Bousader,
PE, CHAS. H. SELLS, INC, New York, USA
"The Art and Science of Bridge Load Rating"
BREAK
V. J. Murphy, P.B. Hubbard, E.Rostosky, and Dr.
Alfredo Urzua*, Weston Geophysical Corp,
*Prototype Engineering, Massachusetts, USA
"Non-Destructive (NDT) Verification for Soil-Mix and
Concrete"
Dr. Yehia Anis Daou, Beirut Arab University,
Lebanon
"The Adequacy of the Minimum Shear Reinforcement
Provision in High Strength Concrete"
Dr. Mahmoud Ghazavi, Isfahan University of
Technology, Isfahan, IRAN
"Vertical Vibration of Deep Foundations in Layered
Deposits"
ALES BOARD MEETING
7:30am - 8:30am
8:30am - 9:15am
9:15am - 10:00am
10:00am - 10:15am
10:15am - 11:00am
11:00am - 11:45am
12:00am - 1:15pm
1:15pm - 2:00pm
2:00pm - 2:45pm
2:45pm - 3:00pm
3:00pm - 3:20pm
3:20pm - 3:45pm
3:45pm - 4:30pm
7:00pm -
3
Registration
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Osman Shinaishin, Senior
Program Manager North Africa, Near East and South
Asia, National Science Foundation, Virginia, USA
Dr. A. Al-Hajj, Dr. A.Whyte, and Dr. G. Aouad, The
Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK
"The Development of the Framework for Life Cycle
Costing for Integration at the Design Phase for Use in
Object Oriented and VR Technologies"
BREAK
Dr. Abdallah. Sfeir, Lebanese American University,
Lebanon
"Computer Algebra in Engineering Concepts and
Methods"
Dr. Milad A. Shaheen, Kaiser Electroprecision,
California, USA
"Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided
Engineering (CAE) in the New Millennium"
LUNCH
Dr. Paul Boulos, Zheng.Y. Wu, J.Erick Health, and
Paul M. Hauffen, MW Soft Inc., California, USA
"Optimal Design and Rehabilitation of Water
Distribution Piping Systems"
Dr. Dada Najjar Jabbour, Dept. of Public Health,
City of Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
"Municipal Management of Environmental Issues"
BREAK
Dr. Nelly M. Abboud, and Philippe Bousader, PE,
University of Connecticut, Connecticut, USA
"Recycled Wastewater and its Positive Impact on the
Environment in Lebanon"
Rana Louis Kobrossi, American University of
Beirut, LEBANON
"Health Effects of Air Pollution in the Regions of
Koura, Batroun and Jbeil in Lebanon"
Philippe Bousader, PE and Dr. Walid Salim Najjar, PE,
CHAS. H. SELLS, INC, New York, USA
"Retrofitting Old Bridge Structures to Meet Current
Standards"
DINNER BANQUET / AWARDS
Saturday July 22, 2000
9:00am - 11:45am
This workshop will provide the opportunity to learn
more about recent advances in reliability analysis and
computer analysis in geotechnical engineering. The
workshop will cover the following:

Basic introduction to the use of computers
in Geotechnical engineering. (1/2 hour).

1-D Dynamic amplification/soil response.
Determination of soil properties, empirical
correlation, non-linear effects. Hands on
with the computer program UFSHAKE.
Examples for typical soil profiles, different
ground motions, etc. (2 hours)

Development of site specific response
spectra. Example of bridge structure. (1
hour).

Level ground liquefaction assessment.
Equations, theory, computer program
LIQFAC, and how to combine it with
UFSHAKE for better analysis. Example
problems and some ideas about
remediation. (1 1/2 hours).
Interactive Workshops
Dr. Paul F. Boulos, MW Soft Inc., California, USA
President and Chief of operating Officer
"How to Apply Genetic Algorithm Technology to
Optimize Water Distribution Systems"
This workshop will provide the opportunity to learn
more about the recent advances in genetic algorithm
technology and its direct applications to water
distribution system optimization. Applications and
case studies will be presented using the H2ONET
Utility Suite software package, an extended version of
the EPANET water distribution modeling software.
The applications will demonstrate the efficacy,
flexibility, and versatility of genetic algorithm
technology to effectively solve a wide range of reallife network modeling problems including:

Network model calibration

Network rehabilitation

Network design and expansion

Pump scheduling
Dr. Urzua received his MS and Ph.D. from MIT. He is a civil engineer specializing
in Geomechanics, Geotechnical, Earthquake Engineering, Reliability Analyses and
Computer Applications in Engineering. He is proficient in the application of Finite
Element and Finite Difference methods for dynamic soil response, groundwater
modeling flow, seepage analysis, and soil structure interaction. Recent experience
includes developing and implementing a GIS system for the organization of
subsurface data for a major highway department, installation and management of
geotechnical and strong motion instrumentation for dams, slopes and other
constructed facilities, seismic analysis and dynamic soil response for bridges and
dams; seismic hazard assessments; regional groundwater modeling and
development of flow nets and seepage patterns; developing computer aided design
procedures for liquefaction evaluation, and geotechnical productivity tools for
major government agencies. He has been an invited lecturer and provided short
courses at several national and international conferences which include MIT, RPI,
U.S. Corps of Engineers, Boston Society of Civil Engineers, Naval Facilities
Command, Bureau of Reclamation, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Mexico, Dominican
Republic, Venezuela, Taiwan and Jordan. Dr. Urzua is the co-author of the book
Productivity Tools for Geotechnical Engineers, Vol.I.
You will have this workshop with the knowledge to
apply Genetic Algorithm technology to other areas of
distribution management including:

Leakage minimization

Identifying locations for water quality
sampling and booster chlorination stations

Improving hydraulic network redundancy
Dr. Boulos has written over 100 technical papers and engineering reports and has
contributed to the development and enhancement to several widely used
computer software packages for water distribution modeling including
KYPIPED, EPANET and H2ONET. He is a world expert in water distribution
engineering and has won many prestigious honors including technical awards
from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the US Environmental
Protection Agency.
1:15pm - 5:00pm
Dr. Alfredo Urzua, Prototype Engineering Inc., Mass
(USA)
"Reliability Analyses and Computer Applications in
Geotechnical Engineering"
4
APPLICATION OF GROUND IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES IN THE
NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES
Nabil Hourani, P.E. – Geotechnical Engineer – MassHighway, 10 Park Plaza – Boston, MA
02116, USA
ABSTRACT
Due to urban expansion, infrastructure development, and building construction on abandoned
and difficult sites, there is an increase need and use of various methods and techniques for soil
remediation and ground improvement. This Geotechnical Engineering field addresses the issues
of soil and rock stabilization, excavation support, and the improvement of properties and
performance of foundation materials.
This paper will present some of these techniques which have been implemented on various
projects within the Northeastern United States. These design concepts and construction methods
will be clearly described and lively illustrated.
In particular, the presentation will cover Deep Soil Mixing (DSM), Grouting, Soil Nailing,
Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls (MSEW), and foundation improvement for highway
embankments using Geosynthetics. Relevant case studies are presented and discussed, for
example, a widening of a roadway over unsuitable soils, a retaining structure at a bridge river
crossing, a soil nail wall along a scenic mountain road, grouting and soil mixing for an urban
underground project.
These ground improvement techniques can be applied to development projects in Lebanon and
the Middle East where steep hills, unstable rocks, and weak soils exist. These methods are
feasible and cost-effective solutions for the problems of unsuitable foundation, seismic prone
sites, and congested urban areas.
5
RETROFITTING OLD BRIDGE STRUCTURESTO MEET CURRENT STANDARDS
Philippe Bousader, P.E. and Walid Salim Najjar, Ph.D., P.E., CHAS. H. SELLS, INC.,
Consulting Engineers, 555 Pleasantville Road, South Building, Briarcliff Manor, New York
10510, U.S.A. Tel: 914-747-1120 / Fax: 914-747-1956 / www.chashsells.com
ABSTRACT:
A challenge faced by many bridge owners and governmental agencies is to evaluate bridge rehabilitation
alternatives, including replacement, and to select the most cost efficient alternative. This paper presents a
feasible method for retrofitting an existing bridge to meet current design standards. The subject structure
is a 75 years old steel viaduct in need for rehabilitation. The proposed construction work involves
replacement of a deteriorated deck, elimination of two non-redundant thru-girders and upgrading all
structural elements to meet seismic requirements. The upgraded structure consists of new multi-girders
with an Exodermic deck system lighter than conventional cast-in-place concrete; seismic isolation
bearings are used to satisfy seismic criteria. The design is performed in accordance with the AASHTO
methods of Load and Resistance Factor Design, and Seismic Isolation Design.
Key Words: Bridge rehabilitation, structural redundancy, Exodermic deck, isolation bearings,
LRFD design, steel construction.
6
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF BRIDGE LOAD RATING
Walid Salim Najjar, Ph.D., P.E. and Philippe Bousader, P.E., CHAS. H. SELLS, INC.,
Consulting Engineers, 555 Pleasantville Road, South Building, Briarcliff Manor, New York
10510, U.S.A. Tel: 914-747-1120 / Fax: 914-747-1956 / www.chashsells.com
ABSTRACT
Load rating is an evaluation of the safe capacity and fatigue life of a bridge structure to support
heavy moving loads such as highway trucks or railway trains. With aging bridges worldwide,
increasing load requirements and financial demands, load rating is essential for sustaining old
and historic bridges in the new millennium. The evaluation is based on inspected bridge
conditions, as supplemented by design and construction records, and is guided by established
design methods and specifications. Rating calculations are first performed with simplifying
conservative assumptions, in order to satisfy project-time constraints. However, if the results are
below the expectations or needs of a bridge Owner, then advanced analyses are necessary for
determining a more precise rating. Engineering judgements are often required in making the
assumptions, because of insufficient information on existing conditions or variances in
interpreting available information. Also, specifications are subject to misinterpretations, since
they are written for designing new bridges and are not intended for rating old ones. Indeed there
is art in the science and technology of bridge load rating, as demonstrated through case
investigations in this article presentation.
Key Words: Load rating, highway bridge, railway bridge, inspection, structural evaluation.
7
NON-DESTRUCTIVE (NDT) VERIFICATION FOR SOIL-MIX AND CONCRETE
V. J. Murphy, P. B. Hubbard, E. Rostosky, Weston Geophysical *, and A. Urzua, Prototype
Engineering, Inc. *, Weston Geophysical Corp., 325 West Main St, Northboro, MA 01532 Email: vmurphy@weston-geo.com, * Prototype Eng. Inc., 57 Westland Av., Winchester, MA
01890, e-mail: urzua@bc.edu
ABSTRACT
Soft soils mixed with cement, as well as concrete for structures, must attain unconfined
compressive strengths (UCCS) that satisfy design engineer’s requirements; the soil-mix is often
in the narrow range of 100 to 300 psi, and the structural concrete is usually in the range of 4000
to 6000 psi.
A rapid and relatively low cost NDT verification method is the in-situ measurement of seismic
(sonic/ultrasonic) wave velocity values (“P” and “S” waves). “S” wave value determinations are
particularly useful since saturation is not of concern (as it is for “P” wave values).
For the soil mix verification of the design values, we have measured velocity values that
increased from a range of only 150 –200 m/sec to mixed / “cemented” values of 1750-2000
m/sec.
For structural concrete assessments of any segment of a bridge, deck, dam, etc., structural
elements that achieve design strengths are usually in the velocity range of 4000-5000 m/sec.;
values that are less than 3000-3500 m/sec would always be suspect for deterioration and/or
cracking.
8
THE ADEQUACY OF THE MINIMUM SHEAR REINFORCEMENT PROVISION IN
HIGH STENGTH CONCRETE
Yehia Anis Daou, Assistant professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Beirut Arab
University, Lebanon
ABSTRACT
The development and applications of high strength concrete with a compressive strength as high
as 120 MPa have been used over many years. As the development has continued, the need for
research in certain areas have become necessary . One such area is the minimum amount of shear
reinforcement in reinforced concrete beams.
Under the current ACI building code and the British standard code of practice, a certain
minimum amount of shear reinforcement , equivalent to a 50 PSi (0.34 MPa) and 0.40 MPa
shear stress respectively, is required if the factored shear force exceeds one-half of the shear
strength provided by concrete. These are based on the results of beam tests using concrete with
compressive strengths up to 40 MPa. The extrapolation of these same provisions to beams with
higher strengths might be questionable.
In this project , tests on rectangular beams with cube strengths in the range of 40 MPa to 120
MPa and with web reinforcement indexes in the range from 0.35MPa to 0.75 MPa and designed
to fail in shear were arranged. Test program , specimen details, the main factors which affect the
shear strength and the expected results were described. A relation between the amount of
minimum shear reinforcement and the cube strength is expected to be proposed at a later stage of
the test program.
Keywords: shear, concrete, high strength, minimum, stirrups, shear reinforcement
9
VERTICAL VIBRATION OF DEEP FOUNDATIONS IN LAYERED DEPOSITS
M. Ghazavi, Ph.D., Department of Civil Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology,
Isfahan, Iran
ABSTRACT
An efficient analytical solution has been developed for the analysis of harmonically vibrating
vertical, linearly elastic piles of circular cross section. The pile is assumed to be infinitely long
compared to its diameter. The soil consists of a number of horizontal elastic strata that are
homogeneous, isotropic, and linearly viscoelastic. The soil properties may vary from layer to layer.
No separation is allowed at the soil-pile interface. The pile is modeled as a number of cylindrical
segments connected by nodes. The length of each segment is chosen so that the effects of the soil
inhomogeneity are accounted for. The governing dynamic differential equation of each pile element
is established and solved explicitly. The solution proceeds by first assuming an arbitrary value for
the pile toe displacement and computing the corresponding displacement and force at the pile head.
These parameters are then used to define the complex stiffness of the pile-soil system. It is shown
that the slenderness ratio, the stiffness ratio, and the toe fixity are the governing parameters affecting
the stiffness of the soil-pile system. The new analytical model, which is verified using existing
numerical and analytical solutions, is more efficient than the equivalent numerical solutions.
Key Words: Piles, Dynamic Analysis, Stiffness, Damping, Elastodynamic Theory
10
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FRAMEWORK FOR LIFE CYCLE COSTING FOR
INTEGRATION AT THE DESIGN PHASE FOR USE IN OBJECT ORIENTED AND VR
TECHNOLOGIES
AL-HAJJ, Ph.D., A. WHYTE, and G. AOUAD*, School of Construction, Property and
Surveying, the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, * Built and Human
Environment Research Centre, University of Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom.
ABSTRACT
Today’s concerns over environmental sustainability, facility obsolescence, operational staff
effectiveness, total quality management and value engineering make the traditional concentration
on initial cost seems blinkered. This has increased realisation of the importance of operation and
maintenance as opposed to capital costs throughout the life of an asset.
In addition, new styles of contracts such as PFI (Private Finance Initiative) are becoming more
popular. This will require that the building product is addressed within its holistic picture
including the design, construction and maintenance and operation. It is therefore vital to embed
the life cycle costing element of a facility within it’s design stage. Whole Life Costing is a
technique that would help focus decision-makers minds on the future by way of facilitating
effective choice between alternatives in the search for economic solutions. Information
technology, particularly integrated databases and VR (Virtual Reality), can provide the
mechanism to facilitate the integration of the whole life cost information.
This paper describes the development of a framework for a Whole Life Costing approach and the
criteria and basis to be used for evaluation, in a user-friendly format. This framework will
incorporate into the OSCON (Open Systems for Construction) database developed at Salford in
the UK to facilitate the integration of design, planning and estimating information.
The current integrated database within OSCON supports the functions of design, estimating and
planning. The proposed system will allow the user within a VR environment to navigate inside
the building retrieving information about building components that need replacement or repair.
A colouring mechanism will be developed to show various elements in different colours
according to cost criteria. This would allow the user to inspect easily the building and facilitate
rough ideas of repair and maintenance programmes, running costs and cash flows. The system
will allow data to be updated continuously so that it will enable the comparison with initial plans
and estimates and provides a fresh view of future action and feedback.
Keywords: Whole/life cycle costing, information technology, virtual reality, and construction
projects.
11
COMPUTER ALGEBRA IN ENGINEERING CONCEPTS AND METHODS
Abdallah Sfeir, Ph.D., School of Engineering, Lebanese American University,
Lebanon
ABSTRACT
Computer Algebra Systems with phenomenal mathematical and computational capabilities are
now available on every desktop. However, their integration in Engineering curricula is still
largely limited to Calculus or computing courses. The new programming paradigms available in
such systems have very potent capabilities provided they are fully integrated in engineering
science courses. This review paper will present a number of new programming concepts
with applications. Emphasis is placed on working with vectors and vector fields, syntactic and
semantic pattern matching, and analytical-numerical hybrid methods. Live applications on
problems in various fields of engineering will be explored using the Mathematica language.
12
COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (CAD) AND COMPUTER AIDED ENGINEERING (CAE)
IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Milad A. Shaheen, Ph.D., Kaiser Electroprecision, 17000 S. RedHill Ave., Irvine, California
92614, USA, Tel. 949-250-1015, E-mail: mshaheen@kaiserep.com
ABSTRACT
Today's Industry is more than ever requiring a faster Product Development Cycle in order to
compete in the market place of this new millennium. The use of Computer Aided Design (CAD)
and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools have been a key contributor to reducing this
cycle. This paper provides a global view of how these tools are used and their capabilities. It
includes a case study on the use of Finite Element Method (FEM) for structural analysis of a
mechanical actuation system. Special attention is given to stress prediction accuracy and quality
assurance features of these tools.
13
OPTIMAL DESIGN AND REHABILITATION OF WATER DISTRIBUTION PIPING
SYSTEMS
Paul F. Boulos, Ph.D., Zheng Y. Wu*, Chun Hou Orr and Jun-Je Ro, MW Soft, Inc., 300
North Lake Avenue, Suite 1200, Pasadena, CA 91101, * Montgomery Watson, 502 Albert St.,
East Melbourne, Victoria, 3002, Australia
ABSTRACT
Computer models are vital for the evaluation and management of hydraulic infrastructure
systems. This paper describes the development of an efficient computer optimization software
system, called H2ONET Designer, for use in obtaining the least-cost design and rehabilitation of
municipal water distribution piping systems. The software system links an object-oriented
hydraulic network solver and an optimization model in a fully integrated graphical mapping and
database environment to provide an effective computer aided decision-support tool for practicing
engineers. The optimization model is based on a variation of the genetic algorithm employing a
global search strategy and delivering reliable solutions in sub-quadratic time. Least cost design
and improvement solutions are chosen to satisfy designated constraints on network hydraulic
performance for any given range of demand loading and operating conditions. They can include
cleaning, cleaning and lining, pipe expansion, and/or installing new pipes (as constant diameter
pipes or split pipes of differing diameter) that can either parallel or replace existing pipes. The
constraint set prescribes minimum bounds on node pressures and maximum bounds on pipe
velocities and hydraulic gradients that are allowed in the system. Comparisons with published
results show improved performance, rapid convergence, and applicability to large-scale water
distribution systems. Enhancement of water distribution infrastructure planning and management
is a principal benefit of the proposed software system.
Keywords: water distribution, optimization, rehabilitation, design, and genetic algorithms.
14
MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Dada Najjar Jabbour, Ph.D., Director of Hazardous Materials, Department of Public Health
City of Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.A.
ABSTRACT
Citizens across all nations favor environmental protection. Effective lobbying by environmental
groups has lead to the creation of Environmental Protection Agencies in many countries. The
United States EPA was born 30 years ago at a time when rivers caught fire and cities were
hidden under dense clouds of smoke. EPA enacted environmental rules and regulations that
required the individual States to develop plans to meet established air and water quality
standards. Hence, State Departments of Protection were established with a mission to protect
human health and to safeguard the environment.
Although Federal and State environmental regulations were being enforced locally by their
respective agencies, some municipalities elected to establish their own environmental regulations
and programs due to the diversity and complexity of their environmental issues. A relevant case
study of such a municipality will be presented. An overview of environmental issues such as air
and radiation, surface and ground water, pesticides, hazardous waste, solid waste, public health,
community safety, health and environmental risks as well as enforcement will be discussed.
Furthermore, the intricate role that a local health department plays along with those federal and
state agencies while dealing with environmental issues will be detailed.
Keywords: Environmental protection, pollution, hazardous materials, emergency response,
health and safety.
15
RECYCLED WASTEWATER AND ITS POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
IN LEBANON
Nelly Abboud, Ph.D. and Philippe Bousader*, PE, University of Connecticut, Waterbury, CT,
06710, * CHAS H. SELLS, INC, New York, USA
ABSTRACT
The water situation in Lebanon is precarious. The focus of this paper is the problems and issues
regarding water development and management in Lebanon. For water management to be
effective we must recognize and take advantage of interconnections between surface and
groundwater bodies and acknowledge that water quantity and quality are a single issue. In
addition, the drainage and wastewater treatment should be given sufficient priority. Moreover,
we exploit the implementation of new wastewater treatment facilities. However, since the water
resources systems are expansive, this will require regional rather than local solutions to
problems, and provide equity.
Therefore, in this proposal, we study the implementation of wastewater treatment plan in the
Koura County. In El-Koura County, wastewater is being disposed on land.
Such study will minimize water shortage, improve the water quality and contribute to a better
and healthier environment.
Keywords: Recycled Wastewater, Water Development, Wastewater Treatment, Environmental
Issues, and Water Resources.
16
HEALTH EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION IN THE REGIONS OF KOURA, BATROUN
AND JBEIL IN LEBANON
Rana Louis Kobrossi, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
ABSTRACT
An increase in respiratory health problems is reported by the populations of the industrial towns
of Chekka and Selaata, and their surrounding villages in Koura and Batroun. This study
investigates the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among 5 to 15 year-old children in Koura
and Batroun, and compares it to a potentially non-industrialized region: Jbeil.
Twenty-five villages and towns were selected from the three regions. In each village, twenty
households were visited and information on one child were collected.
Living within 0-4 km of industries in Koura and Batroun was associated with a statistically
significant increased adjusted risk for cough with colds (or=3.40), phlegm with colds (or=2.14),
yearly episodes of cough and phlegm (or=4.63), yearly chest colds (or=4.12), and wheezing
(or=2.23) among children, as compared to living within 4-7 km from industries. Living in the 04 km region of Koura and Batroun revealed a significantly higher risk of yearly chest colds
(or=2.30) as compared to living in Jbeil. The risk for other respiratory health complaints was
higher in the 0-4 km region of Koura and Batroun, but not statistically significant. Living in the
4-7 km region of Koura and Batroun was associated with lower risk for respiratory complaints
among children, as compared to living in Jbeil.
The risk of respiratory problems in children increased in the regions close to industry.
Recommendations for intervention are suggested. The high prevalence of respiratory problems in
Jbeil might be related to higher altitudes and different meteorological characteristics than Koura
and Batroun.
17
ANALYSIS OF AIR SPARGING SYSTEMS FOR SOIL AND GROUNDWATER
REMEDIATION
R. Mohtar and M. Benner, Purdue University, IN, USA
ABSTRACT
Field data from five air sparging sites and numerical simulations using a commercially available
software model were used to assess the sensitivity of several soil, contaminant, and air sparging
system design parameters on the removal time and associated cost required to reach a specified
cleanup criteria. The parameters were evaluated individually over a range of values selected
from information given by practitioners and in literature. Trends in the removal
time and removal cost to reach specified cleanup criteria were analyzed to ascertain the physical
conditions controlling contaminant removal with variations in each parameter value. A linear
sensitivity equation was employed to provide a quantitative measure of model sensitivity to each
parameter.
Parameters found most critical in terms of removal time and/or cost, across all field sites, were
contaminant type, degree of pulsed sparging operation, number of wells, maximum biodecay
rate, total soil porosity, and aquifer organic carbon content. Parameters showing moderate to low
effect included depth of the sparge point below the water table, air injection rate/pressure,
horizontal air conductivity, and anisotropy ratio. At each field site, subsurface coverage
of sparged air, sparged air residence time, contaminant equilibrium in the system, contaminant
phase distribution, oxygen-availability to microbes, and contaminant volatility were noted to be
affected by one or more of the parameters evaluated.
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