NW Jobs People’s Picks 2009: Favorite Green-Collar Company
Look for us in the November 1st edition of the Seattle Times. Herrera has been named Favorite Green -Collar Company by NW Jobs People’s Picks. Judges praised our balance of local environmental work and far-reaching international projects, as well as our internal ability to walk the talk. Click the link below to read the whole article:

http://marketplace.nwsource.com/job/peoplespicks/2009/winners/index.cfm?lid=709003

In addition to winning the Favorite Green Collar Company Herrera was a finalist in 5 other People’s Picks categories: Best Benefits, Coolest office space, Favorite Seattle-area company, Most family-friendly company and Most unusual perk(s). This is Herrera’s second consecutive year as winner in the NW Jobs People’s Picks. Herrera won the most Eco-Friendly Company category last year.

Herrera’s own Matt Brennan will address scientists and engineers at the Oregon Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) next Wednesday, October 28, 2009. the Oregon EWRI is a sub-group of the Oregon Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The talk is free to anyone interested in attending. See more details, below.

TITLE: Tryon Creek Confluence Enhancement – Providing habitat enhancement and fish access to an urban watershed.
DATE: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
PLACE: Hawthorne Lucky Lab Brew Pub, 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland
TIME: 11:30 a.m. Networking, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Presentation
COST: The meeting is free
SPEAKER: Matt Brennan, P.E. – Herrera Consultants and Kristen Acock, P.E. – City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES)

The Tryon Creek watershed encompasses 4,140 acres, of which 75 percent is located within the City of Portland. Tryon Creek supports populations of steelhead, coho and chinook salmon, and cutthroat trout. By removing fish passage barriers, reducing stormwater discharges, and improving instream and floodplain habitat conditions, these populations could potentially be enhanced greatly. The City of Portland has been focusing efforts on habitat enhancement and stormwater management in the watershed. The confluence of Tryon Creek with the Willamette River is the focus of current enhancement efforts, including fish passage improvements constructed by ODOT at the Highway 43 culvert in 2008, and floodplain, riverbank, and channel enhancements to be constructed in 2010. The presentation will discuss recent activities in the Tryon Creek basin, the current confluence enhancement effort, and potential future actions that will affect the watershed’s health.

Matt Brennan, P.E. is a senior water resources engineer with Herrera Environmental Consultants with 14 years of experience. Mr. Brennan has designed and overseen construction of many aquatic habitat enhancement and restoration projects in the region, including several in Portland on Johnson Creek and Tryon Creek. Kristen Pleyte Acock, P.E. is a civil engineer at the City of Portland BES. Kristen is in the Watershed Services group at BES and her background includes 14 years of water resources work in the planning, modeling and design of storm and sanitary sewers and riverine systems.

For additional information contact: Chris Goodell, EWRG President at 503-485-5490 or cgoodell@westconsultants.com.

All are welcome to attend EWRG meetings. View EWRG meeting announcements, past meeting topics, goals, officers, etc., at www.asceor.org/environmental-and-water-resources-group.

(Seattle, WA) Herrera seeks a Senior Hydraulic Engineer to work on a wide range of applied and research projects in the Pacific Northwest. This position involves developing and applying scientific and engineering solutions to rehabilitate riverine, estuarine, and coastal habitats and to provide environmentally sensitive and sustainable solutions for human communities and infrastructure.

Qualifications: M.S. in civil engineering or geological sciences or 10 years of consulting experience managing projects involving floodplain mapping and hydraulic modeling. Academic training and experience with a focus on fluid mechanics, hydraulic modeling, and fluvial or coastal geomorphology. Excellent field skills in floodplain mapping and channel and shoreline surveys. Excellent writing and communication skills. Ability to effectively manage a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers. Expertise in the following areas–GIS (ARC VIEW, Spatial Analyst), open channel and coastal hydraulics, sediment transport and budgets, hydrology, mechanics, and project management skills. Hydraulic design and analysis for hydroelectric facilities, water intake and conveyance facilities, fish passage facilities, spillways, and projects involving sediment control, erosion protection, and environmental mitigation. Hydraulic design analyses in support of projects involving physical and numerical modeling and river engineering.

Desired Experience: Prior consulting experience working with a multi-disciplinary team and managing multiple floodplain mapping, river engineering, and hydraulic modeling projects. Experience with the application of a variety of 1-D and 2-D hydraulic models in Pacific Northwest systems. Assessment and modeling of the physical effects of woody debris, sediment transport, and geomorphic response. Experience with scope of work and budget preparation.

Herrera Environmental Consultants and SWA Group are designing a new 10.2 million square-foot master plan focused on low-impact development for the Chinese City of Kunshan just outside Shanghai. The project, on the shores of the Wusong River will feature an innovative wetland treatment park, using biofilms and native plants to process water for drinking, swimming, and fishing. Construction is anticipated to begin next year, with a 10 year build out.

This project was recently featured in Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS11008+09-Sep-2009+BW20090909
And written up in GlobeSt.com: http://www.globest.com/news/1498_1498/insider/181119-1.html?sector=green#

Herrera has been awarded Environmental Planning for the National Park Service’s Long Range Transportation Plan! This project involves reviewing current National Park Service policies and practices; developing a comprehensive Resource Stewardship Planning Strategy; and a comprehensive Visitor Experience Planning Strategy for use at the national, regional, and unit levels of the Park Service. Sustainability and climate change issues will be integral to the plan.