William B. Dowbiggin, PE, PMP, BCEE

“Figuring out answers to interesting water quality problems is my favorite part of this job,” says drinking water expert Bill Dowbiggin. Bill has nearly four decades of experience at CDM Smith solving some of the world’s most challenging water treatment plant and water system problems.

Bill has designed over 60 major water treatment plant projects with CDM Smith, including providing full study and design services for 11 ozone projects and pilot testing for 10 ozone biofiltration projects.  He has also designed 12 completely new green-field water treatment plants.  He also has regulatory and project review experience from previous employment with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For Bill, his most notable project is the Brunswick County, NC water treatment plant improvements and expansion. “This project provided a detailed review of source water contaminants including PFAS, identified the County’s goals for removal of those contaminants, then provided a state-of-the-art solution of low-pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) with a surface water supply to treat short chain as well as long chain PFAS and provide a barrier technology for future unregulated contaminants.”

As a well-known leader of the water industry, Bill can often be found making presentations at major conferences, teaching designers and operators, and carrying out bench and pilot-scale research studies. He has been awarded multiple honors from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), ranging from winning the Best Masters Thesis from AWWA in 1987, to his work on numerous Excellence Award winners from ACEC in recent years, to a 2013 George Warren Fuller Award from AWWA for distinguished service to the water supply field.