David Smith

“Our water resources are under stress,” says David Smith, envi­ron­men­tal scientist and aquifer discipline leader at CDM Smith. “Population increases in specific geographic regions, combined with changing climatic patterns, means we need to be more creative with our water resource solutions. Applying expertise to solving some of these issues, including aquifer storage recovery, indirect potable reuse and other alternate water supply strategies, like brackish groundwater development, is extremely satisfying. Not only from a technical perspective, but also with the knowledge that it makes a difference to the success of our communities and environment.”

With nearly four decades of expertise in hydro­ge­ol­ogy, water resources, and envi­ron­men­tal science, David boasts an extensive and diverse career. His profes­sional journey has taken him across the globe, with significant contri­bu­tions in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Asian Republics, the Middle East, and South America.

“Being able to take water supply projects from planning, permitting, design, construc­tion all the way through to operation and maintenance is important for clients,” he says. David has seen it all, and he’s completed projects for clients of every type: munic­i­pal­i­ties, mining and industrial clients, O&G, military, and federal orga­ni­za­tions. Before joining CDM Smith, he worked directly for a major water utility company serving 5 million people.

His proudest profes­sional achievement was introducing aquifer storage recovery to locations like Texas. “Locations where we use aquifers to store water and later retrieve that water during peak summer months or during drought periods is becoming increas­ingly important. The extreme summer temper­a­tures and droughts are high­light­ing the need to accelerate the imple­men­ta­tion of these projects,” David says.