Meadowcreek Golf Course 17th Hole Erosion and Drainage Redesign; The Ethics of the Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 Through a Duty Ethics Lens

My capstone project at Meadowcreek Golf Course in Charlottesville involved designing a stormwater management system to remediate severe erosion and golf course flooding on the 17th hole. Each design decision from designing a step pool conveyance system to sizing an underground pipe carries implicit obligations to protect downstream ecosystems and community wellbeing. To ground these obligations in a rigorous moral framework, my STS research examines the 1919 Boston Molasses Flood through Kant’s duty ethics. By analyzing how ethical failures contributed to that catastrophe, I draw parallels to my own design process, using the principles of universality and reciprocity to ensure that my technical solutions adhere to both engineering standards and moral duties.