[7] The WRB was dominated by civil engineers and focussed its efforts on implementing structural solutions to water resource problems.
[7] Rowntree was a keen proponent of that school of thought, saying in 1962 that "the solution of water supply problems … will require the construction and operation of large works and highly‐developed technical control".
[9][10] By 1974, he had become a Professor and, on 2 December that year, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by City University London.
[3] He used his inaugural presidential address to emphasise that "the duty remains with engineers and other experts to minimise the range of intangible issues… the inaccuracy of words and the opportunities of distortion are enormous.
[5] In August 1986 he wrote an article in the Proceedings of the ICE comparing water resources planning in the United Kingdom with that of New Jersey in the USA.