environmental

This was the text for my environmental engineering class at Cooper Union (Fall 2002).

Speaking from my own experience and that of many of my classmates, this book is highly frustrating to use and is a poor learning tool all around. Solutions to example problems often have no units shown in intermediate steps, leaving you to guess. The writing often deteriorates into recitations of mind-numbing laundry lists of the numerical particularities of a given topic. The book rarely gives the reader a good, gut feeling for what's actually going on in a process under consideration.

A complete rewrite in collaboration with a skilled technical writer is suggested. More sample problems are needed. Mr. Hammer is no doubt exceptionally experienced as an environmental engineer, but his pedagogical skills as evidenced by this book simply don't make it.

Basic things like key words and concepts should be incorporated. Graphics, which are generally poor and sometimes illegible should be improved and expanded upon. An earlier 2nd edition by Wiley that I came upon at the library was actually better than Prentice-Hall's current low budget 4th edition, which is the one my class used.

In short, avoid this book, either Wiley's 2nd edition or Prentice-Hall's 4th. I'm currently scouting around for a replacement, so that I can actually learn what it was I was supposed to have learned.

This is an excellent book to read if you want to learn about wastewater treatment or just if you want to refresh your knowledge of this theme. The book presents easy to follow examples in many of the topics, say, clarifiers design (primary, intermediate, final), Aeration basins, etc. I prefer this book rather than Viessman & Hammer because it is much more friendly. I have not check yet the part of the book corresponding to water treatment, but the wastewater part is very good.