NEW YORK — The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a Request for Proposals for engineering teams to assist the department in its Green Infrastructure Research and Development Program. To improve the cleanliness and health of New York City’s waterways, DEP has embarked on an aggressive campaign to install cost-effective green infrastructure installations throughout the city to manage stormwater that falls on city streets, roofs, and sidewalks. DEP is planning for $2.4 billion in public and private funding for green infrastructure installations by 2030 to significantly reduce the discharges from the City’s combined sewer system which can occur during heavy rain storms. 

OLATHE, KAN. — Terracon Consultants, Inc. acquired Dunkelberger Engineering and Testing, Inc., based in West Palm Beach, Fla. Founded in 1994, Dunkelberger provides geotechnical engineering, construction materials and inspection, environmental assessments, and building inspection services. Client sectors include aviation, infrastructure, government, commercial real estate, power, and solid waste. Dunkelberger has additional offices located in Fort Lauderdale, Port St. Lucie, and Sarasota. 

GALVESTON, TEXAS — The five-year anniversary of Hurricane Ike is still several months away, but the effects of what the historic storm did to the Texas coastline have been relentless, especially when it comes to beach erosion in and around the Galveston area where parts of the island lost more than 100 feet of shoreline, says a Texas A&M University at Galveston professor. 

ELYRIA, OHIO — KS Associates, Inc., a civil engineering and surveying firm located in Elyria, Ohio, acquired Matrix Engineering, Inc., a coastal engineering firm in business for 27 years. With the acquisition comes the formation of KS Associates’ new Coastal Engineering Group. The Group provides engineering solutions for all types of waterfront and water-related infrastructure, helping clients plan, design and manage the construction of projects along Lake Erie and its tributaries. The Group serves property owners, marina owners, port authorities, dock manufacturers, industrial owners and communities. 

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLO. — Merrick & Company was selected by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) to receive one of the Honor Awards in the ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) competition — the “Academy Awards of the engineering industry.” The Honor Award is a prestigious distinction for exceptional engineering achievement. Merrick’s Hartland Dam Fish & Boat Passage Facilities project was chosen. 

MARIETTA, GA. — Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU), a Marietta, Ga.-based university focused on providing its students with degrees across a number of sciences and technologies, will offer two new degrees this fall, both focused on the environment. On May 14, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia gave SPSU the go-ahead to offer the state’s first Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering Technology (EnvET) degree and the only Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science (ENVS) degree in metropolitan Atlanta. Both programs will be strongly linked to one another through environmental studies with a strong concentration in engineering. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — According to the National Climatic Data Center’s (NCDC) 2012 weather and climate disasters information, 2012 saw 11 weather and climate disaster events each with losses exceeding $1 billion in damages. This makes 2012 the second costliest year since 1980, with a total of more than $110 billion in damages throughout the year. The 2012 total damages rank only behind 2005, which incurred $160 billion in damages due in part to four devastating land-falling hurricanes. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The TRB Technical Activities Division’s Planning and Environment Group is holding its seventh annual competition to find top methods for communicating transportation concepts to non-professional audiences. Entries, which should focus on best practices in communicating transportation modeling and simulation to the public, are due by Aug. 5, 2013. 

NEW YORK — New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg presented, “A Stronger, More Resilient New York,” a comprehensive and ambitious report that analyzes the city’s climate risks and outlines recommendations to protect neighborhoods and infrastructure from future climate events. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Bloomberg launched the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency and charged it with recommending steps the city should take to protect against the impacts of climate change. 

EXTON, PA. — Bentley Systems, Incorporated announced the winners of Bentley LEARNservices’ 2013 Scott Lofgren Student Design Awards, recently renamed in honor of the late Scott Lofgren, Bentley global director, who tirelessly advocated for academic programs that help young people learn technical skills in preparation for careers in engineering. Bentley also named Dr. Francelina Neto of California State Polytechnic University Pomona as Bentley Educator of the Year. 

DENVER — CH2M HILL has published its Sustainability Report 2013, the company’s sixth sustainability report since 2005. As one of the first engineering and construction companies to publish a sustainability report and launch an internal environmental management system that follows ISO 14001 guidelines, CH2M HILL has been recognized as a leader by Verdantix, an independent analyst firm focused on sustainable business issues, in sustainability consulting in 2013, environmental services in 2012, sustainable engineering in 2010, and climate change consulting in 2009. 

DENVER — Key findings from Black & Veatch's second annual U.S. water industry report show an industry more focused on informed spending to stretch limited budgets and extend the life of current assets. More than 90 percent of utility leaders expect to have formal asset management programs in place or in progress by 2016. 

NEW YORK — The Thornton Tomasetti Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to Bridges to Prosperity that will contribute to funding construction of a much-needed footbridge in Tiraque, Bolivia, to be built with the help of the University of Michigan Bridges to Prosperity Chapter. Construction of the bridge has begun and should be complete before September 2013. 

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — The Bureau of Reclamation announced selected four groundwater banking projects that will receive an estimated $12.7 million in cost-share funding under Part III of the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, including $10 million in Fiscal Year 2013 awards. Combined with local cost-share contributions, more than $39.6 million in water management improvements will be implemented through these projects for Friant Division water contractors in the San Joaquin Valley. 

ATLANTA — Under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Miami-Dade County in Florida agreed to invest in major upgrades to its wastewater treatment plants and wastewater collection and transmission systems to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows. The state of Florida and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) are co-plaintiffs with the United States in this action. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced that nine engineering firms have each committed to train and credential at least 100 of their infrastructure professionals in the ISI Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) credential program within the next 12 months. The nine industry leading firms who have committed to the training and certification of their infrastructure professionals include ARCADIS, Arup, Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, Gannett Fleming, HDR, Psomas, Stantec, and VHB. 

SEAFORD, DEL. — Judy A. Schwartz, P.E., LEED AP, with George, Miles & Buhr, LLC (GMB), received the first annual “Women in Water Award” from the Delaware Office of Drinking Water. The award spotlights the noteworthy contributions that women have made to the water and wastewater industry. 

LOS ANGELES — Discovery Channel’s “The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius” is looking for the next great technological mind that could change the future. Each week, the show presents a seemingly impossible engineering challenge to 10 contestants who have 30 minutes to develop a proposed solution. An expert panel of judges then determines the two strongest engineering concepts based on logic and design and those two competitors select teams to execute their visions in only three days. Now, viewers have an opportunity to submit solutions and win $5,000. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released results of a survey showing that $384 billion in improvements are needed for the nation’s drinking water infrastructure through 2030 for systems to continue providing safe drinking water to 297 million Americans. EPA’s fifth Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment identifies investments needed over the next 20 years for thousands of miles of pipes and thousands of treatment plants, storage tanks and water distribution systems, which are all vital to public health and the economy. The national total of $384 billion includes the needs of 73,400 water systems across the country, as well as American Indian and Alaska Native Village water systems. 

EXTON, PA. — Bentley Systems, Incorporated is accepting submissions for the 2013 Be Inspired Awards competition. The deadline for entries is July 19, 2013. The awards, which are selected by an independent jury of industry experts, recognize the extraordinary and innovative work of organizations that help sustain the world’s infrastructure by designing, engineering, constructing, delivering, and/or operating better-performing, safer, and more resilient roads, buildings, plants, utility networks, and more. Over 20 award categories cover every aspect of the built environment in this uniquely comprehensive, global competition.