During the past half century the attention of engineers con- 

 cerned with waters has been too exclusively centered on big 

 things floods and levees and revetments; large-scale hydro- 

 power, great dams and reservoirs. This is explicable. On 

 the one hand, there have been available the wonderful new 

 powers of science and engineering developed during the past 

 half century better knowledge of the behavior of water in 

 mass, better command over materials such as steel and con- 

 crete, and more powerful mechanisms such as dredges, 

 derricks, and conveyors. It is natural that engineering 

 should desire to employ these new powers. Of more signifi- 

 cance as a factor is the fact that speculators of every con- 

 ceivable variety have seen opportunity for developing com- 

 munities in areas characterized by rich soils but without 

 water, or in areas subject to periodic great floods, and groups 

 such as these have clamored for and brought pressure to 

 bear to compel the application of the powers of engineering 

 to their problems. This combination of economic and engi- 

 neering factors in the absence of social controls has influenced 

 engineering to give its attention almost exclusively to big 

 works. 



In justice it must be said that engineering has constructed 

 works of great social value, and has made large areas safe for 

 habitation and production; and that neglect of little waters 

 has been because only recently have its researches revealed 

 the important part played by these in the life of Man. 



Whatever the responsibility of engineering may be, indi- 

 viduals, communities, and governments are particularly 

 responsible. What they can do to correct past mistakes and 

 gain new benefits in respect to utilization of waters and con- 

 servation of soils, is considered in the next section. 



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