ABSTRACT
Infrastructure represents the basic life support systems of society and their relationships to one another, and, as such, it is one of the nation’s most important assets. Environmental infrastructure includes a wide variety of public services such as water supply, water and wastewater treatment, air pollution control, and solid and hazardous waste treatment and disposal. The failure of any environmental infrastructure is potentially harmful to a wide segment of society and may have far reaching ramifications. A contributing factor to the failure of many ancient societies was their inability to deal with the byproducts of their growth; for example, often disease occurred because of improper use of the land, improper use of the water, or both. Generally, societies have risen and failed in direct relationship to the intelligent use of their resources.
