HARRISBURG, PA. — The United States Society on Dams (USSD) recently honored Arthur H. Walz, Jr., P.E., with the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award. This honor recognizes an individual whose lifetime of dedication and achievement has contributed significantly to the dam engineering profession. Walz has been providing technical leadership on geotechnical issues affecting worldwide dam and water resource projects throughout his 45-year professional engineering career.

Walz is a senior water resources engineer at Gannett Fleming, an international planning, design, and construction management firm. Based in its corporate headquarters in Harrisburg, Pa., he provides quality assurance and independent technical review on dam, water resources, and geotechnical projects. In addition, Walz represents the firm at select national conferences, technical meetings, and seminars, such as those sponsored by USSD, the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME). He has made significant contributions as a principal designer or team leader on more than 60 major dam projects.

“This lifetime honor for Art could not be more well-deserved,” said William B. Bingham, P.E., vice president and national practice leader for the Dams Practice at Gannett Fleming. “Throughout his career, Art has worked tirelessly to further dam safety and continues to serve as a tremendous resource and mentor to both our firm and the dam industry.”

Walz is a registered professional engineer and holds a bachelor of science in civil engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a master of science in geotechnical engineering from the University of California – Berkeley. As a former president and active member of USSD, he also serves the profession through his involvement with ASDSO, SAME, and the International Commission on Large Dams, where he was a vice president.