In California and across the U.S., momentum is growing to increase investment in civil infrastructure. California recently increased its gas tax and vehicle-licensing fees, which will generate billions of dollars and put thousands of people to work. President Trump has called for major investments in U.S. infrastructure.

Infrastructure projects will be designed and managed by civil and environmental engineers based on clients’ requirements and applicable policies and design standards. But history shows that civil infrastructure failings often are linked to what wasn’t considered. For example, Southern California flood control systems excel in moving surface runoff quickly to the ocean, but they are a disaster from the perspective of water quality, ecology and community aesthetics. U.S. freeways move vast numbers of vehicles, but freeway construction displaced thousands and worsened poverty in many urban communities. When the concrete on Lake Oroville’s spillway crumbled in February, 180,000 Californians were evacuated.

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