Civil engineers have a long history of activity in environmental engineering.
Before the turn of the century they were involved in the treatment of water and wastewater, and this has since saved many lives because it has prevented the spread of water-borne diseases. Although to this day these important traditional roles are dominated by civil engineers, civil engineers do not now restrict themselves to just these areas. Anaerobic digestors near Boston harbour. Such digestors use sewage sludge to make a form of natural gas which has excellent energy content and helps offset the cost of running the plant. Such laboratory-based activities draw upon the sciences of aqueous chemistry and aquatic microbiology.