CDM Smith Projects Win 2019 AAEES Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science™ Awards

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Academy of Envi­ron­men­tal Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) recognized four winning CDM Smith projects at its Excellence in Envi­ron­men­tal Engineering and Science™ (E3S) Awards Luncheon and Conference on April 25, 2019. The E3S competition rewards the best of today's envi­ron­men­tal engineering and science projects on the basis of “holistic envi­ron­men­tal perspec­tives, innovation, proven performance and customer satis­fac­tion, and contri­bu­tion to an improved quality of life and economic efficiency.” Winning project owners from JEA; Austin Water; the city of Newark, New Jersey; and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District were also recognized at the awards luncheon.

Austin Water was awarded the Grand Award in Planning for the Water Forward Integrated Water Resource Plan, which maps a path to increase the sustain­abil­ity, reliability and diversity of the Austin, Texas water supply. This Integrated Water Resource Plan (IWRP), developed by CDM Smith, is a testament to Austin Water’s enduring commitment to its customers. The IWRP recom­men­da­tions were developed using a holistic planning approach that balances multiple objectives such as water reliability, social, envi­ron­men­tal and economic benefits, and ease of imple­men­ta­tion. Explicit consid­er­a­tion of climate change was taken in the water demand forecasting and water supply modeling, including a 10,000-year simulation.

JEA was awarded the Honor Award in Research for its Water Purifi­ca­tion Technology Evaluation and R&D Testing project. Looking for sustainable, alternative water supplies to support a growing population in Jack­sonville, Florida, JEA decided to evaluate potable water reuse for aquifer recharge. CDM Smith tested two different industry-leading tech­nolo­gies concur­rently at two separate water reclamation facilities, unlike any previous study of potable reuse for aquifer recharge in Florida. The study evaluated both tech­nolo­gies’ performance, cost and reliability, considered both currently regulated and unregulated constituents, and addressed potential health impacts. The effort also included a compre­hen­sive, multi-year public outreach program, strate­gi­cally launched early in the R&D phase to gain public acceptance and trust in potable reuse. Ultimately, the project advanced the state of knowledge of two water purifi­ca­tion processes and identified the most technically and econom­i­cally viable treatment process for JEA’s needs.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District was awarded the Honor Award in Envi­ron­men­tal Sustain­abil­ity for its Well 12A Technical, Design, and Remediation Support project. Following nearly a half century of industrial manu­fac­tur­ing and waste oil recycling at the South Tacoma Channel Well 12A Superfund site, cleanup of legacy cont­a­m­i­na­tion has made dramatic progress through CDM Smith’s efforts. Traditional efforts to remove harmful cont­a­m­i­nants like trichloroethene (TCE) have given way to cutting-edge, and ultimately, more effective strategies. Due to an innovative mix of treatment methods, the project team has accom­plished ambitious cleanup targets approved by the Envi­ron­men­tal Protection Agency (EPA) to allow transfer of management of the formerly toxic site back to the state of Washington.

The city of Newark, New Jersey’s Department of Water and Sewer Utilities was awarded the Honor Award in Design for the Queen Ditch Restoration Project. Following years of historic flooding in Newark's South Ward, compre­hen­sive stormwater infra­struc­ture upgrades will now protect area residents from weather-related emergencies. CDM Smith helped lead this project, which involved extensive coor­di­na­tion with the New Jersey Department of Envi­ron­men­tal Protection, New Jersey Infra­struc­ture Bank, the EPA, local property owners and residents. With the design and construc­tion of a sustainable and sound drainage facility, vital infra­struc­ture and a critical wetland habitat were restored amid an industrial area of the city, and decades of frustration and costly flooding damage have come to an end.

CDM Smith is a privately owned engineering and construc­tion firm providing legendary client service and smart solutions in water, environment, trans­porta­tion, energy and facilities. Passionate about our work and invested in each other, we are inspired to think and driven to solve the world's envi­ron­men­tal and infra­struc­ture challenges.