Water Treatment Team Spanning the Western US Adds New Services

Maybe you’ve heard that Murraysmith has been a regional leader in water system engineering since the firm’s formation in 1980, but did you know that our water treatment team got its start in these humble beginnings? And with the recent acquisition of Odell Engineering, we’ve added even more water treatment services and nationally renowned expertise to our team. This group of ground and surface water treatment aficionados, spread across the many geographies we serve, is united by a common goal—to provide client-service-focused water treatment services that result in efficient, creative infrastructure that supports our communities.

Already packed with talent, our team now has Lee Odell, the industry-leading water treatment expert, as a resource. Not only has Lee completed over 200 water treatment projects, but he wrote the AWWA book on groundwater treatment. And one of the best parts about Lee? He is a passionate mentor both to up-and-comers in our team and to people across the industry.

Lee is joined by many other key players, from seasoned engineers with vast water treatment resumes— Joe Foote, John Thayer, Joel Price, Andy Szatkowski, and Kristy Warren—to younger engineers who bring fresh perspectives and practical knowledge—Jessica Bedford, Brian Rowbotham, and Aaron Gress.

We cover the full range of services from planning through design to construction management for both ground and surface water sources, including for new facilities and rehabilitation, upgrade, and expansion of existing facilities. Our expertise covers:

But that’s just our services—that doesn’t describe how we deliver projects that meet our client’s needs. Our approach is founded on these core tenets.

You know your system best. As collaborators, we want client input as early in the project as possible. This means talking not only with client engineers and management but with the operators who have on-the-job knowledge of what’s best for the operation of the water treatment facilities.

Simplicity is key. With such deep treatment expertise, we can complete design in-house, keeping the team streamlined. We also focus on simple designs, getting creative when necessary to make sure these facilities are efficient. This results in cost-effective projects that pass savings along to our communities through lower utility costs.

Facilities must be operator-friendly first. Some of our team are previous water treatment plant operators, so we know how critical it is to consider the needs of those who will actually operate the facilities. We keep operators in the conversation through the design process for optimum success.

We’re currently implementing this very strategy for projects across the Western United States. Here’s a small peek at the water treatment projects our team is currently working on.

Cover image: Aaron Gress on-site in Murraysmith’s outfitted trailer testing a number of water quality constituents, including iron and manganese, to confirm effective removal below EPAs recommended guideline. Pilot testing prior to full scale treatment design allows for process optimization and accurate treatment cost estimating for design.