Di Toro Named to National Academy of Engineering

Dominic M. Di Toro, PhD, a founding Principal of HydroQual, Inc., and the current Edward C. Davis Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Delaware, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.  He was recognized for “leadership in the development and application of mathematical models for establishing water-quality criteria and making management decisions.”

 

In being elected to the National Academy, Dr. Di Toro joins fewer than 2200 engineers nationwide. “This is probably the highest honor that a consulting engineer can achieve in the field of engineering,” said William Leo, President of HydroQual, Inc.

 

Areas in which Dr. Di Toro’s work has had the greatest impact are water quality and sediment flux modeling, and sediment and water quality criteria development. Early in his career, he developed one of the first dynamic water quality models that was used to predict the consequences of nutrient discharges to the Great Lakes. The results were used in the joint US-Canada agreements to limit discharges to Lake Erie.

 

In the late 1980s, the EPA embarked on the development of Sediment Quality Criteria, and Dr. Di Toro was the technical leader of the effort through the 1990s. The Equilibrium Partitioning model and the SEM/AVS method that were developed are now part of common practice. More recently, he and his colleagues have developed criteria models for mixtures of polynuclear hydrocarbons (PAHs) that have recently been published by EPA.

 

Dr. Di Toro served as the technical director of the HydroQual Team that is developing and applying the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) to various metals. Beginning with copper, the team examined the factors that control the bioavailability and toxicity of copper to aquatic organisms. This work resulted in the Biotic Ligand Model which successfully linked metal chemistry with effects to explain and predict metal toxicity. The HydroQual Team, now lead by Paul Paquin and Robert Santore, continues to work on copper, silver, aluminum, zinc, and cobalt. The BLM for copper has been incorporated into the USEPA 2004 draft water quality criteria document for copper and similar plans are in place for silver and zinc.

 

Dr. Di Toro joined the University of Delaware in January 2003 after serving on the faculty at Manhattan College for more than 30 years. He has published over 100 technical papers, as well as a book, Sediment Flux Modeling (John Wiley & Sons). One reviewer called the book “the definitive text on this subject and deserving of a place in any respectable environmental library” and by another as “masterfully done.”

Pat Kehrberger named Association of Environmental Authorities Member of the Year

Pat Kehrberger, an Associate at HydroQual, Inc., has worked in the field of water quality modeling since 1970. Her experience involves water quality evaluations using steady-state and time-variable mathematical models. Specific projects have included wasteload allocations, stormwater coliform distribution, sludge solids deposition in an estuary, dye data simulation in an estuarine bay to determine net inter-tidal circulation, ocean disposal and mixing zone analyses.

Her experience also includes design and execution of field sampling programs for use in modeling analyses to determine waste assimilation capacity of low flow streams. Several projects have also involved evaluation of post-development eutrophication impacts on drinking water supply reservoirs.

Pat has served on AEA's Permit committee for many years and has been helpful in contributing to the association's rule proposal comments in particular in the area of water quality standards. Pat's real world experience in solving permit issues for her clients brings a practical and very professional approach to the committee's work. She has been a speaker at technical conferences and is a great team player.

It is with great pleasure and sincere appreciation that AEA has selected Pat Kehrberger as this year's Outstanding Associate Member.

 

HydroQual, Inc.

HydroQual was listed in the Top 200 Environmental Firms by Engineering News Record Magazine. HydroQual is listed as number 191 in the Top 200 list in the June 2, 2003 issue. ENR states that "companies are ranked based on gross revenue they reported in 2002 for providing environmental services and products to domestic and international markets." This is the fourth year in the past five that HydroQual has been listed as an ENR 200 firm.

Alan F. Blumberg, Ph.D.

Alan F. Blumberg, Ph.D., Liaqat Ali Khan, and John P. St. John, P.E. were selected by the Environmental Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as the recipient of the 2001 Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Prize for their paper "Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Model of New York Harbor Region," Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, August 1999. The award was presented to them on Tuesday, May 22, 2001 during the EWRI World Water and Environmental Resources Congress in Orlando, Florida.

 

Alan F. Blumberg, Ph.D. is an editor of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. Alan is responsible for coordinating the peer review of technical papers submitted to the journal.

 

Alan F. Blumberg, Ph.D. is serving as a consultant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board since 1998. During his appointment, Alan provides evaluations of various issues brought before the Board.

 

Alan F. Blumberg, Ph.D. is an Associate Editor of Estuaries published by the Estuarine Research Federation.

William M. Leo, P.E.

William M. Leo, P.E. is currently participating on the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) Wet Weather Committee. He has been actively involved in the evaluation of a large WERF sponsored wet weather control project in Columbus, Georgia.

 

William M. Leo, P.E. is an elected member of the Board of Directors of the New York Water Environment Association.

William E. McMillin, Jr., P.E.

William E. McMillin, Jr., P.E. is currently serving on the Technology Panel on Wet Weather Models for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV).  He is also a member of the New York Water Environment Association Government Affairs Committee and the Water Environment Federation Watershed Management Committee.

Robin L. Miller

Robin L. Miller is serving as the Vice-Chair on the Toxic Substances Committee of the Water Environment Federation.

Srinivasan Rangarajan, Ph.D.

Srinivasan Rangarajan, Ph.D. received the Edmund Friedman Young Engineer Award for Professional Achievement for 2003. This prestigious award is sponsored by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and was established in 1972 to recognize the professional contributions of ASCE members who are 35 years of age or less and who are judged to have attained significant professional achievement in the areas of: advancement of the engineering profession; technical competence, character, and integrity; improving member attitudes towards the engineering profession; and public service outside of their professional careers.

John P. St. John, P.E.

John P. St. John, P.E., received the 2002 Environmental Science Award of the New York Water Environment Association. The award was presented at the Association's 75th Annual Meeting in New York City on February 12, 2003.

Andrew Thuman, P.E.

Andrew Thuman, P.E. is serving on the Specialty Conferences Committee and TMDL Modeling Subcommittee of the Water Environment Federation.

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