Employers: Can you tell new Civil Engineering graduates a salary range they can expect this year? Also, do you have suggestions on how to handle the "salary" question in an interview?

This is a tough question to answer thorougly, although Jeff H. provided some insight on the public sector.  In the private sector you have two forces at work, the small company and the large company.  The large company, in general, can offer more money than the smaller company and each individual firm has its own pay scale.  I would say that you will find a significant range of starting salaries dependent on both company size and the area in which you are looking.  If I was to render an opinion I would say that starting salaries in the private sector could range from $37,500 for a small rural type firm up to $55,000 for a large firm in a major city.

With respect to your second question, the best thing for a graduate to do is do his research of the area and to have an idea of what the going rate is.  Also do not be intimidate or afraid to talk about salary during an interview.