Texas Civil Engineer Volume 87, Winter, Issue No. 1

Winter 2016 | Volume 87| No. 1

Disaster Recovery in Texas and the Engineer’s Role CECON 2016 In Review 2016 Texas Section Honors and Awards 2016-2017 Texas Section Directory

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Austin, Texas PERMIT NO. 879

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Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

On the Cover: Garland and Rowlett,TX EF4 Tornado Damage captured on 1-25-2016, Volkan Yuksel. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

TEXAS SECTION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Lindsay A. O’Leary PE OPERATIONS MANAGER: Elizabeth R. Greenwood COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER: Annemarie G. Gasser 1524 S. Interstate 35 Suite 180 Austin, Texas 78704 Phone: 512-472-8905 E-mail: office@texasce.org Website: www.texasce.org 2016–2017 OFFICERS PRESIDENT: Craig B. Thompson PE PAST PRESIDENT: Audra N. Morse PhD, PE PRESIDENT ELECT: Lawrence D. Goldberg PE VP-EDUCATIONAL: Brett A. Pope PE VP-EDUCATIONAL ELECT: Russell R. Carter PE VP-PROFESSIONAL: Travis N. Attanasio PE VP-PROFESSIONAL ELECT: Andrew L. Mellen PE VP-TECHNICAL: Oscar Lopez PE VP-TECHNICAL ELECT: Steven B. McNeme PE TREASURER: Anthony D. Buonodono PE DIRECTORS AT LARGE SENIOR DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Tyler P. Dube PE SECOND YEAR DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Kathryn S. Osborn EIT FIRST YEAR DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Adarsh Menon EIT FIRST YEAR DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Dora E. Marin-Robles PE SECTION DIRECTORS J. Brandon Klenzendorf PhD, PE, Austin Branch Robert Lys Jr PE, Brazos Branch T. Zachary Grimes PE, Caprock Branch Allen B. Nash PE, Central Texas Branch John D. McMullan PE, Corpus Christi Branch Julie A. Jones PE, Dallas Branch Yvonne C. Conde-Curry PE, El Paso Branch Kimberly K. Cornett PE, Fort Worth Branch Joseph W. Shehan PE, High Plains Branch Jason P. Ellison PE, Houston Branch Russell W. Gibson PE, Northeast Texas Branch Eugene Palacios PE, Rio Grande Valley Branch John A. Tyler PE, San Antonio Branch Robert C. Hickman PE, Southeast Texas Branch Brady M. Stanford EIT, West Texas Branch ASCE - REGION 6 Nancy S. Cline PE Director and Board of Governors Chair 2016-2019

In This Issue Winter 2016 | Volume 87 | Number 1 Calendar of Events 4 CPD Opportunities 4 President’s Message 5 Message From the Executive Directors

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Report From Region 6 7 2016 CECON in Review 8 Texas Section Branch Officers Branch News

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ASCE Life Members 2016 13 ASCE Texas Section Directory 2016 - 2017

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Student’s Center 16 Meet Your Board Members

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2016 - 2017 Section Standing/Task Committees

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2016 - 2017 Technical Institute Chapters

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Trust Fund Officers 22 Disaster Recovery in Texas and the Engineer’s Role 24

Kingsville Area Tornado Damage

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2015 Rowlett Tornado 25

The Civil Engineer’s Role in Disasters

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2017 CECON Call for Speakers & Topics

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2016 Texas Section Awards and Honors

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2017 Award Nominations 39

Daniel B. Hartman PE, F.ASCE Governor—Texas Section 2014-2017

In Memoriam 2015 - 2016

Jeremy P. Stahle PE Governor—Oklahoma Section 2014-2017

Legislative News 42

David F. J. Calabuig, Sr. PE Governor—Texas Section 2015–2018 Jerry B. Paz PE Governor—New Mexico Section 2015-2018 Governor - Appointed (2016-2019) (Texas Section) Patricia Frayre PE

ASCE News & Classified News

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Karl Terzaghi’s Work and Its Impact on Texas 45 Business Directory 46 TexASCE.org

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Calendar of Events

CPD Opportunities

Executive Committee Meeting - Austin

January 13, 2017

To enhance communications between ASCE and ASCE’s Regions, Sections, and Branches, Geographic Services is pleased to advise you of the following seminars scheduled in our area:

Texas Section Legislative Drive In - Austin

February 7, 2017

Austin

ASCE Texas Student Symposium - El Paso

March 2 - 4, 2017

Corpus Christi Symposium for Engineering and Leadership

April 7, 2017

CECON 2017 San Marcos, Texas

September 20 - 22, 2017

Jan. 24, 2017

Significant Changes from ASCE 7-10 to ASCE 7-16

Dallas Jan. 26, 2017

Significant Changes from ASCE 7-10 to ASCE 7-16

Houston Structural-Vibration Analysis: Design and Troubleshooting Structural Design for Bomb Blast Loads and Accidental Chemical Explosions (Buildings and Industrial Facilities)

Feb. 1 - 3, 2017 Feb. 8-10, 2017

Texas Civil Engineer Deadlines Spring 2017 - Volume 87, No. 2 January 18 Copy Submittal Deadline February 15 Ad Insertion Deadline

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Detailed descriptions of seminars are available at www.asce.org/continuing_education/

@TEXASCETweets

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

President’s Message

Moving forward Like children at this time of year, with school in full stride, we move toward the holiday season with wide-eyed wonderment of turkey on the table and presents under the tree. Before we daydream, longing for simpler times, let’s keep our gaze forward toward the changes that are on the horizon.

I first want to thank one of the best leaders I have had the pleasure to work with, Audra Morse PhD, PE, our immediate Past President; she has guided me into this position with the grace and even-handedness that I can only hope to emulate. She led us down a path to ask the tough questions about ourselves and required us to step outside the box when asking the simplest of questions.

To have been a part of Texas Section leadership under Audra has been a pleasure and an honor!

As we move forward and I begin to understand the responsibilities of my new role, there are other, more important and exciting changes taking place. Lindsay O’Leary PE, LEED AP, will be taking over as the Executive Director of the Texas Section. Lindsay comes to us from the consulting world and as a member and passionate volunteer from the Austin Branch. Lindsay started the first part of November and will be familiarizing herself with the Section and staff. I am sure she will be making her rounds to the Branches, so please make her feel welcome.

We, as the Texas Section, need to communicate to her and her staff how the Section can better serve you, the members, and your branches.

With Lindsay’s arrival, we say a huge thank you to Cres Guzman PE who is stepping down after six years at the helm. Cres has been such an incredible advocate of and a guiding light for the Texas Section over the past six years. He led the charge to partner with agencies and other associations. He led us through the changes of Texas Section meeting formats and helped develop two very promising events – CECON and the Student Symposium. The potential that these events have is amazing, and our expectations are even higher. So, as you can see Lindsay, like myself, has big shoes to fill but with an engaged slate of officers and a fantastic Section staff, we will continue to move forward.

At the Board of Direction Meeting in April, we approved a $15 Section dues increase. The Section hasn’t

increased its dues in more than a decade (2004). This dues increase has gone into effect for the 2017 dues year. I too, begrudgingly accepted the increase until I fully understood what all the Craig B. Thompson PE Section does: webinars, Texas Texas Section President Civil Engineer magazine, statewide conferences and technical events, publishing an Infrastructure Report Card, Student Symposium and other student events, active involvement in legislation and education of our legislators (locally and statewide), on-line career center and full service website, etc. After reviewing all the Section does for us it hard to grasp how they did all for so many years on a decade-old budget. Unfortunately, this increase coincides with a dues increase from headquarters as well. Thirteen years between dues increase is not how you sustain and organization and keep up with trends, and we will do a better job in the future.

There are several exciting events and items on the horizon. The folks in El Paso are busy planning the Student Symposium in its new format. The Student Symposium has successfully combined the Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge competitions into an outstanding three-day event that more than 400 students attended last year.

Intertwined into the competitions are “soft skill” seminars aimed at giving students the tools necessary to prepare a resume, understand the path to licensure, etc. One of the events at the Student Symposium that I participated in last year was the Job Fair. With over 400 of the absolute, best and brightest students from throughout the region in one location, there isn’t a better opportunity to find the next generation of quality engineers for your firm or organization.

As mentioned previously, the Infrastructure Report Card (IRC) update will be finalized and released in the first half of 2017. This will be a culmination of a lot of hard work and coordination by the IRC Committee. In the spring, we plan to take the findings from the new Report Card and gather during a Legislative Day at the capitol.

Engineers from ASCE can come into Austin and meet with their legislators. The Section will arrange opportunities to discuss the Report Card and potential legislative bills pertinent to our cause with your local Representatives and Senators. If you are interested in attending, please feel free to contact the Section for further information.

Continued on page 28

TexASCE.org

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Message From The Executive Directors Branch of the Texas Section, I look forward to serving ASCE and the Texas Section as Executive Director. The Texas Section comprises the finest volunteers in the country, and I am honored to join the energetic staff in Austin. I am also honored to follow in the footsteps of Mr. Crespin Guzman, PE, whose leadership has strengthened the Texas Section and laid the foundation for continued growth.

“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “to think of many things...”

Crespin Guzman PE Executive Director 2010 - 2016

And so it does for me as well; however, as I leave my watch over the Texas Section I cannot help but think that this is the best decision and the most appropriate time for the Section and all involved. During my tenure, we broke new ground in some areas and scratched the surface on others with success in some and not as much in others yet all the experiences and outcomes were still good, positive and meaningful. Working with so many great colleagues on the Section’s Centennial Celebration in 2013, the morphing of the Fall Meeting into CECON in 2014 as well as the Spring Meeting into the Student Symposium in 2014 has been quite memorable and extremely gratifying as we move forward.

The new ground to be worked during the next few years will usher in an era of great opportunities to make the Section better, stronger and able to sustain itself for another century. As the work continues, I feel that there is great promise ahead and the Section will be in good hands with the members, leadership, and office staff with its new Executive Director, Mrs. Lindsay O’Leary, PE. All this bodes well for the Section. At the same time, I also feel that I owe you all a great amount of appreciation and sincere gratitude for your support all my years with the Texas Section but primarily during the last six in my most recent role.

So at the end of the day, I want to THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart and also assure you that I still believe that the Section’s best years are yet to come!

Hello Texas Engineers!

I was introduced to ASCE more than ten years ago, and the passion surrounding the society made a lifelong impression on me – not to mention that networking Lindsay A. O’Leary PE with EWRI helped me land a great Executive Director consulting engineering job. After serving as a board member and volunteer for the Austin

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A little about me – my background is in the fields of civil and environmental engineering, working for Geosyntec Consultants (Austin) and MSCW (Orlando, Florida). Some of my favorite projects have included the preparation of stormwater pollution prevention plans for industrial facilities, the development of groundwater monitoring plans for waste containment facilities, assisting graduate students with the collection of landfill data using T-Rex (a truck that simulates earthquake waves – operated

by NEES@UTexas) in order to evaluate the dynamic properties of municipal solid waste, and collecting groundwater samples at various Superfund sites. I am a native to Florida, but I have come to love and appreciate all that is Texas. I wasn’t born here, but I got here as fast as I could! Big Bend National Park tops my vacation list, and you can often find me swimming in Barton Springs pool. In addition to ASCE, I am a member of the Austin Cactus and Succulent Society.

My efforts as Executive Director will be devoted to the advancement of the civil engineering profession, the leadership of the Texas Section, and growing the membership of our 15 Branches. I will work with the Texas Section Executive Committee to implement the strategic plan and ensure the Texas Section continues to be one of the most active sections of ASCE! In my first few months, I will be working closely with Texas Section President, Mr. Craig B. Thompson, PE, and getting to know Branch volunteers throughout the state. We’ll be kicking off CECON 2017 planning and gearing up for the 2017 Student Symposium.

Please stop by the Texas Section office whenever you are in Austin and contact me at loleary@texasce.org or (512) 472-8905. Thank you for being a part of the civil engineering community in Texas, and I look forward to seeing you at ASCE events. 

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

report from region 6

Nancy S. Cline PE Region 6 Director

Region 6 represents three Sections (Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas), 19 Branches, and 22 Student Chapters. We are one of the largest regions in terms of populations, and we are definitely one of the most complex in terms of the number of geographic units represented.

The Region 6 Board wants to express thanks to Ken Morris PE, Region 6 Director from 2013-2016 and Sean Merrell PE, Region 6 Governor from 2013-2016. Ken did a fantastic job of leading the Board and reaching out to civil engineers throughout the Region through his attendance at Branch meetings, Section meetings, student activities and other presentations and dedications. Sean was also very active in attending many events, and we will miss them both but expect to see them at CECON and other events in the future.

September 21-23, 2016 was Texas Section ASCE’s annual CECON in San Marcos, Texas. CECON was a great event this year with some outstanding presentations by ASCE President Norma Jean Mattei PhD, PE, Martin Rodin with TxDOT PEPS, Jack Furlong and family, a panel discussion on Asset Management and others. The carnival party on Thursday evening was a good chance to catch up with friends and enjoy good food and music. Thank you to all of the people involved in the planning, the members making presentations and Section staff that worked hard to put it all together. If you weren’t able to attend this year, please mark your calendar for next year’s CECON for September 20-22 in San Marcos.

The ASCE Annual Convention was held in Portland, Oregon from September 29 through October 1, 2016. The Board of Direction had a two-day meeting before the conference on September 27-28, 2016. Some items considered were 1) Strategic Planning, 2) Governance and 3) Policy Revisions. The Strategic Planning session concluded the work that the Board of Direction

has done over the past few years.

The Infrastructure Strategic Initiative continues to be a very important element of ASCE’s Strategic Plan with the constant need to update and maintain our nation’s infrastructure.

ASCE has three professional initiatives: 1) Sustainable Infrastructure, 2.)

ASCE Grand Challenge and 3) Raise the Bar. Regional Governance was discussed by the Board at length. A presentation was made by the Task Committee on Geographic Boundaries recommending that the new position of Third Technical Regional Director (Texas’ Carol Ellinger PE) be made a voting member (instead of the previously non-voting member) of the Board. This motion was approved.

The Task Committee on Geographic Boundaries recommended the Board approve the reassignment of the Mexico Section to Region 6 from its current location in Region 10. Mexico had previously been associated with districts in the US and were only considered international with the creation of Region 10. The Board also voted to reassign Canada and Puerto Rico to other Regions. The Region 6 Board welcomes the Mexico Section back to Region 6 and wholeheartedly looks forward to working with them again.

The Board heard a presentation on ASCE 7 which is the standard used throughout the American structural-engineering profession.

An interactive, web-based version of the standard is under development (ASCE 7 Online and ASCE 7 Hazard Tool).

27 with many ou t s t a n d in g technical presentations and field trips. On September 28, new Board members were installed including President Norma Jean Mattei and President-Elect Kristina Swallow. We also viewed a sneak preview of the unfinished IMAX movie Dream Big (funded by the ASCE Foundation). The awardwinning producer of the film made a presentation and discussed the goals he had preparing the movie.

He was an exceptionally motivating individual, and I am looking forward to seeing it in an IMAX theater during the 2017 Engineers Week in February and hope you all can as well. On Saturday morning for the Closing General Session speaker, members heard Gabie Figueroa, A.M. ASCE who is currently living the dream in New York City as a civil engineer (2014 graduate of Princeton), a professional women’s hockey player and has worked with stadium architect Mark Messier, all by the age of 24.

She talked about how she’s achieved so much so quickly and how she balances it all in her schedule.

The Region 6 Board of Governors will attend the Multi-Regional Leadership Conference (MRLC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota from February 3-4, 2017.

The MRLC is a great opportunity for officers of a Section, Branch or Student Chapter to learn more about ASCE and the resources available to you through ASCE. If you are interested in attending and have not signed up yet, please contact Nancy Berson (nberson@asce.org) at ASCE global headquarters. 

The convention began on September

TexASCE.org

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2016 CECON In Review Civil engineers and industry experts from all across Texas gathered at the Texas Civil Engineering Conference (CECON 2016) to discuss topics related to transportation, water resources, and sustainability.

CECON is organized by the Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), in partnership with the Texas Concrete Pipe Association (TCPA).

More than 350 professionals gathered at the Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel, Spa and Convention Center, to discuss the challenges and solutions for maintaining and improving the state’s transportation and water infrastructure networks.

“CECON 2016 provided a great variety of topics of great interest and importance to the civil engineers in attendance from across Texas and elsewhere,” said Crespin Guzman PE, former ASCE Texas Section Executive Director. “The program topics created many a conversation among the attendees from all different areas of expertise in the profession, and the social functions were enjoyed by all. Our award recipients received their due recognition at the Section awards dinner and ushered in the Carnivale celebration that

LeAnne M. Napolillo PE 2016 CECON Committee Co-Chair

followed. The technical tour at the Meadows Center provided a fitting end to this year’s conference.”

TRENDS IMPACTING THE FUTURE OF TR ANSPORTATION With a conference theme of “Leadership in Infrastructure Solutions,” CECON 2016 began with a welcome from City of San Marcos Mayor Daniel Guerrero. Audra Morse PhD, PE, ASCE Texas Section President (20152016), Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Professor at Texas Tech University, introduced the panel discussion on “Beyond Traffic 2045: Trends Impacting the Future of Traffic.”

According to John Barton PE, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives at Texas A&M University, “the U.S. population is projected to increase from 320 million people in 2015 to 390 million people in 2045. 70 million is more than the current populations of New York, Texas, and Florida combined.” The U.S energy boom is placing an unprecedented demand on our transportation system.

“By 2045, the U.S. economy is forecast to grow by 115% to $36.7 trillion – and the transportation sector will represent about $1.6 trillion of the total Gross Domestic Product,” said Barton. To compete in the global economy, the U.S. needs a world-class transportation system.

Beyond Traffic 2045: Trends impacting The Future of Traffic Panelists with President Audra Morse Photo: Jay Garrison, Chi Epsilon

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Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

More and more, the transportation sector is relying on data to drive decisions, and on technology to reimagine how we move people and goods. Vehicles that communicate with each other, also known as “connected vehicles” are the latest innovation in a long line of successful safety advances.

Global Positioning Systems and new technologies such as NextGen are leading to safer, more efficient U.S. airspace.

According to Barton, “by 2020, one-second updates will pinpoint the aircraft location and speed of 30,000 commercial flights daily.

Additionally, “Big Data” and real-time travel information enable transportation options, such as car-sharing, ride-sharing and popup bus services; and more rapid delivery of goods.”

celebrating the annual gathering of civil engineers from all across the nation. The TCPA event, an entertaining and relaxing networking dinner, was a highlight for many of the conference attendees.

ASSET MANAGEMENT Thursday began with a panel discussion on Asset Management, featuring Mark McDaniel, Roadway Asset Management and Engineering Services Branch Manager for Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Richard E. Martinez, Assistant Director of Transportation and Public Works for the City of Fort Worth, and Quinton Alberto, PE, Assistant Director of Maintenance and Traffic Engineering for Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA). According to Craig Thompson PE, ASCE Texas Section President (2016-2017) and Vice President at Naismith/Hanson Engineering, “the pavement management presentation on ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ was useful as lessons learned on local projects.

Richard provided useful information on condition assessment, prioritization of projects when dealing with funding gaps and life-cycle analyses, and maintenance techniques.”

LEADERSHIP IN INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS

Bill Stockton PhD, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, focused on the role and potential for automated and connected vehicles. Bill presented US Department of Transportation Connected Vehicle Pilot projects awarded in 2015, including: • Vehicle to vehicle (V2V) technology installed in up to 10,000 vehicles in Midtown Manhattan, and vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) technology installed along high-accident rate arterials in Manhattan and Central Brooklyn, New York.

• Deployment of a variety of connected vehicle technologies on and in the vicinity of reversible express lanes in downtown Tampa, Florida, to solve the transportation challenges.

Following the transportation panel, Douglas Herbst of Freese and Nichols, David Bloxom of Speed FabCrete and Timothy D. Matheny of Peckar & Abramson presented a panel discussion on “Collaboration – leading the way for infrastructure solutions.” The presentation focused on what we need to know to increase our basic knowledge and understanding of Design-Build and Public-Private Partnership projects.

Wednesday concluded with a barbecue dinner at the Meadows Center, hosted by the TCPA. Attendees, guests, and families all joined in the festivities,

Thursday continued with break-out sessions, including a presentation by Carrie Little, CEM, Richard Furlong PhD, PE and John N. (Jack) Furlong, PE, entitled “Water and Structures Disasters, Oh my!,” a session by Michael D. Gehrig PE and Rusty Branch PE on “Integrated Geophysical Investigations of Earthen Dams in Texas,” and a session on “Mussels species impacts on roads, dams and more” by Dr. Thom Hardy.

The popular lightning round presentations returned this year, with ten presentations on a variety of innovative topics.

AWARDS BANQUET HONORS OUTSTANDING CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECTS AND LEADERS Thursday capped off with an awards banquet to recognize ASCE Texas Section recipients of 2016 awards Continued on page 32

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Texas Section Branch Officers 2016-2017 Austin Br anch

President: Stephen R. Zobal PE Past President: Jane Ellen M. Carter EIT President Elect: Glenn A. Goldstein PE Communications Director: Samuel Shorter PE VP-Programs: Kacey C. Paul PE Secretary: Travis S. Isaacson PE Treasurer: Bradley L. East PE Treasurer Elect: Aaron Sterns PE Younger Member Director: Ashley Sullivan EIT Section Director: J. Brandon Klenzendorf PhD PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Cynthia A. Syvarth EIT Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Paul Hahn PE

Br azos Br anch

President: Tyler W. Lewis PE Past President: Sean Ray PE Vice President: Kim D. Mayo PE Secretary: Greg Lanting EIT Treasurer: Phillip C. Rhodes EIT Section Director: Robert (Bobby) Lys Jr PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Edward J. McDonald Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Sean Ray PE

Caprock Br anch

President: Luis D. Hernandez EIT Past President: Travis S. Barnett EIT Secretary: Kenny A. Friar EIT Treasurer: Matthew S. Laverty PE Honors / Awards Nominations: Russell R. Carter PE Membership Comm.: Luis D. Hernandez EIT Younger Members Comm.: Travis S. Barnett EIT Section Director: T. Zachary Grimes PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Zachary J. Garrett Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Russell R. Carter PE

Centr al Texas Br anch President: Kyle A. Stanislav EIT Past President: Allen B. Nash PE Vice President: Brian J. Geiger EIT Secretary: Marsha H. Palasota Treasurer: Marsha H. Leroux EIT Section Director: Allen B. Nash PE

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Corpus Christi Br anch

President: Michael C. York PE Past President: Joseph E. Minor PE Vice President: Stephen L Skrobarczyk PE Secretary: Daniel E. Mazoch EIT Treasurer: Joe W. Alvarez Section Director: John D. McMullan PE Newsletter Editor: Raul Saavedra EIT History & Heritage Comm. Contact & Honors / Awards Nominations Comm. Contact: W. Allan Hayes PE Membership Comm. Contact: Joe W. Alvarez Webmaster: Raul Saavedra EIT Younger Members Comm. Contact: Jenna M. Clayton EIT Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Richard T. Everett II

Dallas Br anch

President: Frank E. Pugsley PE Past President: Brad M. Hernandez PE President Elect: Mark K. Boyd PhD PE D.WRE Vice President: Anthony D. Luce PE Secretary: Lisa Woof PE Treasurer: Andre Garces-Torres PE Section Director: Julie A. Jones PE History & Heritage Comm. Contact: Andrew C. Etchison PE Honors / Awards Nominations Comm. Contact: Sean P. Merrell PE Membership Comm. Contact : Jon W. Clements PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Fabian A. Herrera PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Mark K. Boyd PhD, PE, D.WRE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Edward M. Penton PE Branch Director: Jonathan D. Brower PE Technical Director: Gary L. Dreighton PE

El Paso Br anch

President: Roxanne Rivera PE Past President: Marvin H. Gomez PE President Elect: Christopher J. Nance PE Secretary: Sergio R. Mendez PE Treasurer: Thomas M. Vick PE Section Director: Yvonne C. Conde-Curry PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Sergio R. Mendez PE Branch Director: Jesse Valles EIT Branch Director: Jorge Grajeda PE Branch Director: Nicholas N. Ybarra PE Branch Director: Alexandra Riccillo EIT

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

Fort Worth Br anch

President: Clinton Hoover PE Past President: Travis N. Attanasio PE Vice President: Niraj Acharya PE Secretary: John A. Baird PE Treasurer: Niraj Acharya PE Assistant Treasurer: John A. Baird PE Section Director: Kimberly K. Cornett PE History & Heritage Comm. Contact: Travis N. Attanasio PE History & Heritage Comm. Contact: John P. Wier PE Honors / Awards Nominations Comm. Contact: Travis N. Attanasio PE Membership Comm. Contact: Colleen J. Howard Younger Members Comm. Contact: Jeff W. Philipp EIT Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Larissa F Knapp-Scott Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Thomas A. Moody EIT Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Brandon J. Oliver Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Kimberly K. Cornett PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Scott F. Berman PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Clinton Hoover PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Clair C. Davis Branch Director: Scott F. Berman PE Branch Director: Daniel A. Tremper PE Branch Director: Paul M. Banschbach PE

High Plains Br anch

President: Rodolfo O. Mireles EIT Vice President: Vicente Gil Jr. EIT Secretary: Adam B. Hilliard EIT Treasurer: Adam B. Hilliard EIT Section Director: Joseph W. Shehan PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Rodolfo O. Mireles EIT Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Bernard R. Tillery PE

Houston Br anch

President: Patrick M. Beecher PE Past President: Brent Baldwin PE President Elect: Gareth J. Young PE VP-Administration: Heather Guillen PE VP-Education: Luis A. Gonzalez PE VP-Technical: Julia P. Clarke PE Secretary: Sarah N. Alvarez PE Treasurer: Jason M. Brock PE Section Director: Jason P. Ellison PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Scott Talamantez EIT Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Jason M. Brock PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Vinod Balakrishnan PE Branch Director: Austin C. Brauel EIT

Northeast Texas Br anch

President: David D. Stanley EIT Past President: Owen B. Sanderson PE Vice President: Kevin R. Ali PE Secretary: Horacio A. Montejano Treasurer: Horacio A. Montejano Section Director: Russell W. Gibson PE History & Heritage Comm., Honors / Awards Nominations Comm., and Membership Comm. Contact: Arthur M. Clendenin PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: David D. Stanley EIT Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Owen B. Sanderson PE

Rio Gr ande Valley Br anch

President: Jesse J. Sanchez Past President: Lucas Castillo Jr. PE Vice President: Ethny A. Fantich EIT Secretary: Humberto Lopez EIT Treasurer: Maria L. Rangel EIT Section Director: Eugene Palacios PE Newsletter Editor: Dora E. Marin-Robles PE Younger Members Comm. Contact: Ethny A. Fantich EIT Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Alfonso A. Soto PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Robert L. Saenz PE

San Antonio Br anch

President: Amy M. Stone PE Past President: Curt G. Campbell PE President Elect: Deepa Thankavel PE VP-Membership: Ryan R. Plagens PE VP-Programs: Luke J. Reed PE Secretary: Micol R. Bratten PE Treasurer: Christopher P. Van-Heerde PE Section Director: John A. Tyler PE Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Jizella San Andres EIT

Southeast Texas Br anch

Section Director: Robert C. Hickman PE Younger Members Comm. Contact: Kathryn S. Osborn EIT Student Chapter Practitioner Advisor: Robert C. Hickman PE

West Texas Br anch

President: Jared A. Squyres PE Past President: Brady M. Stanford EIT Secretary: Adrian E. Frias EIT Treasurer: Sergio De La Rosa Section Director: Brady M. Stanford EIT Newsletter Editor: Danica R. Weddle Webmaster: Kristy Fisher EIT Younger Members Comm. Contact: Brady M. Stanford EIT

TexASCE.org

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Branch News Corpus Christi Br anch

The Corpus Christi Branch hosted many local and out-of-town ASCE members for the dedication of the Kathryn (Kate) S. Osborn EIT new Texas State Historical Second Year Director at Large Association marker at the start of the summer. This event, co-sponsored by the Nueces County Historical Commission and the Nueces County Historical Society, was well attended. The Branch also hosted a public outreach events for children called ‘Concrete for Kids’ at the local Sience and History Museum. The Branch is planning to continue their monthly lunch meetings with educational speakers, participate in a joint meeting with their local student chapter at Texas A&M University – Kingsville, and host a mini-conference for students, EITs, and PEs in the Spring of 2017.

Fort Worth Br anch

The Fort Worth Branch is now sponsoring two Student Chapters! The Fort Worth Branch has sponsored the University of Texas at Arlington Student Chapter for many years. They are now excited to add the NEW Student Chapter at Tarleton State University! Over the summer, Fort Worth attended a joint ITE/ASCE meeting and the joint Fort Worth/Dallas Branch Meeting. The Branch is also encouraging members to host local sites for viewing the monthly Texas Section webinars.

West Texas Br anch

The West Texas Branch is planning to screen the movie “Dream Big” in February. Monthly meetings are going well at this Branch!

Southeast Texas Br anch

The Southeast Texas Branch is excited about reviving ASCE in this area of Texas. After a long hiatus, the Branch has begun having monthly lunch meetings to view the Texas Section webinars. More events are in the works!

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Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

ASCE Life Members 2016 ASCE Life Members are at least 65 years old, have paid dues for at least 35 years and have had ten years of continuous membership immediately preceding the attainment of Life Member. Congratulations!

Austin Branch Robert C. Barker PE Robert F. Carmichael III PE Vernon R. Kasch Thomas R. Kincheloe PE Stelios Kyriakides PhD Brazos Branch Leslie W. Pittman PE Corpus Christi Branch Joe F. Trejo PE Dallas Branch Robert G. Bolduc PE William R. Campbell PE Roger O. Dickey PE Mark W. Kawalek PE Harry A. Lee PE Mac M. McWilliams Richard J. Meyer PE Ramon F. Miguez PE David A. Patterson PE Craig L. Robinson PE

Tom K. Ryden PE William F. Stoner PE William J. Winkelmann PE Robert L. Wright PE Victor M. Zepeda PE El Paso Branch Jose F. Cardenas PE Fort Worth Branch William R. Campbell PE Robert E. Gergens PE William V. Jacobs PE Dennis R. Karns PE John E. Levitt PE Michael M. Shiflett PE Houston Branch M. Mac S. Bakri PE Raymond C. Barker PE Mehran Bavarian PE Terry L. Bentley PE Creighton B. Cadwallader PE Lee D. Danner PE

Regulatory Compliance NEPA  Wetlands  Archeology Endangered Species  Geology TxDOT Categorical Exclusion SWPPP/Erosion Control Reservoir Permitting

Robert A. Decker PE Richard T. Frantz Sr. PE David E. Goolsby PE John H. Homier PE John J. Houston PE Alan R. Jefts PE John E. Jordan PE Charles A. Kalkomey PE Keith B. Kaplan PE Donald L. Lange PE Michael S. Marcotte PE James R. McGinness PE Steven R. Neely PE Mendel Nock PE Ronald H. Pitts PE John K. Sherrington PE Harold G. Thayne PE Eugene C. Williams PE Paul E. Wilson PE San Antonio Branch Robert P. Arias PE Chester J. Drash PE Joseph D. Williamson

Specializing in Infrastructure Projects Water/Wastewater  Roadway Schools  Parks & Recreation Oil & Gas  Electric Utility Flood Control  Wind Power Waste Management

Agency Coordination US Army Corps of Engineers  US Fish & Wildlife Service Texas Historical Commission  Texas Parks & Wildlife  FEMA  TxDOT TCEQ  TWDB  County and Municipal

Certified HUB-DBE-WBE-SBE 1507 South IH 35, Austin, TX  (512) 328-2430  Serving Texas and Beyond Since 1987 www.horizon-esi.com

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ASCE Texas Section 2016 - 2017 Directory TEXAS SECTION OFFICE Executive Director Lindsay A. O’Leary PE, LEED AP loleary@texasce.org

VP-Professional Travis N. Attanasio City of Haslet Travis.ASCE@gmail.com

Operations Manager/ Secretary Elizabeth R. Greenwood egreenwood@texasce.org

VP-Professional Elect Andrew L. Mellen PE Maverick Engineering LLC amellen@maverick-eng.com

Communications Manager Annemarie Gasser agasser@texasce.org

VP-Technical Oscar Lopez PE Chanin Engineering, LLC oscar@chaninengineering.com

1524 S. Interstate 35, Ste. 180 Austin, TX 78704 Phone: 512-472-8905 texasce.org office@texasce.org

VP-Technical Elect Steven B. McNeme PE Terracon sbmcneme@terracon.com

2016 - 2017 OFFICERS President Craig B. Thompson PE Naismith/Hanson Engineering

Treasurer Anthony D. Buonodono PE MWM Design Group abuonodono@gmail.com

CThompson@hanson-inc.com

Directors At Large Tyler P. Dube PE Pape Dawson Engineers Inc.. tdube@pape-dawson.com

Past President Audra N. Morse PhD, PE Texas Tech University audra.n.morse@ttu.edu

Second Year Director at Large Kathryn S. Osborn EIT Schaumburg Polk Inc. KateSOsborn@gmail.com

President Elect

Lawrence D. Goldberg PE Neuvokas Corporation Larry@neuvokascorp.com

First Year Director at Large Dora E. Marin-Robles PE Texas Department of Transportation dmarin06@yahoo.com

VP-Educational Brett A. Pope PE Terracon bapope@terracon.com VP-Educational Elect Russell R. Carter PE Carter Consulting & Engineering russell.carter@ttu.edu

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First Year Director at Large Adarsh Menon EIT Exxon Mobil Corp. adarsh.menon@exxonmobil.com section directors Austin Branch (2016-2018) J. Brandon Klenzendorf PhD PE Geosyntec Consultants Inc bklenzendorf@geosyntec.com

Brazos Branch (2015-2017) Robert Lys Jr. PE Tricon Precast Limited blys@triconprecast.com Caprock Branch (2015-2017) T. Zachary Grimes PE Jones & Carter Inc zgrim10@gmail.com Central Texas Branch (2016-2018) Allen B. Nash PE City of Killeen nash_college@yahoo.com Corpus Christi Branch (2016-2018) John D. McMullan PE Urban Engineering dougm@urbaneng.com Dallas Branch (2015-2017) Julie A. Jones PE Nathan D Maier Consulting Engineers julieann982@aol.com El Paso Branch (2015-2017) Eugene Palacios PE City of McAllen Eugene4x@gmail.com Fort Worth Branch (2015-2017) Kimberly K. Cornett PE Jacobs Kimberly.Cornett@jacobs.com High Plains Branch (2016-2018) Joseph W. Shehan PE J Shehan Engineering PC jshehan@jse-ce.com

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

ASCE Texas Section 2016 - 2017 Directory Houston Branch (2014-2016) Jason P. Ellison PE BGE Inc. jellison@bgeinc.com Northeast Texas Branch (2016-2018) Russell W. Gibson PE ETTL Engineers & Consultants Inc rgibson@ettlinc.com Rio Grande Valley Branch (2015-2017) Texas Department of Transportation Dora E. Marin-Robles EIT dmarin06@yahoo.com San Antonio Branch (2016-2018) John A. Tyler PE Pape Dawson Engineers Inc. jtyler@pape-dawson.com Southeast Texas Branch (2015-2017) Robert C. Hickman PE (acting) LJA Engineering Inc. rhickman@LJAengineering.com West Texas Branch (2015-2017) Brady M. Stanford EIT Dunaway Associates LP bradymstanford@gmail.com Region 6 Board of Governors Director/Chair, 2016-2019 Nancy S. Cline PE nancy.s.cline1@gmail.com Governor, 2014-2017 Daniel B. Hartman PE, F.ASCE (Texas Section) dan.hartman@arlingtontx.gov Governor, 2015-2018 (Texas Section) David F. Calabuig Sr. PE rcalabuig@netzero.com

Governor, 2014-2017 (Oklahoma Section) Jeremy P Stahle PE jeremy.stahle@connectcec.com

Fort Worth Branch Clinton Hoover PE City of Arlington clint.hoover@arlingtontx.gov

Governor, 2015-2018 (New Mexico Section) Jerry B. Paz PE jpaz@molzencorbin.com

High Plains Branch Rodolfo O. Mireles EIT Amarillo Testing & Engineering rmireles@amarillotesting.com

Governor, 2016-2019 (Appointed, Texas Section) Patricia Frayre PE pfrayre@pateeng.com

Houston Branch Patrick M. Beecher PE Terracon president@ascehouston.org

2016 - 2017 Branch Presidents Austin Branch Stephen R. Zobal PE MWM Design Group Stevez@mwmdesigngroup.com

Northeast Texas Branch David D. Stanley EIT Winn Professional Engineers and Constructors, LLC dstanley@winnpec.com

Brazos Branch Tyler W. Lewis PE Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc tyler.lewis@kimley-horn.com Caprock Branch Luis D. Hernandez EIT Terracon Luis.Hernandez@terracon.com Central Texas Branch Kyle A. Stanislav EIT Walker Partners kstanislav@walkerpartners.com Corpus Christi Branch Michael C. York EIT Urban Engineering michael@yorkeng.com Dallas Branch Frank E. Pugsley PE Parkhilll, Smith & Cooper president@dallasasce.org

Rio Grande Valley Branch Jesse J. Sanchez VCC, LLC jsanchez@vccusa.com San Antonio Branch Amy M. Stone PE Structural Engineering Associates Incorporated jill361183@gmail.com Southeast Texas Branch Kathryn S. Osborn EIT (Contact Member) Schaumburg & Polk Inc KateSOsborn@gmail.com West Texas Branch Adrian Frias EIT City of Odessa, Engineering Division afrias@odessa-tx.gov

El Paso Branch Roxanne Rivera PE Huitt-Zollars Inc rrivera@huitt-zollars.com

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Student’s Center

The University of Houston

By Rama Barghouti The University of Houston ASCE Student Chapter (UH ASCE) strives to let students experience the civil engineering field by hosting monthly meetings with guest speakers, by offering field trips and hands-on learning through the Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe competition teams (pictured above).

Highlights of UH ASCE during 2016 started with two students that got the opportunity to attend the Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders Conference (WSCL) in Chicago where they attended presentations and exchanged ideas with other students from around the country on how to increase the value of ASCE membership.

UH ASCE partnered with Rinker Materials and Forterra Pipe & Precast to provide a field trip to their concrete pipe plants, where students learned about the manufacturing and marketing of concrete pipes. ASCE Houston and UH ASCE hosted the annual picnic for students in the Houston area; students from the Universities of Houston, Rice, Texas A&M, Prairie View A&M, and Lamar University were invited to attend and network with each other.

The biggest yearly goal for UH ASCE is to attend and participate in the Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe competitions. In April 2016, UH ASCE attended the ASCE Texas Student Symposium at Texas Tech University where 22 UH ASCE members competed with several schools from the region. Although UH ASCE teams did not qualify for the national competitions, the participants got the chance to network with students from several universities, have fun, and gain experience that will help them improve for the upcoming competitions in 2017.

This year, the competition teams are resilient and have a strong drive to thrive and prosper. Our Student Chapter has outstanding student participation, wonderful and

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Adarsh Menon EIT First Year Director at Large

innovative ideas on design and construction, and is continuously looking for sponsors to help in purchasing materials. UH ASCE is eager to succeed in the 2017 team competitions to be held in El Paso!

The University of Texas at El Paso

By Martin Chavarin and Magdalena Angulo The University of Texas at El Paso Student Chapter had a great start to the fall semester. One of the goals for this year was to increase freshman membership, and we exceeded our expectations. Approximately one-third of our members are current freshman. We can still improve on this, but we are proud to be making progress with the new students at the college.

So far we have hosted two of our monthly meetings, with successful turnouts. The Chapter has been working hard this semester to provide informational meetings for our members. We have decided not to have professional speakers at our Chapter meetings, and rather have separate technical presentations for that. One of the benefits of doing this is the greater amount of time available for the speaker and the members to interact. At our meetings, we have more social events and soft skill presentations where the members can interact with each other and the officers. A recent activity we provided to the students is an interactive internship panel. We asked several of our members who had completed internships to talk about their experiences and answer questions that the members had.

The officers have also been working on providing events that help with professional development as well as charity events. A few of our past events include

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

CANstruction, an event in which the students are challenged to design and construct a structure out of canned food. We partnered with the student United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Chapter at UTEP. This is a great event that challenges the students with engineering topics and provides a positive impact to the community. All cans are donated after the structures are displayed for two weeks. The members were also invited to participate in local tours of Area Iron and Steel, a local steel shop which provides material to the steel bridge team, and a JOBE materials plant where precast concrete members are made. JOBE provides material to the concrete canoe team as well. In September, the Chapter was able to send two of our officers to the Texas Civil Engineering Conference in San Marcos, Texas.

The officers were able to meet the many professionals in attendance as well as promote the 2017 Texas Section Student Symposium which will be hosted in El Paso, Texas.

We have also participated in

several community events including volunteering at local 5k runs, soup kitchens, and most recently we helped out at a Halloween carnival for kids. Currently, we are running a food drive through the month of November.

One of our big projects this upcoming year is the 2017 ASCE Texas Student Symposium coming to the El Paso Convention Center on March 2-4, 2017. This event will consist of several professional and soft skill presentations given by staff from UTEP and civil engineering professionals. There will also be a career fair hosting both local and national companies. The regional Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe competitions will also be hosted here. Students from all over Texas, Mexico, and even Ecuador are expected to participate. High school and middle school students are invited to watch the competitions.

If you are interested in helping with this event either at the career fair or by becoming a sponsor, you can

UTEP’s Liz with precast concrete beams at JOBE by Luis Valdez.

contact our Student Chapter by sending an email to asce@utep.edu for more information.

Both technical teams are making great progress this semester. The concrete canoe team is getting ready to pour the concrete for the canoe in the coming weeks. The steel bridge team is also making good progress.

They have accumulated several designs and are currently working on optimizing each one. Once the design is finalized, planning for fabrication will commence.

As the host school, we plan on taking the best final product to both competitions and make UTEP proud of the Chapter.

The University of Texas at San Antonio

By Andrew Martin The University of Texas at San Antonio ASCE Student Chapter (UTSA) provides insight into the field of civil engineering for over 60 current students. UTSA-ASCE unites success driven individuals and encourages them to develop long-lasting social connections. With a variety of guest speakers in our bi-weekly meetings, participation in our awardwinning competitions, and volunteer opportunities in numerous fundraisers, ASCE gives students the experience needed to be successful in their future engineering careers.

Engineering firms from throughout the greater San Antonio area are invited to Chapter meetings to inform UTSA students about career possibilities following completion of their degree.

Companies such as PapeContinued on page 35

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Meet Your Board Members The ASCE Texas Section Board members were asked to fill out a questionnaire so that the Section’s members might get to know them a little better on a more personal level. The series will run in each of the four editions of the TCE and each edition will highlight a couple of the Board members with the goal that by the end of the year each Board member has been introduced.

VP Technical Elect S. Brent McNeme PE Q. When it comes to movies, what is your favorite genre? What is your all-time favorite film and why?

Anything with suspense, mystery, political drama. House of Cards is probably my favorite recent series but really enjoyed Stranger Things. And I know what you’re thinking right now. No, I don’t have time to binge watch.

I hesitate to tell you what my favorite all-time film is but here it goes – Rocky. Don’t laugh, my wife and kids think I am crazy for that one.

Q. What advice would you give to the younger generation of civil engineers?

1) Join ASCE and become active in either the local Branch and/or Section. (Active = volunteering) 2) Make time to get away from your computer and go to construction project sites as frequently as possible.

Q. What sports team or athlete are you a fanatic of?

Any team in Texas, but priority is Dallas area. Sorry Spurs fans, but I will always root for the Mavs when they play.

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Growing up, I collected baseball and football cards.

Recently, I was digging through one of my closets and came across my stash of cards. Back then, I would have traded almost anything for a Bo Jackson card. I have close to 100 of his cards, including several rookie cards.

I can’t wait for my son to become old enough for me to pass those on to him.

Q. Favorite Book: My favorite author would be Vince Flynn. I have read most, if not all, of his books on Mitch Rapp, a CIA operative always saving the country from the next catastrophe in heroic fashion. Sadly, Flynn passed away a couple years ago from cancer and the author that took over the storyline hasn’t been able to keep my interest as much.

Q. What inspired you to become a civil engineer?

Actually, it is not “what” inspired me, rather “who” inspired me. I am a 3rd generation civil engineer, albeit the “black sheep” in the family for going with geotechnical. My grandfather, dad and uncle were and are structural engineers; they also worked together for many years. I grew up listening to them tell stories about their experiences in the profession around family barbecues, which were frequent. Also, it was always a special time for me to go to my dad’s office with him and sit at the drafting table, talk with the engineers and architects, etc. I also remember my dad taking me to site visits and pointing out structures that he designed. Little did I know at the time, my path was being lit for me to follow. My dad passed away soon after I graduated high school and my grandfather helped and encouraged me stay the course through college. After college, a special person gave me a chance and I have had the pleasure to work with him for many years now.

To nail it down, it is people, and not just family, that inspired and continue to inspire me, and I am tremendously blessed because of them.

Q. Best piece of advice you have received: I always seem to remember two pieces of advice: 1) “You are entitled to nothing.” and 2) “They are not going to name the building after you…” Both by my pastor, which changed my life when I heard these. These possibly could be taken out of context although it made me realize that I should work hard to reach my professional goals, but make sure that my priorities are in the correct order.

Q. Describe your family: I have been married to my beautiful wife, Christine, for 14 years, who is an elementary school teacher at our

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Dora E. Marin-Robles PE First Year Director at Large

neighborhood school in Flower Mound. Christine and I met at church in January of 2002 and we were married

by October. (When you know, you know, right?) We have a daughter, Claire that is 11 years old and a son, Gage that is 6. They go to the same school which my wife teaches at. We are active in our church ministries, Claire plays volleyball and is learning how to play the piano, and Gage plays soccer. He is asking for a drum set for Christmas… (We’ll see about that.) We also have a chocolate Labrador Retriever named Radar.

First Year Director at Large Adarsh Menon EIT Q. When it comes to movies, what is your favorite genre? What is your all-time favorite film and why?

Drama. Although I have a few favorites, one is definitely Good Will Hunting since it shows that we should never underestimate anyone’s potential.

Q. What do you love the most about the civil engineering profession?

The opportunity to apply technical and analytical skills to make this world better!

Q. What advice would you give to the younger generation of civil engineers?

There are a lot of opportunities out there that are enriching and enlightening. Pursue them now!

Q. What do you do to de-stress?

Music has been my passion from a very young age.

Listening to music or practicing singing is very relaxing.

Q. Have you completed any physical

challenges?

I have not completed any physical challenges (unless Basic Military Training with the Air Force counts. ) Q. What sports team or athlete are you a fanatic of?

Michigan State Spartans forever!

Q. Favorite Book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer

Treasurer Anthony Buonodono PE, PMP Q. What do you love the most about the civil engineering profession?

Helping people and being able to see what I design after it is constructed – the ability to give back simply by doing what I love.

Q. What advice would you give to the younger generation of civil engineers?

Learn as much as possible in many areas and make as many contacts as possible.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?

I spend time away from whatever is causing the stress.

Typically getting away with my family is the best way for me to de-stress.

Q. Previous vacation destination that should be a must for everyone: Disneyworld – it is a great place to get away with family and have fun.

Q. What inspired you to become a civil engineer?

My love of building things and understanding how the world works.

Q. Who is your biggest inspiration?

My family is my biggest inspiration – they support me and provide encouragement and honest feedback when I need it most. 

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2016 - 2017 Section Standing/Task Committees President’s Committees Office and Personnel Committee Past Presidents Council Branch/Section Relations Committee

Office and Personnel Committee Craig B. Thompson PE Naismith/Hanson Engineering Inc. CThompson@hanson-inc.com

Past President’s Committees History & Heritage Committee Honors Committee Intra-Society Relations Committee Nominating Committee

Past Presidents Council Tim C. Newton PE Jones|Carter tnewton@jonescarter.com

President Elect’s Committees Membership Committee Editorial Committee Conference Planning Committee Strategic Planning Committee VP-Educational’s Committees STEM Committee Student Activities Committee Student Symposium Planning Younger Members Committee VP-Professional’s Committees Committee on Public Relations and Professional Image Committee on Government Affairs Residential Foundations Oversight Committee Evaluation and Repair of Residential Foundations Foundation Investigation & Design - Manual of Practice Committee on Government and Public Affairs Grant Applications Texas Infrastructure Report Cards Committee Infrastructure and Security VP-Technical’s Institutes Construction Institute Chapter Environmental & Water Resources Institute Chapter Geo-Institute Chapter Structural Engineering Institute Chapter Transportation & Development Institute Chapter Treasurer’s Committees Budget & Finance Committee Director’s at Large Committees Excellence in Journalism Award Committee Tellers Committee

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Br anch/Section Relations Committee Robert Lys Jr PE Tricon Precast Limited blys@triconprecast.com History & Heritage Committee Melinda Luna PE, CFM txascehistory@gmail.com Honors Committee Arthur M. Clendenin PE Del Zotto Products of Texas, Inc. aclendenin@cablelynx.com Intr a-Society Relations Committee Martha F. Juch PE Martha Ferrero Juch PE Inc mfjuch@austin.rr.com Nominating Committee Ralph M. O’Quinn PE PSI ralph.oquinn@psiusa.com Membership Committee Kacey C. Paul PE Watershed Protection Department, City of Austin kacey.paul@austintexas.gov Editorial Committee Tyler P. Dube PE Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc tdube@pape-dawson.com CECON Conference Planning Committee Co-Chair Kara J. Heasley PE Jones|Carter kara.heasley@gmail.com

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

CECON Conference Planning Committee Co-Chair Ronald M. Reichert AmeriTex Pipe & Products rreichert@ameritexpipe.com

Committee on Government Affairs J. MacDonald (Mac) Ruffeno PE MacDonald Engineering LLC mac@macdonaldengineering.com Texas Infr astructure Report Card Committee M. Isabel Vasquez PE Huitt-Zollars Inc ivasquez@huitt-zollars.com

Str ategic Planning Committee Vikas K. Verma PE Blast Control Systems v2aggie2@yahoo.com Student Activities Committee Kimberly K. Cornett PE Jacobs Kimberly.Cornett@jacobs.com

Residential Foundations Oversight Committee Robert F. Pierry Jr. PE Pierry Consulting Inc bob@pierryconsulting.com

Student Symposium Planning Sergio R. Mendez PE Morena Cardenas smendez@morenocardenas.com Student Competitions Coordinator Cynthia A. Syvarth EIT Alan Plummer Associates, Inc csyvarth@apaienv.com Younger Members Committee Austin C. Brauel EIT LANDEV Engineers abrauel@landevengineers.com

Evaluation and Repair of Residential Foundations Marshall B. Addison PhD, PE Consulting Geotechnical Engineer marshall.addison@tx.rr.com Foundation Investigation & Design Manual of Pr actice Phillip G. King PE SynchroPile Inc phil.king@synchropile.com Infr astructure and Security Donald E. Willhouse PE DEW Consulting dewconsultingengineer@gmail.com

STEM Committee Joe W. Alvarez 787 Technologies joew.alvarez@me.com Committee on Public Relations and Professional Image Michelle A. Patton PE Maverick Engineering Inc mpatton@maveng.com Committee on Public Relations and Professional Image Patricia Frayre PE Frayre Engineering & Consulting pfrayre@frayre-ec.com

Budget & Finance Committee Anthony D. Buonodono PE MWM Design Group abuonodono@gmail.com Excellence in Journalism Award Committee Tyler P. Dube PE Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc tdube@pape-dawson.com Tellers Committee Kathryn S. Osborn EIT Schaumburg & Polk Inc KateSOsborn@gmail.com

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2016 - 2017 Technical Institute Chapters Construction Institute Chapter Darren C. Okruhlik PE Cox Commercial Construction darren@cox-commercial.com

Geo-Institute Chapter Rolland G. Boehm PE HDR Inc boehmrj@yahoo.com

Texas Chapter

Environmental & Water Resources Institute Chapter Curtis B. Beitel PE HDR Inc Curtis.Beitel@hdrinc.com

Structur al Engineering Institute Chapter John M. Holt PE HDR Inc John.Holt@hdrinc.com

Tr ansportation & Development Institute Chapter Gareth J. Young PE Gulf Interstate Engineering gyoung@gie.com

Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute Coming Soon Contact the Section Office if you are interested in volunteering office@TexASCE.org

Trust Fund Officers John B. Hawley Memorial Fund Walter E. Skipwith PE (2011-2017) Halff Associates Inc. wskipwith@halff.com Theodore G. Cleveland PhD, PE (2013-2019) Texas Tech University theodore.cleveland@ttu.edu Mark K. Boyd PhD, PE, D.WRE (2015-2021) LCA Environmental Inc markkboydasce@gmail.com J. Walter Porter Memorial Fund Donald E. Willhouse PE (2012-2018) DEW Consulting dewconsultingengineer@gmail.com Ronnie M. Lemons PE (2014-2020) Freese & Nichols Inc. RML@freese.com

Renew Your Membership Build your career. Advance your profession. Enrich your life.

When you join ASCE, you become part of the largest professional civil engineering network in the world. As a part of our community, you have access to our industry’s most comprehensive communication, networking, and learning resources.

As an ASCE member, you have access to a wealth of benefits that serve you throughout your career. Don’t forget to check the box to pay your Section and Branch dues!

Open

ASCE.org 22

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

SHARE With Us!

ASCE Texas Section Six Month Webinar Subscription January 2017 - June 2017

We want to hear and share your good news!

Tell us about Your promotions, new positions, accolades and awards.

Email Share@texasce.org or Tell us on Twitter: @TEXAStweets Facebook: TEXASCE Linked In: Texas Section ASCE

Purchase a six month subscription to our live, monthly webinars. They usually take place on the second Tuesday of each month. Each webinar is worth one Professional Development Hour and is available for purchase individually for $35 for members, $75 for non-members.

The subscription price is $150 for members and $250 for non-members. The subscription is January through June, if you sign up later than January, you will only view the remaining webinars through June 2017. Visit TexASCE.org to purchase your subscription.

Branches and Student Chapters Receive one free connection to host a group viewing with their members. Contact Annemarie Gasser for more information, 512-472-8905, agasser@ TexASCE.org.

Become an FPA Member!

Learn About Foundations, Drainage, Structural & Code Issues

FPA – The Best Value in PDHs foundationperformance.org

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Tyler Dube PE Senior Director at Large

Flooding in Ricardo area. Photo credit Francisco Aguíñiga

Disaster Recovery in Texas and the Engineer’s Role

For many, the end of the year marks a period for reflection, celebration of accomplishments, and new commitments for the future. Engineers tend to reduce those tasks to the facts: what went right, what went wrong, and what we can do to improve. In that spirit, the Texas Section has assembled the perspectives of three industry experts on natural disasters to highlight the difficulty engineers face when preparing for and responding to the unpredictable forces of nature.

Texas A&M University-Kingsville gives a detailed account of tornado damage to the Kingsville area and the City of Rowlett Public Works Department reflects on the vulnerability that human life and the built environment share in extreme weather. Rowlett officials cite practical experience with disaster response as a difficult task, but one that can be successful with proper preparation and a team approach. The Section also reached out to a structural and forensic engineering expert to identify the many facets of an engineer’s role in mitigating the effects of disasters, including how our observations of structural performance post-disaster can impact the design codes of the future and how engineers can get involved in recovery efforts.

TORNADO DAMAGE IN The KINGSVILLE AREA By: Francisco Aguíñiga, Joseph O. Sai, M. Faruqi, and Jong-Won Choi Texas A&M University-Kingsville On Tuesday May 31, 2016 three tornadoes passed through Kleberg County, two in Kingsville and one in Ricardo. Extensive low level damage was caused throughout the Kingsville area mainly resulting from the tornadoes, strong winds from the storm, heavy rains,

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and hail larger than a golf ball falling in some areas. The damage was so extensive that Governor Greg Abbott declared Kleberg County a disaster area.

According to the National Weather Service the first tornado developed at 6:30 p.m., touching ground at the intersection of E General Cavazos Blvd and Brahma Blvd and traveling northwest to business 77 near Otis Ave before lifting. This tornado broke windows and lifted a number of shingles at an apartment complex and other places. A gas station roof was blown away, several business signs were torn down or damaged, and a wood fence was ripped off the ground. A portion of a roof was also blown off at an apartment complex located on E General Cavazos street and at two other houses. Numerous trees and utility poles were snapped or tilted. As an example of the tornado’s powerful winds, one car was found with a 2”x4” piece of lumber piercing its rear window and approximately 30 other vehicles had broken windows and body damage in just one apartment complex. A 3’x5’ ¾” steel plate used to cover a concrete utility box was blown away by the tornado. Significant damage to trees and power utilities left approximately 10,700 American Electric Power customers without electricity and a Kingsville substation out of service. Power was restored in the substation at 1:20 p.m. the following day. This tornado was classified as an EF-1 with estimated peak winds of 110 mph and lasted for 5 minutes.

The second tornado touched ground 1 minute after the first, landing east of Highway 77 and traveling for 6 minutes east to Dick Kleberg Park before lifting. Numerous trees were damaged by this tornado, including snapped trees at Kleberg Park. A metal building was destroyed, bleachers were pushed 300 yards, and numerous utility poles were snapped or moved out of plumb. The damage path was approximately 2.5 miles long. The tornado was also classified as EF-1 with peak winds estimated at 110 mph. A third tornado developed in the area of Ricardo and was classified as EF-0 with estimated peak winds

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

of 70 mph. This tornado touched ground briefly in an open field.

Overall the damage to the Kingsville area was not heavy on structures; however, approximately 10,700 homes and businesses were left without electricity for about 18 hours.

Damage included car and house windows broken, car body damage, wood and steel roof structures blown, business signs torn down, crops flooded and broken. Flooding was also seen in several properties and streets. Substantial damage to the power and utility lines was also observed. The damage caused to utilities within the KingsvilleCorpus Christi area required the replacement of 720 poles, 620 cross braces, and 227,000 feet of conductor. Two TxDOT signs were blown down in Highway 77 near General Cavazos Street and numerous fences were blown down in Kingsville. The City of Kingsville had to remove approximately 18,000 cubic yards of brush and sustained enough damage to qualify for FEMA support. No injuries were reported to be caused by the tornado system, but a few calls for emergency services were made.

2015 Rowlett Tornado By: Jim Proce and Ed Balderas City of Rowlett On December 26, 2015, the City of Rowlett was hit with an EF-4 tornado. As a result over 1,296 homes were affected. Destruction of many of these homes was evident only moments after the hit. The path of destruction was over three and a half miles long and as wide as half a mile. Over three hundred vehicles were destroyed. All street signs, street lights, and street trees in the path were destroyed or damaged.

Traffic signals were destroyed and damaged. One of the water towers was severely damaged requiring that it be immediately drained.

Working with emergency management staff, public safety officials, public works staff, and mutual aid response, the Rowlett response was nothing short of a miracle. The sheer volume of material moved, reduced, sorted and recycled was not only the right answer, but it was cost effective, saving the citizens of Rowlett, literally, millions of dollars.

As a member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Public Works Emergency Response Team (PWERT), the Rowlett

staff engaged in the regional public works mutual aid agreement two years earlier. Such agreements are typical in the public safety world, but many public works departments do not have such agreements in place.

With the vast resources throughout the DFW Metroplex, such an agreement could be the model of how public works can do business in multi-jurisdictional emergencies.

Previously, Rowlett had only been called upon to respond under this agreement assisting in a tornado and flood responses in other cities, but that changed on December 26, 2015.

Rowlett has limited equipment, but it was well positioned and prepared with the PWERT mutual aid agreement in place, and the response was overwhelming. Faced with limited access to its primary landfill during the early stages of the clean-up, Rowlett was forced to stage materials on City property. With the assistance of 16 public works departments from the DFW region, Rowlett was able to clear all of the rights-of-way in the affected area in about two weeks.

Assistance was offered from as far away as Florida, Kansas, California, and Kentucky. The outpouring of unsolicited volunteer assistance was also overwhelming and served to further reduce the cost to the City.

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Almost 130,000 cubic yards of vegetative, construction, and demolition (of the 300,000 estimated totals) debris was moved through the use of these resources before enacting a debris removal contractor. Without this agreement in place, over 8,000 truckloads of debris would have remained in the streets of Rowlett for an extended period, severely delaying search and rescue operations and the recovery efforts.

Throughout the disaster, the community was regularly updated through social media, news media, an information forum, citizen surveys, several direct mailers and the City’s television station, RTN16. Multiple YouTube clips and public service announcements were developed and aired on Facebook, YouTube, RTN16, and local and regional news. Several examples of these video productions are as follows: https://youtu.be/rvgXh4gyCnE https://youtu.be/uEMIziz-3Zw https://youtu.be/_N_RLLVMh_I Newsletters were routinely distributed through all available mediums, including hard-copy handouts in affected neighborhoods.

Once the movement of debris began (within 24 hours of impact), staff was informed that the City of Garland landfill was unable to accommodate Rowlett debris.

Coming off of the Christmas holiday and having been hit themselves by the same tornado, they were not prepared for the influx of debris as many staff were on vacation. The result was us having to establish temporary debris sites immediately. The first site was the City-owned property on the President George Bush Turnpike (service road to the turnpike) which is a twenty-acre utility site where a water

tower facility and storage yard is located.

Staff immediately applied for authorization to TCEQ to allow the use of this site as a temporary storage for construction and demolition debris as well as vegetative debris.

A second site was identified and efforts to lease that site, which is located a half mile north of the Path of the Rowlett Tornado. primary site and privately-owned, was pursued and eventually acquired.

As debris was deposited on the staging areas, it was sorted for recycling and reductions. Roll off dumpsters were placed on the site, and steel, aluminum, and other metals were pulled from the debris to minimize materials that would eventually be brought to the Garland landfill.

A tub grinder was brought in to reduce the vegetative debris. It was estimated that well over 100,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris was ground down to about twenty-percent of the original volume. Ultimately this mulch was hauled away and used for cover at the landfill.

Plastic (polyethylene) was pulled from the debris and Waste Management, the City’s solid waste contractor, retrieved this material. Additionally, the remaining construction and demolition debris was compacted by crushing it with a bulldozer, further reducing the volumes down to fifty-percent of original volume after it was hauled in. The ability to remove recyclables and the reduction efforts minimized the materials that eventually went to the landfill.

During the initial response and recovery phase, an outpouring of volunteers arrived and became

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difficult to manage. There was no central volunteer management system in place. The volunteer efforts were chaotic. It was not until the formation of a Multi-Agency Resource Center and city-established Long Term Recovery Committee, sanctioned by the City Council, was in place and functioning that the volunteer efforts became more productive.

A donation center was established early in the process. Most churches in the area had taken on this role only to find that they didn’t have enough space, resources, nor staff to manage this effectively. Once the City secured a building from Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the process was centralized, and all of those wanting to assist could manage the system much more effectively.

Having lost all of the street name signs, staff painted the street names to facilitate finding one’s way around. Bagsters were provided to bordering neighborhoods to allow them to help in the cleanup efforts.

Waste Management donated these and picked them up at no charge to these folks helping out. We provided citizens the ability to dispose of their own debris, if they were able, by providing free access to the landfill.

At the end of this adventure, despite the Rowlett team certainly feeling as if they did an outstanding job, there are some lessons that were learned to be shared by all. These include, but are not limited to:

to your success and potential reimbursement • Make sure everyone knows their roles and assignments • Have prepositioned agreements and contracts in place • You will need expert legal advice, subject matter expert consultants, and experienced contractors (Don’t try to do everything yourself!)

• Practice, train, practice, train, practice, train!

• Communicate with everyone!

and explosions on their community.

Jim Proce, Assistant City Manager, Rowlett Texas, is the chief operations officer for the City of Rowlett and is a former public works director. He has worked many declared emergencies throughout the south and has been in public service for 35 years. He was the American Public Works Association (APWA) Top Ten Leader of the Year in 2016. Jim can be reached at jproce@ rowlett.com

If not for proper planning and design, every storm could be a disaster.

In areas that experience strong earthquakes, the Code specifies minimum lateral forces for design that are intended to minimize loss of life.

But there are practical and economic limits to every design. We design all structures to withstand winds, but not the strongest tornados. Excessive rainfall rates and long duration storms can overwhelm our designs.

Blast resistance may be a practical design requirement for certain kinds of projects but it is not typically part of design for a low-rise residence or a typical commercial project. Knowing which limits apply and the implications of the design on occupants, owners, and the greater community are where our judgment is most important in managing risk.

Ed Balderas, Assistant Emergency Managerment Coordinator, Rowlett Texas, has been with the City of Rowlett for a little over three years and has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and teaches an Introduction to Emergency Management course as an adjunct instructor at the University of North Texas. Ed has recently been selected for the APWA Emerging Leaders Program. Ed can be reached at ebalderas@rowlett.com

The Civil Engineer’s Role in Disasters • You need a plan and you need to execute that plan • Understand and know your voluntary agencies • Mutual aid agreements are needed for staff and resources • You need to know all of the regulatory agencies and how to navigate the regulations • Documentation is paramount

By: John B. Turner CSP, PE Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Every year, Texas experiences disasters both large and small in which civil engineers serve various preparation and response roles. Every engineer has opportunities to reduce the impact of potentially disastrous effects of storms, earthquakes, fires,

As designers, our first opportunity to reduce the risk of disaster is typically during our planning and design of a project. Building Code requirements and our engineering judgment affects the outcome of the origin event for each potential disaster. Our design responsibility often contains elements of risk recognition and assessment, sometimes beyond the minimum requirements set forth in the Code.

Once the planning and design are done, construction is completed, and our facilities are in use, we often have to stand by and watch as events unfold that may shape our future designs. Fortunately, we have institutional knowledge about what performs well and what does not perform as well, primarily in the form of Building Codes. However, the limits of the Code are evidenced in part by the amount of damage that occurs when disaster strikes.

So we learn from each event and incorporate new design features to avoid repeats of the past. Or we simply accept the limitations and

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Continued from page 5

For those stepping into new leadership roles, ASCE Global is having the Multi-Region Leadership Conference (MRLC) in Minneapolis the first week of February. While I am sure the temperature outdoors will not be inviting, it is worth the discomfort to meet with ASCE Global staff and partake in the knowledge they will share. The conference includes the Workshop for Section and Branch Leaders (WSBL), the Central Region Younger Member Council (CRYMC), and the Workshop for Student Chapter Leaders (WSCL). Check with your Branch or the Section staff for reimbursement allowances.

As we move forward, I invite you to contact me at any time to discuss your needs, your Branch needs or for anything you want to discuss. I appreciate getting a chance to work with all of you as well as the phenomenal Section staff, and I am looking forward to the coming year. 

mitigate risks elsewhere.

Away from our roles as planners and risk managers in our everyday design work, our value to the communities in which we work and live continues. As a disaster unfolds, we may be called upon to assist in interventions to reduce the effects of events. As reservoirs fill and levees breach, we have special knowledge that allows us to quickly advise responders. We can help with traffic management portions of evacuation plans when the primary plans break down. We can identify measures that civil authorities can implement to reduce the effects of flooding on water supplies. Some of us may be called upon by the local fire department to use our knowledge about how fire affects the structure of a burning building before they enter that building. Working throughout the year with local emergency operations personnel can connect you, as a valuable resource, to local government that may not have other engineering resources available at the time of crisis.

As each crisis unfolds, local resources may be quickly overwhelmed. Local first responders are also stretched by obligations to family and community – their houses and families are frequently in the disaster zone. Even when duty calls, getting their own family to safety can take precedence. The effects of this are pronounced in large-area disasters such as hurricanes. Cities, counties, and the state have mutual aid programs that bring resources and responders in from other communities to take over or supplement local resources.

In many localities, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) assist local authorities in the event of disaster. These teams typically operate as “very local” responders, particularly where fire and EMS cannot reach all areas of a disaster due to the overwhelming nature of the event or because of obstructions to vehicle movement such as downed trees and power lines or damaged roadways. While CERT is less likely to formally use our skills as engineers, our expertise within CERT can be valuable in keeping people safe in a time of emergency.

The State of Texas maintains several emergency resources including a second-tier response provided by two public urban search and rescue (US&R) teams: Texas Task Force 1 (College Station) and Texas Task Force 2 (Dallas). These teams are composed primarily of search and rescue technicians and include specialists in structural engineering, medicine, canine search, communications, and logistics. Each task force has 8 to 10 Structures Specialists who are registered professional engineers or architects who have specialized training provided by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Structures Specialists provide guidance to search and rescue efforts in several specific areas: • Assess the stability and safety of damaged structures to reduce the risks to responders • Advise search teams where in the damaged structure survivors are most likely to be found based on the type of construction and the configuration of debris • Provide guidance about how to gain access around, under, and through building components, while limiting danger to responders and survivors • Specify stabilization for unsafe structures, sufficient for rescuers to search for and extract survivors • Monitor structures for additional movement or other signs of changes in

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stability that could increase risk to personnel For more information about the Structures Specialist program, visit http://www.disasterengineer.org/ The state also maintains the Public Work Response Team (PWRT), a cadre of civil engineers and public works personnel and equipment for deployment in the aftermath of a disaster. As part of the PWRT, personnel are called to action based on their specialty and the needs of the community. The goal is to make events less disastrous for residents, businesses, and government entities by mitigating the effects of serious events. The PWRT focuses on inspecting and repairing public utilities and infrastructure. (For more information about the PWRT, visit http://www.dps.texas.gov/dem/pwrt/ index.htm. The PWRT website also has links to mandatory online training required for responders under all of the programs described herein.

After the storm has passed and first responders are back in the station, another important task is the assessment of homes and other buildings to determine whether they are safe enough for use or for the retrieval of belongings.

Where large numbers of structures have been affected by a storm, flood, blast, or earthquake, large numbers of personnel may be needed to conduct these “rapid structural assessments”. The assessment of building safety in the aftermath of disasters often falls to local building officials who frequently have other demands placed on them by a disaster. Engineering and architectural groups in Texas are working to train and qualify volunteers for use by localities.

Training programs for rapid structural assessments are generally based on Applied Technology Council (https://www.atcouncil.org) documents ATC-45 (for windstorms and floods) and ATC-20 (for earthquakes).

The International Code Council conducts When Disaster Strikes Institute classes and exams that lead to certification as a Disaster Response Inspector (DRI).

When Disaster Strikes is targeted at building officials and design professionals. The California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) (formerly CalEMA) maintains the Safety Assessment Program (SAP) that was designed more specifically for design professionals.

Within the National Response Framework, these are the two approved certification courses. Anyone doing postdisaster assessments should be certified by one of these two programs.

There are a number of state and local organizations working to resolve roadblocks to the use of volunteer engineers, including how to qualify them, how to call them to where they are needed, how to fund expenses,

and how to remove professional liability for actions taken while serving as a volunteer in the disaster zone. At the national level, two groups working to make engineers available to cities and counties in need are ASCE and the National Council of Structural Engineering Associations (NCSEA). The two organizations have programs to maintain lists of volunteers, namely the ASCE Disaster Assistance Volunteer Program (http://ciasce.asce.org/ asce-disaster-assistance-volunteer-program) and the NCSEA Structural Engineers Emergency Response (SEER) Program. These programs exist solely to connect volunteer engineers to government agencies in the aftermath of disasters.

One final aspect for a volunteer responder to consider is liability. Many professionals are hesitant to volunteer out of fear that they could be subject to litigation over the assessments they conduct. For engineer-volunteers, Texas law currently provides a certain amount liability protection in the form of a “Good Samaritan” law that applies to volunteer professionals working at the request of a government entity in an area subject to a declared disaster or proclaimed state of emergency. (Texas Civil Practice & Remedy Code section 150.003). The protection afforded under this provision applies only to licensed architects or engineers providing services for which they are licensed and does not shield the professional in the case of gross negligence While this covers many instances where we would be called to serve, each engineer should assess their personal situation before agreeing to volunteer. Those in the Task Force system and those deploying as part of the PWRT are enrolled as state or municipal employees and are indemnified by the organizing government entity.

As you can see, as civil engineers in the State of Texas, we have many opportunities to serve our community in ways that reduce the consequences of disasters. By virtue of our chosen profession, we have the responsibility to view our work as a form of risk management and act accordingly. We also have many ways to get involved to help those who have been subject to a disastrous event.

John B. Turner CSP, PE is a Senior Associate in the Dallas office of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. John is a graduate of Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University with experience in both structural design and forensic engineering. He is a member of Texas Task Force 2 urban search and rescue team, where his deployments include the 2013 West, Texas fertilizer explosion and the 2015 Garland/Rowlett tornado. John is a licensed civil (structural) engineer in Texas and a Certified Safety Professional.

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September 20-22, 2017 San Marcos, Texas

CALL FOR TOPICS and SPEAKERS What do you think are the important topics and challenges of our profession? Let us know! CECON 2017 proposals will be accepted on the theme:

Resiliency in Engineering: A Proactive Collaboration.

The CECON 2017 program will focus on Engineers as collaborators in areas including: Public Policy Infrastructure Resilience  Transportation (air, land, ports)  Water (supply, treatment, storms)  Event Recovery  Design & Construction (new & rehabilitation)  Planning for Unknown Future  Emerging Technologies  Social, Economic, Educational Impact Submissions for CECON 2017 topics and speakers will be accepted through January 31, 2017. Submissions received after January 31, 2017 will be considered for articles in Texas Civil Engineer magazine, future speaking opportunities or Texas Section webinars.

Deadline: January 31, 2017 Submit your ideas through the form at www.TexASCE.org/cecon-topics

2017 TEXAS CIVIL ENGINEERING CONFERENCE

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Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

BUILD IT RIGHT. BUILD IT WITH CONCRETE. For 85 years, Forterra Pipe & Precast has developed a tradition of excellence as one of the largest manufacturers of concrete products in North America. We’re your single source for everything from storm drainage / retention structures and gravity pipe to precast bridges. Our ability to provide the best in construction products, smart engineering advice and complete support means you can expect the highest quality standards whenever you see the Forterra Pipe & Precast name. This commitment has made us a world leader, and it also makes us your best choice for jobs large and small.

To find out more, visit forterrabp.com.

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2016 ASCE Texas Section Award Winners.

Photo: Jay Garrison, Chi Epsilon Continued from page 9

and honors. As Master of Ceremonies, Former State Representative, the Honorable Gonzalo Barrientos, led an entertaining evening recognizing and honoring outstanding civil engineering leaders and projects.

The 2016 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award of Merit was presented to BNSF Railroad, Union Pacific Railroad and HDR, for the Tower 55 Intermodal Improvement Project. The 2016 OCEA Award was presented to the City of Dallas and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Streetcar project.

Planned by Micol R. Bratten PE, Beicker Consultants, and the Texas Section Younger Members Group, the theme of the evening was Carnivale. “In addition to a funfilled evening, one of the highlights of the night was the recognition of the outstanding civil engineering leaders,” said Norma Jean Mattei PhD, PE, ASCE President (20162017). The following award recipients were recognized: Elizabeth D. Metting PE, TxDOT Government Civil Engineer Award William Bennet Ratliff PE, The Ratliff Group John A. Focht, Jr. Citizen Engineer Award Brian D. Bresler PE, Freese and Nichols Professional Service Award Russell R. Carter PE, Carter Consulting and Engineering Professional Service to Students Award Cissy E. Sylo PE, CES Consulting Group Service to People Award Vernon A. Wuensche PE History and Heritage Award

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Ken A. Rainwater PhD, PE, Texas Tech University Award of Honor and Recognition for service as ASCE Region 6 Director Kelly M. Skoviera PE, Walter P. Moore Engineering Presidential Special Recognition Vikas K. Verma PE, Blast Control Systems Presidential Special Recognition 2015-2016 FLOODING: A STATEWIDE ISSUE Friday featured a panel discussion led by Melinda Luna PE, NTT Data, on the statewide perspective of recent flooding issues. The panel began with Carolyn Dill, Bastrop County Director of Engineering and CIP, discussing Bastrop’s Story of Resilience, and specifically how the County dealt with the Bastrop Complex Fire in 2011, the most destructive fire in Texas history, followed by four federally declared floods and another fire in 2015-2016. Carol Haddock PE, City of Houston Deputy Director of Public Works, next presented on implementing flood risk management strategies. According to Haddock, implementing flood risk management requires “a common definition of flood risk, defined roles and responsibilities, informed land-use decisions, longterm reliable funding mechanisms and ability to adapt to changing conditions.” Regarding flood risk, Haddock stated “Ignoring the challenges is not an option. How we act now is the difference between proactively minimizing the impacts of potentially life-changing events – for example, focusing on building resilience versus reactively recovering from catastrophic events – and failing to heed the lessons we should have learned. A failure to act today will have enormous future consequences.”

Gregory Waller, Service Coordination Hydrologist for the National Weather Service (NWS) Gulf River Forecast Center, continued the discussion providing an overview of precipitation data for use in hydrologic models.

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

Jeffrey Lindner, Meteorologist for Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD), discussed his experience communicating with NWS and the Harris County Office of Emergency Management during times of flooding while monitoring 140 rainfall and stage gauges and collecting data at over 400 bridges located on many of Harris County’s 2,500 miles of channels.

Friday also featured an ethics presentation by George P. Hartmann PE, Licensing Project Manager of the Texas Board of Professional Engineers (TBPE), and the ASCE Texas Section Business meeting, with featured presenter D. Wayne Klotz, PE, D.WRE, F.EWRI, Pres.09ASCE, President of RPS Klotz Associates.

CECON concluded with a tour of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University (formerly Aquarena Springs). Hosted by Dr. Thom Hardy, Professor and Chief Science Officer for the Meadows Center for the Environment. The tour included a rare opportunity to see underwater life from a different perspective and to view over 1,000 springs that bubble up 150 million gallons of clear water a day from the Edwards Aquifer to form Spring Lake.

Carol Haddock PE, City of Houston Deputy Director of Public Works, presented on implementing flood risk management strategies. Photo: Jay Garrison, Chi Epsilon

Technical tour attendees watch natural springs bubble underwater during a glass bottom boat ride at The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. Photo: Jay Garrison, Chi Epsilon

“This year’s committee did an outstanding job coordinating the conference….A great time was had by all at CECON 2016, and we are looking forward to CECON 2017, which will be held September 20 to September 22, 2017, in San Marcos,” said Ron Reichert, Ameritex Pipe & Products, CECON 2017 CoChair. “We are already planning for next year and recruiting fantastic speakers. Look for more information on our website, TexasCECON.org.”  ASCE President-elect Norma Jean Mattei, Daniel B. Hartman PE, and Kate Osborn, EIT pose in front of the photo wall during the Carnival themed awards celebration. Photo: Jay Garrison, Chi Epsilon

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ASCE Texas

Student Symposium ASCE Texas Section has re-engineered its Student Symposium to foster close association between engineering professionals and university students.

Beginning in 2016, the Symposium combined the two student competitions, steel bridge, and concrete canoe, at one event.

Students, whether they are contestants or soonto-graduate, will have the opportunity to attend a series of soft-skill seminars to prepare them for their new careers. The students will learn how to create an excellent resume, interview for a job, plan for their future careers, and how to network. A Texas-wide career fair will give them the opportunity to put this specific learning into play at the Symposium, and employers will have access to exceptional students.

The theme for the 2017 Student Symposium is “Building Bridges/Trascendiendo Fronteras.” The symposium includes seminars on sustainability and is focused on soft skills that support the transition from the learning environment to the professional arena. The seminars will be on communication, self-marketing, professional dress, safety, and financial savvy.

The Symposium Career Fair is an opportunity for employers to meet with students from universities from across Texas in one place. The Career Fair will allow employers to interact with the students over the course of two days. The students who are participating in ASCE are some of the brightest civil engineering minds engaged in leadership, teamwork, and professionalism.

We are seeking corporate sponsors to defray the cost of the events and to keep the Symposium affordable for the student attendees. Sponsors of this event will gain brand recognition, community engagement, networking opportunities, potential employees and the ability to show their support for the civil engineers of tomorrow. Please be a Sponsor of this one-of-akind event and help our students reach their full potential.

March 2 - 4, 2017 El PASO, Texas Symposium@texasce.org TexASCE.org/symposiumsponsor

Foundational Partner Sponsorship In return for their one-time donation, a Foundational Partner will be recognized as a sponsor of the Student Symposiums for 3 years (2017, 2018, 2019). All Foundational Partners will receive their company name on Symposium signage and in symposium itineraries (“Sponsored by…”), registration for 2 professionals and a 6’ conference table each of the three years. They will also receive for their sponsorship level: • • • • • •

Platinum Sponsor $12,000 Full-page ad in symposium itinerary 2-month posting on Texas Section Career Center, at time of sponsors choice before April of each year, ending by April 2020 Gold Sponsor $10,000 Half-page ad in symposium itinerary 2-month posting on Texas Section Career Center, at time of sponsors choice before April of each year, ending by April 2020 Silver Sponsor $8,000 4”x3.5” ad in symposium itinerary 1-month posting on Texas Section Career Center, at time of sponsors choice before April of each year, ending by April 2020

Banquet Sponsors $2,000 Company name (“Sponsored by…”) on event signage and in symposium itinerary Full-page ad in symposium itinerary 6 ft conference table Registration for 2 professionals 2-month posting on Texas Section Career Center, at time of sponsors choice before April 2018 APP Sponsor $1,600 Logo and messages on exclusive sponsored posts sent through the app during the event.

• Company name (“Sponsored by…”) on event signage and in symposium itinerary • Half-page ad in symposium itinerary • Registration for 2 professionals • 2-month posting on Texas Section Career Center, at time of sponsors choice before April 2018 Event Sponsors $1,500 • Company name (“Sponsored by…”) on event signage and in symposium itinerary • Half-page ad in symposium itinerary • 6 ft conference table • Registration for 2 professionals • 2-month posting on Texas Section Career Center, at time of sponsors choice before April 2018 Meal Sponsors $750 (includes Breaks) • Company name (“Sponsored by…”) on event signage and in symposium itinerary • 4”x3.5” ad in symposium itinerary Career Fair $1,200 • 6 ft conference table • Registration for 2 professionals • 2”x3.5” (business card) ad in symposium itinerary • 1-month posting on Texas Section Career Center, at time of sponsors choice before April 2018 Vendor $400 (Per Day) • 6 ft conference table • Registration for 1 professional Advertisements $100 • 2”x3.5” (business card) ad in symposium itinerary

• • • • •

ALL sponsorships OF $3,000 OR MORE (annualized for Foundational Partners) will also receive a $300 credit toward print or digital advertising with the Texas Section FOR ANY ONE AD PLACED AT THE TIME OF SPONSOR’S CHOOSING.

Deadline: January 31, 2017

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Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

UTSA’s trebuchet. Photo by Andrew Martin.

Continued from page 17

Dawson, Bain Medina Bain, BakerRisk, Surveying and Mapping LLC and Dannenbaum Engineering have presented at our meetings on topics including structural, environmental, and land development engineering. In addition to a unique insight on civil engineering firms, speakers are encouraged to provide students with personal advice that could help make their path from college to their professional careers more successful.

Our Chapter of ASCE is an active participant of the Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe competitions. Hard work and long hours have lead our steel bridge team to reach the national level on several occasions. In addition to these competitions, ASCE also participates in the UTSA College of Engineering’s Annual Trebuchet Competition where several engineering student organizations on campus build a trebuchet to launch pumpkins into the air. The organization with the most successful trebuchet wins the competition. ASCE has historically been very successful in this competition, and our build team is excited to compete again this year.

UTSA-ASCE lead our largest annual fundraiser over the fall 2016 semester. Four UTSA student organizations came together to plan a BBQ Cook-off and invited engineering firms from all over San Antonio to participate.

These firms competed against one another in the quest for the best ribs, brisket, and chicken. While attending or volunteering at the cook-off, students had the opportunity to interact with professional engineers in a relaxed setting. ASCE and other student organizations raised approximately $20,000 ($5,000 per organization) that will be used to fund future meetings, competitions, and other expenditures.

Members of UTSA-ASCE have exceptional opportunities to prosper in civil engineering due to the vast amounts of networking, volunteering and overall unity of students. In the years to come, we hope to grow our membership and to offer favorable resources to more UTSA engineering students. 

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2016 Texas Section Awards and Honors

2016 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award Union Station to Oak Cliff Streetcar Project

2016 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award of Merit

The Dallas Streetcar project featured a number of innovative features representing breakthroughs in the industry. In addition to being the second U.S. installation of off-wire capability and block rail, Dallas Streetcar marked the first project to use a time-saving flash butt welding technique during construction. The project’s greatest challenges gave birth to its biggest innovations.

Tower 55 Multimodal improvement project

OWNER: Dallas Area Rapid Transit ENGINEER: HDR

The HDR team used the first American application of pre-curved block rail to enhance the Dallas Streetcar system. A new “steel” gauge tie and modified clips keep the rail solidly in place, making the track more secure and improving safety. The design team confirmed that the block rail was compatible with the existing light rail track components, allowing for a seamless transition of the streetcars to the light rail lines for overnight storage.

Once all phases are completed, the streetcar is estimated to save 6,035 miles of vehicle travel per day, which adds up to more than 57 million miles over the duration of its functioning life. The reduced traffic means that 2.7 tons of CO2 emissions are saved per day and more than 25,000 over the project’s life. Providing a clean alternative mode of travel helps ensure a cleaner atmosphere for the residents of Oak Cliff and Dallas alike.

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OWNER: BNSF, Union Pacific Railroad ENGINEER: HDR

As the lead consultant, HDR collaborated with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad (UP) to bring about the Tower 55 Multimodal Improvement Project. The scope included: • Adding a third north/south mainline • Four new train slots to the north and one to the south • Track alignment and crossover improvements • Building and enhancing nearby staging tracks • Installing a modern signaling and control system • Construction or replacement of several bridges • Arterial street/intersection enhancements • Drainage improvements HDR served both railroads by providing cost-benefit and economic analysis, Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER II) Grant application assistance, preliminary planning, environmental permitting, right-of- way, structural and utility design, procurement support and staging plans. The team also completed hydraulic, track work, roadway design and construction management for BNSF.

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

2016 Texas Section Awards and Honors Award of Honor and Award of recognition and Appreciation - Region 6 Governor Ken A. Rainwater PhD, PE

Dr. Ken Rainwater is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas Tech University.

He also served as the Director of the Texas Tech University Water Resources Center from 2002-12. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas, a Board Certified Environmental Engineer (AAEE), a Diplomate Water Resources Engineer (AAWRE), and a Certified Floodplain Manager.

He received his B.S. from Rice University (1979), and M.S. (1982) and Ph.D. (1985) in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Rainwater has 30 years of experience in water resources and environmental engineering. He teaches courses in fluid mechanics, environmental engineering, engineering hydrology, water systems design, groundwater hydrology, groundwater contaminant transport, and water resources management. His research expertise is in problems of groundwater quantity and quality, remediation of soil and groundwater contamination, and water resources management. His research has been funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Reclamation, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, and Texas Water Development Board. He has been honored with several teaching awards at Texas Tech, including with the Abell Faculty Teaching Award and the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award. He was named the Whitacre College of Engineering Researcher of the Year in 2011. He served as the co-faculty advisor of the J.H. Murdough Student Chapter of ASCE from 1985 to 2004. He also served various roles in the Texas Section of ASCE, including Vice President Educational and President. He served as a Region 6 Governor and is past chair of the ASCE Committee on Student Members.

Government Civil Engineer Award Elizabeth D. Metting PE

Elizabeth works for the Texas Department of Transportation as a Deputy Project Manager, I-35E Managed Lanes (I-635 to US 380) a $1.4B Project that includes oversight of design-build contract for 30-mile interstate facility to include managed lanes.

She assists project manager with ensuring Design-Build Developer compliance with contract requirements.

Her role includes extensive coordination with multiple interested parties simultaneously. She assists in oversight of developer design, construction, and maintenance efforts, including review and recommend for project manager (PM) action Developer submittals, RFIs, deviations, environmentaldocuments, corrective actions, non-compliance issues. She coordinates with other agencies, including FHWA, USACE, NTTA, UNT, local governments. She also coordinates with numerous levels of TxDOT and consultant staff. She works with Environmental Managers to ensure timely handling of environmental submittals, permits, mitigation, stormwater, and hazardous waste issues. She assists in review and processing of monthly payments to Developer and consultants. Elizabeth provided reports to TxDOT Administration on numerous project performance metrics. She responds to property owner and citizen inquiries regarding Phase 2 project schedule and effect son specific properties.

History and Heritage Award Vernon A. Wuensche PE

Vernon, a native Texan, was raised on a farm near El Indio, a small West-Texas town on the border, where he learned Spanish as a second language.

He graduated from Eagle Pass High School (1969) in the neighboring town. He worked his way through college at A&I University in Kingsville Texas as a carpenter and as a repair technician in the gas industry.

After receiving his BS in Civil

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2016 Texas Section Awards and Honors Engineering he began his professional career with the engineering consulting firm of Ogletree & Gunn of Corpus Christi, now known as RVE Inc, where he worked for about 2 years, with that involving mainly marine engineering and professional diving. After hanging up his flippers, he began a more civil engineering endeavor, with the firm of Urban Engineering of Corpus Christi where, for about 2 years, he worked on utility and wastewater management projects. After that and between fortunes, he traveled south to the Caribbean and central Mexico to recover for a few months. Immediately upon return to Corpus Christi, he was hired as a project engineer by the late James K Lontos PE, then Director of Engineering for the City of Corpus Christi.

He worked for the City for 27 years, received a MS in Environmental Engineering and is now retired.

Professional Service Award Brian D. Bresler PE

Brian Bresler PE has been a project engineer and project manager for Freese and Nichols, Inc. in their Corpus Christi office for 9 years. Brian has a B.A. in Government from The University of Texas at Austin, a State Secondary Teaching Certificate in Government and English from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M – Kingsville graduating Magna Cum Laude, where Brian is a member of Chi Epsilon and Tau Beta Pi, and was a member of the Student Chapter of ASCE. Brian is a Past-President of the Corpus Christi Branch of the Texas Section of ASCE (2011-2012). Brian has been involved in leadership of the Corpus Christi Branch since 2008. Brian was Co-chair of the Host Committee for the Spring 2013 ASCE Texas Section Centennial Celebration, Conference, and Concrete Canoe Competition, held in Corpus Christi in March of 2013.

Brian was Texas Section VP Educational 2015—2016.

In 2014, Brian was awarded the Robert Nichols Professional Service award at Freese and Nichols, Inc.

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Professional Service to Students Award

Russell R. Carter PE

Russell Carter is an Instructor at Texas Tech University and owner of Carter Consulting & Engineering, LLC. He has worked and consulted for several research centers at Texas Tech University and Clemson University. He has documented and investigated damage to structures in over a dozen tornadoes and hurricanes. His investigations and research were used in development of FEMA 320 “Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business”, FEMA 361 “Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms” and ICC 500 “ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters”. Russell has worked in private consulting since 2006 opening his own firm in 2011.

Russell has been active with ASCE since he was a graduate student at Texas Tech University. In 2007 he became the Practitioner Advisor to The Texas Tech University Student Chapter. He served as the Caprock Branch President 2009-2010 and is the Caprock Branch Section Director 2011-2016.

Russell is active in supporting the student chapters.

He has volunteered as a judge for six Texas/Mexico Regional Steel Bridge Competitions and one National Steel Bridge Competition. He has also volunteered the last four years as a judge for the Texas/Mexico Regional Concrete Canoe Competitions.

Service to People Award Cissy Sylo PE

Cissy’s professional activities transcend ASCE into TSPE, ITE and TexITE where she has been very active over the years in the Dallas area. She held positions from committee member all the way up

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

2016 Texas Section Awards and Honors to President of chapters and branches for all these and even at the student level at UT Arlington at one time or another. To say that she was engaged was just the tip of the iceberg as evidenced by Dallas ASCE Branch President 2003, Engineer of the Year in 2011, Section Director 2001 and all this was after a string of positions as Committee Chair. A similar list shows her as President of TexITE 1999 with a variety of offices leading up to it also.

John A. Focht, Jr. Citizen Engineer Award

William Bennett Ratliff PE

A licensed professional engineer, he founded The Ratliff Group, LLC in 2002 and is proud to have recently been listed as one of the top 100 firms in the nation in their market segment. His firm specializes in construction management and represents owners across the United States on a variety of commercial construction projects.

Like his father, Bennett graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Bennett Ratliff received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1983.

Presidential Special Recognition Kelly M. Skoviera PE

President Audra Morse recognized Kelly for her untiring support of the ASCE Student Chapters through her service as a competitions judge and competitions head judge.

Vikas K. Verma PE

This year President Audra Morse recognized Vik for his continued guidance over the past eleven years in crafting the Section’s strategic plans.

Vik would like to see our country fund infrastructure sufficiently.

It isn’t currently, and he says we shouldn’t accept that. Vik has seen infrastructure become a far more discussed topic outside of the civil engineering community, which he thinks is a great thing.

He was drawn to civil engineering because he wanted to serve the public interest and now works on numerous volunteer activities.

2017 Nominations

The Honors Committee is seeking nominations of individuals who provide outstanding service to their profession and the community. The official call for nominations will go out in January 2017. Each Branch has engineers who are exceptional not only in their careers, but also in their community efforts. The Texas Section wants to recognize these individuals at the 2017 Texas Civil Engineering Conference (CECON). Consider your co-workers, colleagues or mentors, who are deserving of recognition and provide the candidate’s name to your Branch President or Branch Honors Chair.

Nominations are due by April 1, 2017 to the Texas Section office.

The following are summaries of the awards that ASCE Texas Section bestows. Additional information and lists of past recipients can be found on the Texas Section website at http://texasce.org/honors, as well as a simple form that can be completed in a matter of minutes.

AWARD OF HONOR The Award of Honor was established by the ASC Texas Section to be presented to a limited number of members of the Texas Section “in recognition of service to the Texas Section and outstanding professional achievement in civil engineering”. This is the most prestigious award presented by the Texas Section.

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2017 Award Nominations PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AWARD The Texas Section Professional Service Award is conferred on a subscribing member of the Texas Section for meritorious service to the Texas Section and to one or more of the Section’s Branches upon recommendations of the Honors Committee. Section Presidents, Past Presidents, Society Officers and Past Society Officers are not eligible for the award.

HISTORY AND HERITAGE AWARD The Texas Section History and Heritage Award is given to an individual (not necessarily a member of the Texas Section) or Branch for making special contributions to recording and/or recognizing the history and heritage of civil engineering in Texas.

Nominations should be sent to the History & Heritage Committee. Nominations endorsed or originating with the History & Heritage committee should be sent, as described in the Section Rules of Operation, to the Honors Committee with accompanying documentation on the Branch or individual’s specific contributions.

SERVICE TO PEOPLE AWARD The Texas Section Service to People Award is made to a civil engineer (not necessarily a member of the Texas Section) who has distinguished himself or herself with special service to people. The award is intended to recognize civil engineers who bring credit to their profession through community activities that are visible to the general public.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE TO STUDENTS AWARD The Professional Service to Students Award is conferred on a subscribing member of the Texas Section for meritorious service to the Texas Section through service to one or more of the Texas/Mexico Regional Conference’s Student Chapters or Clubs. Section Presidents, Past Presidents, Society Officers and Past Society Officers are not eligible for the award.

GOVERNMENT CIVIL ENGINEER AWARD The Texas Section Government Civil Engineer Award is conferred on a subscribing member of the Texas Section employed by a governmental organization for meritorious service to the Texas Section and to one or more of the Section’s Branches. Eligibility for this award requires that the recipient be a current subscribing member of the ASCE Texas Section. The nominees for this award will be evaluated in the following areas:

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Arthur M. Clendenin PE Honors Committee Chair

a. years in public service and involvement with elected officials and the media b. engineering achievements in public service c. civic, humanitarian and social activities d. professional activities e. publications, papers and presentations JOHN A. FOCHT JR. CITIZEN ENGINEER AWARD This Award was established to recognize John A. Focht, Jr.’s outstanding and continued dedication to the Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Eligibility for this award requires that the recipient be a current subscribing member of the ASCE Texas Section who has demonstrated during the previous calendar year “volunteer efforts that better our world such as local or national legislation, education on all levels, nonprofit volunteer organizations, community activities, and so forth”. The nominees for this award will be evaluated on the following: a. overall positive impact and overall contribution as a result of the effort b. number of people involved or reached by the effort c. originality of the effort or its component parts d. level of effort.

No more than one award shall be awarded in any year and the presentation will be made at the annual conference.

TEXAS HISTORIC CIVIL ENGINEERING LANDMARK National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark status is conferred by ASCE upon projects that are at least 50 years old from the time of completion, and which demonstrate a design or construction which expanded the limits of the profession. For a project that may not qualify on the national scale but is deemed significant for the region or local area as a noteworthy project, the Section may designate it to be a Texas Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. If you or your Branch has an interest in this award, please contact the History and Heritage Committee Chair, Melinda Luna PE. The nomination process may take up to a year, and the Texas Historic Civil Engineering Landmark would be conferred at a meeting/location requested by the recipient (project owner). 

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

In Memoriam 2015 - 2016

(10/1/15 – 9/30/16)

Samuel K. Allen

Jim Linehan

Jui Lin Chen

Joseph F. Malina

James G. Dickson

Billy R. McMorries

Dean R. Freitag

Alvin H. Meyer

Archie E. Gaddy Jr.

James R. (Jim) Nichols

Dallas

Dallas

Brazos

Austin

Dallas

Kenneth Garrett Fort Worth

Chester Green Caprock

Lorenzo Gonzalez Corpus Christi

James B. Jones San Antonio

Gary B. King Houston

Hugh T. Kelly

San Antonio

Austin

High Plains

Austin

Fort Worth

George Pincus Houston

Julio C. Salinas Houston

Charles W. Settles Corpus Christi

Andrew L. Sikes Houston

Edwin A. Smith Dallas

Dallas

Fr ank Stewart

Dallas

Rudolf Suhendr a

Jim E. Laughlin

Houston

Houston

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Legislative News The 85th Regular Texas Legislative

session begins on January 10, 2017, and lasts for 140 days until May 29, 2017. As always the session will be focused on the state budget which is experiencing pressure from lower than expected revenues. The Rainy Day fund balance is $10.4 billion, slightly lower than the expected $11.1 billion and sales tax collections are down 7.1% compared to 2015 numbers. The loss of energy and sales tax revenue equates to $600 million less for the State Highway and Rainy Day Fund. Also, the State is looking at two major lawsuits resulting in $1.6 billion of lost revenue, and $2.5B in sales tax revenue going to the State Highway Fund as passed by the 2015 legislative session.

Specific to engineering, water will be a major topic of discussion during the session. Topics that may be brought forward during the session include: • Remove legal barriers to private investment in water supply projects.

• Amend Texas law to simplify TCEQ approval of water rights amendments.

• Simplify requirements for bed and banks authorization for indirect reuse of water and repeal the junior rights restrictions on interbasin water transfers.

• Amend SB 3 to clarify that the policy objectives for Environmental Flow Standards are critical flows during a drought of record.

• Clarify whether the TWDB’s statutory authority in

Travis N. Attanasio PE VP-Professional

Regional Groundwater Management Areas to establish desired future conditions is consistent with the landowner’s right to groundwater in place, as recognized by the Texas Supreme Court in Edwards Aquifer Authority v.

McDaniel, and the Texas Legislature in SB 332.

• Legally integrate the Regional Water Planning process with the now separate Bay/Basin Environmental Flow process. Assert the priority of human need for water.

• Establish policy objectives for environmental flow regimes to protect critical flows during drought and minimum standards for scientific rigor.

• Clarify the “Four Corners Provision” (TWC 11.122(b)) that a water right amendment for only a change or addition of use is not subject to an administrative hearing.

• Simplify the requirements for indirect re-use of water in TWC 11.042 and 11.046.

• Articulate policy reinforcing the value of water marketing for efficient and timely implementation of water supply strategies in the SWP. • Repeal the junior rights provision relating to interbasin transfers.

• Remove legal impediments to the private development of new groundwater supplies and to proper functioning water markets in Texas.

• Review the operations of Groundwater Conservation Districts and Groundwater Management Areas to see what progress has been made in securing proper groundwater regulation, and seek adjustments as needed.

• Reform the rules governing GCD record keeping and conflict of interest to promote greater uniformity of regulation.

Finally, the legislature is anticipated to take up the topic of separate licensure of structural engineers in the State.

The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) supports Structural Engineering licensure. It encourages Professional Engineers practicing structural engineering to further obtain a Structural Engineer license in jurisdictions that have any form of Structural Engineering license by complying with the jurisdiction’s specified requirements for education, experience and examination, and by meeting continuing education requisites to maintain this license. SEI also encourages jurisdictions to license Structural Engineers as a post-PE (Professional Engineer) credential and to include in their new legislation an equal transitioning clause for engineers currently practicing structural engineering. 

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Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

Legislative Drive-In

February 7, 2017 Austin, Texas ASCE Texas Section is providing an opportunity to meet your state representatives and educate them about important civil engineering issues. This is one of the best ways to get involved and have a positive impact on your government at the local and state level.

The Section will provide training before the event in the form of a broadcast webinar and in person on the day of the event. The Legislative Drive-In is also an opportunity to meet with other Texas engineers interested in promoting infrastructure policies. Affect change, be active and let your elected officials hear what you have to say.

Register now, it’s free!

www.TexASCE.org/event/legislative-drive-in

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News Charles Aubeny PhD, PE, F.ASCE, a professor of civil engineering at Texas A&M University who specializes in geotechnical engineering, has been named a Fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.

Aubeny has held his current faculty position at Texas A&M since 1999. His research interests include offshore geotechnical topics such as deepwater anchors, subsea risers and conductors, and subsea gravity foundations, as well as land-based problems associated with levee integrity, slope stability, excavations, and retaining structures.

He teaches courses in geotechnical engineering, foundation engineering, slope stability and retaining walls, and numerical methods. He consults on a wide variety of projects, including projects in deepwater Gulf of Mexico and offshore Australia, levee systems throughout the United States, and various regional projects in Texas.

He has published extensively and received the ASCE Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award in 2002. A member of ASCE since 1980, he has also served on the editorial board of the ASCE’s Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering since 2007.

Aubeny began his career in1978 as an embankment dam design engineer at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Engineering and Research Center, in Denver, where he was involved in various earth dam design and construction projects throughout the western states. He subsequently worked in private consulting from 1992 to 1999 in central California, with much of his practice focused on levee and dam engineering.

He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas, California, and Colorado. He received a B.S. degree at the University of Arizona, an M.S. degree at the University of Colorado Denver, and a doctoral degree in civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Classified TUNNEL, TRENCHLESS AND STRUCTUR AL ENGINEERING OPPORTUNITIES Houston, Austin and Dallas, TX

Brierley Associates, a recognized leader in the design of tunnels, shafts, underground structures, and excavation support systems, is seeking qualified engineers to support our Texas operations: • Tunnel Engineer – Houston, Austin, and/or Dallas – The successful candidate would possess specific design/construction expertise of large diameter tunnels and shafts in rock and soft ground.

• Trenchless Engineer – Houston – The successful candidate would possess specific design/construction expertise of HDD and microtunneling operations.

• Structural Engineer – Austin – The successful candidate would possess specific design/ construction expertise of heavy civil work such as excavation support, deep foundations, heavy lifts, falsework and custom formwork.

Candidates for each position must possess a TX PE license, BS (MS preferred) in Geological Engineering, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, or closely related engineering field, and demonstrated design and construction experience. Responsibilities include development and execution of new projects; project management; client management; representing the Company in professional, technical and business organizations; and providing technical assistance to other Brierley offices. Knowledge of the TX markets and existing client relationships would be beneficial.

The compensation ranges for these positions are commensurate with experience and based upon individual and Company performance. A comprehensive benefits package supplements the monetary compensation. Ownership potential exists.

Interested candidates should respond in confidence to Nancy Nuttbrock at NNuttbrock@BrierleyAssociates. com. Please include a current resume and note availability.

Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

Karl Terzaghi’s Work and Its Impact on Texas Melinda Luna PE History and Heritage Committee Chair

Karl Terzaghi is regarded as one of the pioneers of geotechnical engineering.

Karl Terzaghi was born in Austria, to parents Anton von Terzaghi and Amalia Eberle. His father was in the military.

One of the first projects that Karl Terzaghi participated in was the Texas Commerce Bank, where he was consulted on the mat foundation of the building. He monitored settlement records for 19 years to develop other gulf coast buildings. He was asked to consult by Raymond Dawson, R. J. Cummings, and W.E. Simpson. Terzaghi encouraged the collection of field data.

As a professor at Harvard he was invited to Texas A & M University by then Dean Gibb Gilchrist in 1939. He gave lectures and roundtable discussions with both students and visiting engineers.

He visited The University of Texas in 1940 for a two-day conference and shared information on the latest methods for combating earth pressure. He would visit again for the same two-day conference in the summer of 1941, 1943, 1947, and 1956. The newspapers reported that there were 300 engineers and students attending the conference.

The Texas Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineer was held at the University of Texas, and again Karl Terzaghi was the main speaker in 1947.

Texas engineers such as John A. Focht, Jr. studied under Terzaghi and became lifelong friends. Terzaghi also had a philosophy of how an engineer should practice engineering. Some of his philosophy included: 1. An engineer should only take on projects of his/her competence.

2. An engineer should take responsibility for all aspects of his/her work 3. An engineer should learn continuously from experience and publish meaningful experience 4. Follow through on every angle and every subtask by researching old records, photos, eyewitness accounts.

Identify inconsistencies and work to resolve the inconsistencies.

Aside from technical lectures and papers he also published works such as Consultants, Clients, and Contractors. This paper explored the dynamic and often destructive interactions between these parties in major engineering works.

Karl Terzaghi left his mark on Texas in the form of projects, professional papers that assisted engineers in designing Texas projects and as a role model, friend, and mentor to other engineers. A series of lectures, Professor Chairs, awards and buildings are named after him. The American Society of Civil Engineers established one such award in 1960 as the Karl Terzaghi Award. This award recognizes an “author of outstanding contributions to knowledge in the fields of soil mechanics, subsurface and earthwork engineering, and subsurface and earthwork construction.”

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Texas Civil Engineer | Volume 87, No. 1 - Winter 2016

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