The title of civil engineer is often interpreted in different ways and is generally recognized as a broad field frequently misunderstood or conflated with other disciplines. In the United States, civil engineering is clearly defined and regulated, as any other profession. One of the main tasks of a civil engineer is site development, whether for a single structure such as a school or commercial building, or for multiple structures such as residential developments. Site development includes several components that fall under the responsibility of the civil engineer, including the following:
- Determining the elevation and positioning of the building and its related components is the responsibility of the civil engineer. They should prepare a plan that establishes the levels of all necessary points to properly set up the project site, including its connections to the surrounding area.
- Design of water and sewer networks, the civil engineer is responsible for designing water supply and sewer systems that connect the building to existing public infrastructure and for determining appropriate connection points.
- Stormwater management is one of the most critical responsibilities of civil engineers. This includes the design of systems and structures that control both the quantity and quality of stormwater. In the United States, regulations often require that post-development stormwater runoff quantity and quality be equal to or better than pre-development conditions. (This concept is relatively new in Kurdistan and will be discussed in more detail in a future article). To perform these tasks, in addition to general engineering knowledge, a civil engineer must also have expertise in road design, water supply and drainage, and rainwater management.
These tasks are not traditionally considered core civil engineering responsibilities:
- A civil engineer has no responsibility for the structural or architectural design of a building.
- If an engineer does not participate in the design, they are not considered a civil engineer in the traditional sense.
