Greta Zornes, PhD

Greta Zornes, CDM Smith’s practice leader for water reuse and industrial treatment, is motivated by seeking sustainable resolutions to complex problems. “My focus area, water reuse, brings together water, wastewater, stormwater, groundwater management and other disciplines to find more holistic, sustainable water supply solutions.

She leads CDM Smith’s water reuse practice, drawing upon over 20 years of experience in engineering and project management for planning, design, and commissioning of water reuse and treatment facilities. She is also a former Board Member of both the WateReuse Research Foundation (2012–15) and the WateReuse Association, Australia.

Greta’s most notable project introduced a new water-reuse technique to a client in Australia. “I was the environmental/regulatory lead working on the commissioning of the Gippsland Water Factory in Victoria, which is both a municipal recycled water facility and an industrial wastewater treatment facility. Working closely with the regulators and our team, I led validation of the reverse osmosis system using a Rhodamine Dye technique that was new to Australia at the time.”

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Greta became very involved in CDM Smith’s wastewater epidemiology program and was part of the team that launched this new area of practice. It’s a natural link to her main area of expertise, because understanding pathogens in wastewater is critical to design and operation of advanced water reuse treatment systems.