January 2007
Volume 32, Issue 1

The 109th Congress wrapped up in the early morning hours of December 9 with mixed results for civil engineering.  While asce is pleased that the Dam Safety Act was approved and sent to President Bush for his signature, it is disappointed that Congress failed to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). This important legislation, which would reauthorize the activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has languished since 2000 while lawmakers squabble over reform and other issues. In 2006 the WRDAalso contained language that would have established a levee safety program, a measure strongly supported by ASCE. In punting unfinished appropriations measures for the current fiscal year to the 110th Congress, $3.4 billion in transportation funds guaranteed by the landmark Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) is in jeopardy.

To promote the goals of asce, the Board of Direction has adopted official policy statements, position papers, and resolutions on major technical, professional, and educational issues of interest to the civil engineering community and the nation as a whole. A complete listing of these in summary format, along with asce’s federal and state priority issues, may be found at www.asce.org/pressroom/news/policy.cfm. To download a pdf version, simply click on “Download asce’s Policy Document Book.”

The Society is eager to work on behalf of civil engineers with the widest possible range of backgrounds. Every two weeks, asce’s diversity Web page highlights the accomplishments of professionals who have made significant contributions within the civil engineering profession. If you know of someone who has demonstrated exceptional leadership or has in some way benefited the profession, e-mail a nomination to ljennings@asce.org. Be sure to include “diversity limelight nomination” in the subject heading. In addition to two or three paragraphs describing the candidate’s professional background and highlighting his or her achievements, nominations should include a color photo (preferably a jpeg) and authorization from the person in question to post his or her photo on asce’s Web sites. Nominations will be accepted year-round, and asce membership is strongly encouraged. Visit www.asce.org/professional/diversity for more information or to see who’s in the spotlight now.
 
ASCE’s Transportation and Development Institute, which was founded in 2002, acts as a global leader for safe, secure, and sustainable transportation and development endeavors. On December 18 the institute announced that it would conduct a public comment period for part 4 of its standard (ASCE 21) for automated people movers (APMS). To expedite the approval and release process, as well as to facilitate use, the standard has been divided into four parts. Part 4 deals with operational monitoring, emergency preparedness, verification requirements, security requirements, and acceptance requirements. Used in the safety certification process, the standard establishes minimum requirements for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of apm systems. The public comment period for part 4 will run from January 18 to March 4. To participate, contact Phillip Mariscal, ASCE’s standards administrator, at pmariscal@asce.org or (703) 295-6338. For more information on ASCE’s standards program as a whole, contact James A. Rossberg, P.E., at jrossberg@asce.org or (703) 295-6196.

In the fall ASCE asked members to collect the names of peers, professional associates, and colleagues and to recommend them for membership in asce. I would like to thank all members who took the time to nominate individuals for membership. The response was overwhelming: 800 members participated and gathered more than 2,500 names. The names of all of the members who participated were entered in a drawing for a free trip for two to this year’s annual conference, which will be held in Orlando, Florida. Congratulations are in order to Stefanie Ruth Fishman, a.m.asce, who won the trip. asce counts on its members to help it grow. To nominate your peers and earn a chance to win prizes, visit www.ascedrive.org.

I am pleased to announce the winners of various 2007 awards and to offer my congratulations to these outstanding professionals. David J. White, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE, has been named the winner of the Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award; Jean-Louis Briaud, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, has garnered the Ralph B. Peck Award; Chandrakant S. Desai, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, is honored with the Karl Terzaghi Award; and George G. Goble, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, has been chosen to deliver the Karl Terzaghi Lecture. To learn more about these awards or how to nominate someone for the 2008 selection cycle, visit www.asce.org/pressroom/honors. To find the awards for which you may qualify, click on “What Award Am I Eligible For?”

Perhaps one of the worst parts of job hunting is trying to find a position that meets all of your requirements. Now, with asce’s Career Connections “job agent,” you can benefit from a powerful online tool. To take advantage of this resource, visit http://careers.asce.org/search/agent/index.cfm and specify the criteria that match your needs. Through this efficient online management system, you will receive e-mail alerts when new jobs that meet your requirements are posted. You may apply for jobs with a few simple clicks. Given its advanced versatility and scope, Career Connections could be the only resource you’ll ever need to meet your job or internship needs.

—Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE Executive Director

ASCE’s Political Involvement: What’s Ahead?

As your president, I want to be sure I do all I can to prepare our profession for the future, and understanding the public policy process and actively participating in it are of paramount importance in shaping our future. As indicated by the “civil” in our profession’s name, we have the responsibility to play a prominent role in policy making. We bring vast environmental and infrastructure knowledge to the table.

I think we need to have some active dialogue about the Society’s level of future political and public policy involvement. I want to be sure the heartbeat of the organization is felt and that our members weigh in on this issue. I urge members to communicate their views directly to me or convey them to their section presidents so that they eventually reach the region directors. I also hope to hear from you through the upcoming open forums during the town hall meetings that will form part of our zone conferences this year.

In mid-2005, ASCE’s Board of Direction created the Task Force on Political Involvement to explore possible changes in our activities in this regard. During the past year that body has evaluated our past and current activities and has considered ways to make our endeavors in the realm of public policy more effective.

The board is preparing to consider a recommendation by the task force to establish a parallel organization that by conforming to section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code would allow increased lobbying and political activity by ASCE. The board will consider the proposal in April, but we have been reaching out to the membership in advance of any decision to gather your ideas, comments, and suggestions.

At present ASCE is allowed to lobby within strict dollar limits, but we are prohibited from engaging in any political activities—for example, endorsing candidates or making campaign contributions. The changes recommended by the task force would afford ASCE greater flexibility in its lobbying activities and allow us to be directly involved in political campaigns by establishing a political action committee (PAC), endorsing candidates, and making campaign contributions. If formed, a PAC would be a separate entity under section 501(c)(6). It would be permitted to accept voluntary contributions from ASCE members and then channel those contributions to candidates for federal office.

Generally speaking, lobbying is the practice of educating and influencing government on a particular issue or topic. ASCE currently engages in lobbying to a limited extent. We file federal lobbying reports twice a year. ASCE members and staff members meet regularly with members of Congress and their staffs to discuss pending legislation that concerns civil engineers. We also work with Congress and state legislatures to offer testimony before committees.

ASCE at present is a 501(c)(3) organization. Organizations of this type can and often should lobby at all levels of government, subject to certain limitations. Federal tax law has always permitted some lobbying by 501(c)(3) organizations as long as the lobbying does not constitute a “substantial part” of an organization’s total activities. At present the Internal Revenue Service (irs) limits the amount a 501(c)(3) organization can spend on lobbying to $1 million.

ASCE has achieved many public policy successes in recent years. We have helped author legislation relating to dams and natural hazards that has been signed into law, and our infrastructure assessments (“report cards”) are regularly cited by elected officials when they consider matters pertaining to the built environment. The competition for attention on issues in Washington is fierce and we might need to take advantage of new tools to ensure that our voice is heard and that we achieve even better results for our members.

The recent adoption by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying of a model law that would increase the educational requirements one must satisfy to become a professional engineer is a major step toward implementing Policy 465 (“Academic Prerequisites for Licensure and Professional Practice”). This will require the licensing laws in 55 U.S. states and territories to be changed. The lobbying effort required to achieve that goal, coupled with ASCE’s continuing efforts to support legislation addressing the nation’s infrastructure needs, would probably exceed the limits that the irs imposes on our lobbying activities.

On behalf of its members, ASCE works to change public policy in a variety of areas:

• Federal investment in the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, including surface transportation and water resources infrastructure;
• The procurement policies of the federal government, including the protection of qualifications-based selection;
• Budgets for federal engineering research and development, which have been flat for 15 years even though the overall federal budget has increased dramatically;
• The need to fund programs to encourage math, science, and engineering education at all precollege grade
  levels.

ASCE has an obligation to take reasonable steps to protect and advance the professional careers of civil engineers and to champion public policy that advances public health and the well-being of society.

If ASCE chooses to follow the recommendations of its task force and establish a parallel 501(c)(6) organization, we would no longer be subject to the limits on lobbying and political involvement that 501(c)(3) status imposes on us. An ASCE PAC, if formed, would enable ASCE members to pool their financial resources and would give civil engineers a higher profile on Capitol Hill. Funds distributed to candidates would be voluntary contributions by individual ASCE members. It would be against federal law to contribute any Society funds, including dues, directly to candidates for federal office. However, funds to operate and administer the PAC would come from our operating budget, of which your dues form a part (which is allowed under the law).

Our board is eager for ASCE members to speak up on this important issue. I know there are varying points of view out there. By taking part in town hall meetings and webinars during the next two months (see schedule below), you will be heard. Participation in these events is free and is open to all ASCE members, although advance registration is required owing to possible space limitations. To register for any of these events please e-mail govwash@asce.org.

Webinars (no cost):
Wednesday, January 24, 1–2 pm (eastern time)
Thursday, February 1, noon–1 pm (eastern time)

Town hall meetings:
Princeton, New Jersey: Thursday, January 25, 4–5:30 pm (eastern time)
Milwaukee: Friday, February 9, 1–2:30 pm (central time)
Bellevue, Washington: Friday, February 23, 1–2:30 pm (Pacific time)

To obtain additional information about this important topic, visit ASCE’s Web site to find a list of frequently asked questions prepared by the Task Force on Political Involvement. The address is www.asce.org/govrel/politicalinvl.cfm, and you will need your member password.

You may also direct questions about ASCE’s public policy or political activities to your board representative or to the government relations department at govwash@asce.org or (202) 789-7850. Of course, you may contact me at
wmarcuson@asce.org to share your views. I always want to hear what is on your mind. Thank you.

—W.F. Marcuson III, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE

SITUATION: In July 1980, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, opened for business, boasting among its design features a multistory atrium with three suspended walkways—a fourth-story walkway spanning directly above a walkway on the second floor, with a third-story walkway offset by a few meters. One year after the opening, the walkways on the second and fourth stories collapsed under the weight of partygoers, killing 114 people in one of the most devastating structural failures in U.S. history in terms of lives lost.

The collapse was traced to failure of the connections between the fourth-story box beams and the hanger rods supporting the second-story and fourth-story walkways. An investigation revealed that the original design sketches had called for the two walkways to be suspended by a single set of hanger rods threaded through the upper walkway box beams and terminating beneath the box beams of the lower walkway. Although that design proved to be in violation of Kansas City’s minimum load requirements, the primary cause of the failure was a change from the original design to a double-rod system, one hanger rod connecting the ceiling to the upper walkway and the other connecting the lower and upper walkways. This change had the effect of doubling the load on the upper walkway connections, resulting in a design capable of withstanding only an estimated 30 percent of the mandated minimum.

The engineer of record attributed the fatal design flaw to a breakdown in communication. He stated that he had assigned supervision of the project to an associate structural engineer, who was not an asce member. As the engineer of record was responsible for roughly 10 associate engineers, each of whom supervised six or seven projects at a time, he acknowledged that he could not personally oversee every aspect of the design. Instead, he entrusted the responsibility to the associate in charge of each project.

The engineer of record further contended that it was common practice in the industry for the structural engineer to leave the design of steel-to-steel connections to the fabricator. The original design provided in the structural drawings was intended only to be conceptual.

When the fabricators found that design to be impracticable, they requested approval of the double-rod system by telephone. The structural engineer verbally approved the change, with the understanding that a written request for the change would be submitted for formal approval. This follow-up request was never honored. In fact, the fabricators had just begun work on the shop drawings when a sudden increase in workload required them to subcontract the work to an outside detailer. That detailer, in turn, mistakenly believed that the double-rod connection on the shop drawings had already been designed and therefore performed no calculations on the connection himself.

The design documents were returned to the engineer of record with a request for expedited approval. He assigned review to a technician on his staff; however, the connections were not detailed on the drawings and the technician did not perform calculations on the connections. The structural engineer performed “spot checks” on portions of the shop drawings, and the engineer of record affixed his seal to the documents. The latter stated that he had not personally checked all calculations and had relied on the work of his project engineer and design team.

QUESTION: Did the engineer of record’s actions in placing his seal on design documents without verifying the soundness of the structural design violate asce’s Code of Ethics?

DECISION: Canon 1 of the Code of Ethics at the time of the walkway collapse read as follows: “Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties.” Category (a) of the guidelines to practice for canon 1 had this to say: “Engineers shall recognize that the lives, safety, health, and welfare of the general public are dependent upon engineering judgments, decisions, and practices incorporated into structures, machines, products, processes, and devices.” Further, category (b) in the guidelines for that canon read as follows: “Engineers shall approve or seal only those design documents, reviewed or prepared by them, which are determined to be safe for public health and welfare in conformity with accepted engineering standards.”

The Committee on Professional Conduct (CPC) was not persuaded by the engineer of record’s argument that each person in the design process was responsible for his or her own part of the work. Finding that the engineer’s seal made him responsible for all elements of the structural design, the CPC held that the member had violated the Code of Ethics, and it voted to recommend to the Board of Direction that he be expelled from the Society. However, the board disagreed as to the extent of the member’s ethics violation, holding that the engineer had been “vicariously responsible” for the tragedy “but not guilty of gross negligence nor of unprofessional conduct.” It voted to suspend the engineer from membership for a period of three years.

Space does not permit a full exposition of the circumstances surrounding the Hyatt Regency collapse. Readers wishing a more thorough treatment of this subject are directed to the following articles:

Gillum, J.D. “The Engineer of Record and Design Responsibility.” Journal of Performance of 
        Constructed Facilities 14, number 2 (2000): 67–70.
Luth, G.P. “Chronology and Context of the Hyatt Regency Collapse.” Journal of Performance of 
        Constructed Facilities 14, number 2 (2000): 51–61.
Moncarz, P.D., and R.K. Taylor. “Engineering Process Failure—Hyatt Walkway Collapse.” 
        Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities 14, number 2 (2000): 46–50.
Pfatteicher, S.K.A. “‘The Hyatt Horror’: Failure and Responsibility in American Engineering.” 
        Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities 14, number 2 (2000): 62–66.

Special thanks are in order to Paul R. Munger, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, for his contributions to this article.

Members who have an ethics question or would like to file a complaint with the CPC may call ASCE’s hotline at (703) 295-6061 or (800) 548-ASCE (2723), extension 6061. The attorneys staffing this line can provide advice on how to handle an ethics issue or file a complaint. Please note that individual facts and circumstances vary from case to case and that the general summary information contained in these case studies is not to be construed as a precedent binding upon the Society.

Such trends as innovative contracting and accelerated construction present challenges and opportunities to the civil engineering profession. In recent years the geotechnical community has been particularly attentive to industry issues affecting the design, construction, and management of local and national infrastructure facilities.

As a way of fostering dialogue, spurring the development of strategies, and promoting initiatives focused on improving the built environment, the Society’s Geo-Institute and the National Council for Geo-Engineering and Construction (Geo Council) hosted a workshop entitled “Trends Affecting the Geo-Community: What Does the Future Hold?” December 6–8 at ASCE’s headquarters, in Reston, Virginia. The gathering was facilitated by Peter H. Smeallie, the Geo Council’s executive director, and it brought together leaders and professionals from industry, academia, and government. The discussions were based on papers authored by geotechnical engineers and other experts that focused on the following: accelerated construction; innovative contracting; asset management; context-sensitive solutions; safety; risk management; cost analysis; research, development, and training; and extreme hazard mitigation.

“We have a real challenge ahead of us,” Jerry A. DiMaggio, P.E., M.ASCE, a senior geotechnical engineer for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWS), remarked at the outset of the workshop. DiMaggio, who in 2002 was named the FHWS’s engineer of the year, has authored various FHWS guidelines and is recognized internationally for his expertise in geotechnical engineering. “Our stovepipe structure is inhibited when we move outside of our respective technical boxes,” he said. “External issues are a difficulty for us. Our structure doesn’t allow us to act as a community. We act as individuals and we act in a very reactive manner, as opposed to being proactive. And so our main charge and challenge is to come up with an action plan that makes sense in the context of the bigger picture and the future of our profession.”

Adopting a comprehensive approach to accelerated construction is essential for performance, cost-effectiveness, and various other factors related to quality and implementation, according to Ted Ferragut, P.E., M.ASCE, the president of TDC Partners, Ltd., a technology firm in Alexandria, Virginia. “Accelerated construction is about teamwork and planning, but most of all it’s about embracing a systems approach,” he observed. “For accelerated construction to work well and be effective, the geotechnical community has to understand and engage in this approach. The pressure of time is one of the biggest challenges facing construction organizations today.” Ferragut, who was formerly the chief of the FHWS’s Office of Technology Applications, also called on the geotechnical community to broaden its perspective so that it can adapt to future project delivery mechanisms, ensure key quality measurements for all products, and apply sustainable practices in using materials at construction sites.

According to Jorge Martinez, P.E., M.ASCE, a construction specialist and the vice president of the Bechtel Infrastructure Corporation, of San Francisco, innovative contracting, especially with regard to long-term projects involving public and private partnerships, requires adaptability and perseverance. Martinez is currently the project manager of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, a $4-billion endeavor to extend the rail system (“Metro”) operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority westward 23 mi (37 km) from Falls Church, Virginia, to Washington Dulles International Airport.

“If you look at the chronology, you notice that there is not one single aspect of the project that has not changed,” Martinez said in reference to the rail project. “Everything has changed. The team has changed. The original plan has evolved from what was a combination of bus, metro, and lane widenings to strictly Metro. [This is] not because the needs weren’t there, but because the needs were being met by other things that were being developed concurrently. Our management has also changed several times. Our risk profile has changed. All of the players have changed.”

In September Virginia’s governor, Tim Kaine (D), decided to proceed with an elevated alignment for an important section of the Metro extension. Kaine had previously asked ASCE to convene and head an independent review panel to determine whether or not it would be feasible to construct a 4.2 mi (6.7 km) tunnel through the highly developed area of northern Virginia known as Tysons Corner. On July 31 the review panel issued a report stating that a tunnel would be a reasonable and cost-effective option, especially in view of the lower maintenance costs of underground tracks. But it also noted that the tunnel alternative would cost approximately $250 million more than the aboveground option and would probably extend the project schedule by 12 months. A major factor in the governor’s decision apparently was the $900 million—almost a quarter of the project’s estimated cost—that the federal government may contribute. This contribution will come only if the project’s overall cost falls within the “cost-effectiveness” parameters that follow from standards based largely on how much travel time a project is expected to save for riders per dollar spent.

“Anyone who enters into a large-scale public and private partnership and can accept changes and trust their own ability to keep a level head throughout the process, I think will reap some tremendous rewards,” added Martinez, who for nearly 30 years has been planning, designing, and constructing major transportation and heavy civil infrastructure projects. “The reward for us is an opportunity to negotiate a major contract on an open book basis. Being that it’s open book, we’re able to negotiate not only the fixed elements of the project—the direct costs—but we’re also able to negotiate the risks. As the developer of the project, we’ve been working with the owner in doing all the things that owners normally do in regard to rights-of-way, utilities, and the whole gamut of financial planning.”

Blaine D. Leonard, P.E., F.ASCE, a senior manager for the Utah Department of Transportation, later presented findings from a discussion group that considered trends related to asset management and its advancement. “Geotechnical engineers and everybody we work with need to recognize that, generally, we don’t design static things,” he said. “We design living things—things that respond to impacts and forces and influences upon them. We design things that age. I think that the general public doesn’t think of an earth dam as something that ages, but it does. We have to recognize this more and get people to understand that these assets require maintenance. We need to identify the consequences of aging and improve our evaluation methods. We’ve got a lot of infrastructure out there that’s getting older and there is a real demand to deal with it now—sometimes by replacement, sometimes by renewal, and sometimes by extension.”

The geotechnical assets that the discussion group considered include earth retention systems, culverts, high-tech foundations, dams, tunnels, landfills, brownfields, erosion protectors, subsurface information, and instrumentation monitoring equipment. “Instrumentation technologies are maturing and will continue to mature to the point that we’ll be able to monitor things in a continuous and real-time basis,” added Leonard. “We have a lot of operational and maintenance people in the industry, but fewer and fewer people who understand how to design things, especially more complex things. We need to figure out how to best understand the value of our assets and incorporate them into databases. We also need to develop inspection cycles and determine what has to happen with each of these assets and how often they should be looked at. For many of these assets, we’ll have to identify remaining life and assess performance.”

At the close of the workshop, ASCE’s president, W.F. Marcuson III, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE—the president of William F. Marcuson III & Associates, Inc., in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the director emeritus of the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Waterways Experiment Station, also in Vicksburg—spoke briefly about the challenges confronting tomorrow’s engineers and thanked participants for their involvement and support. “I think the biggest wolf out there right now is the offshoring of our civil engineering work,” he said. “If we’re ever going to be successful in competing in the globalized world, then we’re going to have to move civil engineering up the food chain. I’ve taken on, as the theme of my watch as president, the task of preparing the civil engineer for the future, and I’m thrilled that this is also a topic of concern at this workshop. The future of civil engineering is important to me. The future of geotechnical engineering is important to me. I thank you for your interest and participation in this very worthy and pressing endeavor.”

The findings of the workshop—especially ideas that arose in the discussion groups—will be incorporated into a document and sent to participants for review and revision. A final report is expected to be available sometime in 2007.

—Mark Fitzgerald

Klotz Named AAWRE Diplomate
The American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) has named D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE, a diplomate. To be certified as a diplomate, an individual must have at least 10 years of professional experience, demonstrate superior expertise in wa-ter resources engineering, and manifest a commitment to ethical principles and continuing professional development. Klotz, a 32-year practitioner of engineering services, is the president of Klotz Associates, Inc., an engineering consulting firm headquartered in Houston that provides transportation, land development, traffic, water, sewer, aviation, and drainage services. Klotz received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University in 1974 and a master’s degree, also in civil engineering, from the University of Houston in 1976. Founded in 2004 by asce’s Environmental and Water Resources Institute, the AAWRE is dedicated to advancing the profession of water resources engineering by improving practices and raising standards. Since its establishment, 219 individuals have met the requirements for diplomate status.

Husband and Wife Are Named Honorary Members
Leslie E. Robertson, P.E., Hon.M.ASCE, and his wife, SawTeen See, P.E., Hon.M.ASCE, are the first married couple in asce’s history to be inducted as honorary members. Robertson, who became an honorary member in October, and See, who was named an honorary member in 2004, work together at Leslie E. Robertson Associates, R.L.L.P., an engineering firm in New York City. Together they have been involved in the creation of major buildings and structures around the world, including the Suzhou Museum, in Suzhou, China; the Miho Museum and Bridge, in Shigaraki, Japan; the Bank of China Tower, in Hong Kong, and the Sheikh Zayed Center, in Lahore, Pakistan. The two are also working on the Shanghai World Financial Center, which is now under construction and is expected to reach a height of 1,614 ft (492 m). Robertson, who founded the firm, is a leader in structural engineering practice. He and his business partner at the time, John Skilling, were the structural engineers for the World Trade Center’s twin towers. He is currently a visiting lecturer at Princeton University and also serves on advisory panels for the University of California at Berkeley, Pennsylvania State University, and Columbia University. See, who is the firm’s managing partner, was the partner in charge and the project director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, in Cleveland, and the expansion of the Baltimore Convention Center, which earned an award from the American Consulting Engineers Council. She also played leading roles in such projects as the National Constitution Center, in Philadelphia; the aig Tower (and footbridge), in Hong Kong; the San Jose Convention Center, in California; the Neiman Marcus store in San Francisco; and the Seattle Art Museum.

Leal Named Mexico City’s Secretary of Public Works
Jorge Arganis Díaz Leal, P.E., M.ASCE, has been named Mexico City’s secretary of public works. Leal began his career in 1963 at Mexico’s Secretaría de Obras Públicas and later worked as a resident engineer at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and as a technical consultant to Petróleos Mexicanos, the state petroleum company. From 1977 to 1997 he was with Grupo ICA, an engineering firm in Mexico City, and from 1998 to 2002 he worked for the government of Mexico City as the general manager of an asphalt plant. The president of ASCE's Mexico Section, Leal has also served as the secretary, vice president, and president of the Colegio de Ingenieros Civiles de México and has represented Mexico in the Ibero-American Federation of Civil Engineering and Construction. He is currently the chair of a committee dealing with ethics and professionalism within the North American Alliance for Civil Engineering.

Okun Honored at Water Conference in Beijing
At the IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition, held this past September in Beijing, the International Water Association (IWA) formally recognized Daniel A. Okun, Sc.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE, for his outstanding achievements as a water engineer and scientist. A pioneer in integrated water management and a leader in water reclamation practices, Okun has dedicated his career to exploring the various relationships between water supply and wastewater disposal. He has headed the environmental sciences and engineering department at the University of North Carolina, and the university has established a professorship in environmental engineering in his name. Currently the Kenan Professor of Environmental Engineering (emeritus) at the university, Okun received a lifetime achievement award from asce’s Environmental and Water Resources Institute last year.

Fellows Elected
The following members were elected fellows of the Society in recent months. ASCE fellows are legally registered professional engineers or land surveyors who have made significant technical or professional contributions and have demonstrated notable achievement in responsible charge of engineering activity for at least 10 years following election to the ASCE grade of member. Fellows occupy the Society’s second-highest membership grade, exceeded only by honorary members.

Alan F. Blumberg, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, is a nationally and internationally recognized authority in the field of environmental hydrodynamics. He uses numerical models to predict currents and the distributions of water constituents in rivers, estuaries, and the coastal reaches of the world’s oceans. Blumberg was one of the developers of the Princeton Ocean Model, a standard in the modeling community that now has a worldwide user group that exceeds 3,000, and he has received significant and sustained levels of support for both fundamental and applied studies. In 2001 asce recognized his research with its Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Prize. Blumberg has nearly 200 scientific publications to his credit, including three books, 90 papers in scientific journals, and more than 100 technical reports, and he has made 125 professional presentations. As an educator he has taught basic civil engineering courses to undergraduates and has guided the research of doctoral students.

Michael E. Mulvihill, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, has been a professor of civil engineering at Loyola Marymount University for the past 40 years. After earning an undergraduate degree there and a graduate degree in civil engineering from the University of Southern California, Mulvihill ob-tained a doctorate in water resource systems from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is also a registered professional engineer in the state of California. As part of his service to Loyola Marymount and the civil engineering community, Mulvihill has taught courses ranging from freshman level to graduate level, and he served as chair of the university’s civil engineering and environmental science department for 14 years. He has been extremely active within asce and has been a member for more than 40 years. Mulvihill has served as the academic adviser to all freshmen engineers and as the faculty adviser to the asce student chapter for 25 years. On the national level, he has served on and chaired committees dealing with educational activities and Society publications. Mulvihill has also worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for more than 30 years on the hydraulic design of flood control systems.

D. Matthew Stuart, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE, is a licensed professional engineer in 14 states and a licensed structural engineer in 4 states. He has served as project engineer, project manager, structural department head, and engineer of record on a wide variety of commercial, manufacturing, and industrial facilities throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and South America. Stuart has been responsible for the design, coordination, administration, and management of the structural engineering for a diverse range of projects, and his experience also includes the renovation and preservation of many different types of buildings and structures. Within asce he serves on the Business Practices Committee, part of the Structural Engineering Institute’s Business and Professional Activities Division. His publications include articles in Modern Steel Construction, Structural Engineer, and ASCE's Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction.
 
Houssam A. Toutanji, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University and obtained a doctorate, also in civil engineering, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Toutanji is currently a professor in the civil and environmental engineering department at the University of Alabama at Huntsville, and his research has led to contributions in the areas of supplementary cementitious materials, advanced composite materials, and reinforced-concrete structures. The National Science Foundation has twice recognized his work with awards, once through its Faculty Early Career Development Program and again through its Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. A registered professional engineer in Alabama, Toutanji has contributed to a number of asce publications as an author, associate editor, or reviewer. He has authored or coauthored more than 50 journal publications and has nearly 70 conference proceedings papers to his credit. Under his leadership, the asce chapter at the University of Alabama at Huntsville has won the Society’s National Concrete Canoe Competition five times.

Nasim Uddin, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, earned a bachelor’s degree from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma at Norman, and a doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo. An associate professor of structural engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Uddin led the effort to establish a U.S. consortium on natural hazards, and he organized the first international workshop in Bangladesh on construction for mitigating the damage from windstorms and storm surges to be funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). He has also been active in nsf research projects for the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Federal Highway Administration. A licensed professional engineer in the state of New York with more than 80 technical publications to his credit, Uddin serves as secretary on the Executive Committee of asce’s Council on Disaster Risk Management.

Reginald Irenee Vachon, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s in nuclear science, a doctorate in engineering, and a bachelor of laws degree. A former president of asme International, Vachon is a registered professional engineer in six states and is also licensed to practice law. Moreover, he is licensed as a European engineer and is a licensed engineer in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Singapore. A retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, his experience includes holding an endowed chair in mechanical engineering. Vachon has several hundred technical papers to his credit and holds a number of patents. He has more than 42 years of experience in project management, administration, engineering, design, construction, manufacturing, and education. The founder and chairman of Direct Measurements, Inc., he has extensive experience as a chief executive officer with start-up companies and turnarounds. In 2004 he was served on an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics committee that developed a standard for structures, structural components, and structural assemblies for space systems. He has also served on the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Advisory Committee. Vachon has overseen projects dealing with the design and integration of energy systems and has managed multidisciplinary teams in this country and around the world.

Woodward L. “Woody” Vogt, P.E., F.ASCE, holds an undergraduate degree in engineering mechanics and a master’s degree in structural engineering and soil mechanics from the Georgia Institute of Technology. A licensed professional engineer in Texas and Louisiana, Vogt has nearly 40 years of engineering experience and has worked to promote advances in geotechnical and materials technology in Houston and the Gulf Coast region. He championed the use of fly ash in concrete in the 1980s and did the same for silica fume in the 1990s. More recently he has focused on combining lime and fly ash for soil stabilization. He helped to develop the test procedure and specifications for the sand used by the City of Houston for cement stabilization. Vogt has also promoted the use of ground-penetrating radar, radiography, and ultrasonics in evaluating concrete curing. He has authored or coauthored more than 20 technical publications and has served for many years on the American Concrete Institute committee dealing with inspection, quality assurance, and certification. Vogt is currently the president of Paradigm Consultants, Inc., of Houston, a firm that focuses on materials science and the mechanics of soils, rock, and construction materials.

Ralph A. Wurbs, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE, received a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Texas A&M University in 1971, a master of science in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1974, and a doctorate in civil engineering from Colorado State University in 1978. During his undergraduate years he participated in the work-study program and worked for the Texas Highway Department (now the Texas Department of Transportation) as a surveyor and construction inspector. Today he is a professor at Texas A&M, where he heads the civil engineering department’s environmental and water resources engineering division and is a faculty member of the interdepartmental graduate program in water management and hydrologic science. Wurbs is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas and has more than 110 technical publications to his credit, including three books that are required texts in Texas A&M’s civil engineering curriculum. In 2000 the engineering honor society Chi Epsilon honored him with a national award for teaching excellence. Before joining the faculty at Texas A&M, Wurbs worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and he continues his association with that group through research sponsored by its Fort Worth district and its Engineer Research and Development Center, Hydrologic Engineering Center, and Institute for Water Resources.

Fellow applications may be obtained from ASCE’s world headquarters, in Reston, Virginia, by calling (800) 548-2723 or, from outside the country, (703) 295-6300 or by e-mailing memapp@asce.org. Applications for fellow status are also available in PDF format at www.asce.org/membership/fellowgrade.cfm. Applicants using the PDF format must request reference forms and return envelopes from ASCE through one of the contact points listed above. Completed applications are considered at the monthly meetings of the Society’s Membership Application Review Committee (MARC), which elects qualified candidates to the fellow grade. Questions regarding the fellow guidelines or application process (including waiver of guideline inquiries) should be directed to Curtis Nunley, the staff liaison to the MARC, at one of the contact points above.

Ben C. Gerwick, Jr., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE, died on December 25 at the age of 87. Gerwick was the chairman of Ben C. Gerwick, Inc., Consulting Engineers and a professor emeritus of civil engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. During his career he served as a consultant on major prestressed-concrete bridges in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. He participated in the construction of such projects as California’s Richmond–San Rafael Bridge and San Mateo–Hayward Bridge and the Ninian Central Platform, in the North Sea. He also helped to develop other platforms in the North Sea, among them the Ardjuna Sakti, which is used for cryogenic gas storage. He worked on the first long-span cantilever segmental bridge in the United States, and his work on offshore platforms led to the extension of prestressed concrete to offshore structures in the Arctic, structures capable of resisting the forces imposed by sea ice and icebergs. Gerwick was the recipient of many honors and awards, including the International Federation for Prestressing’s Freyssinet Medal, the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s Medal of Honor, and the Deep Foundations Institute’s Distinguished Service Award. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1973, and in 2001 asce recognized his lifetime achievements in construction with an award conferred as part of its Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) program.

Ward W. Martin, P.E., M.ASCE, died on December 26 at the age of 76. As a field engineer for the Indiana district of the Portland Cement Association, Martin sought to promote the use of concrete and concrete products. He also worked for the Hydraulic Press Brick Company, in Brooklyn, Indiana, assisting customers in mix design and production and expanding the use of lightweight aggregate. He retired in 1997 after spending 20 years as a sales engineer in Hammond, Indiana, for Calumet Flexicore Corporation. Martin was active within ASCE’s Indiana Section, serving as its president and secretary and representing it in District 9. He also edited the section’s newsletter and served as its webmaster, in both capacities helping the group garner ASCE awards.

Thomas L. Cook, P.E., S.E., M.ASCE, died on October 12 at the age of 81. Cook served as a bomber navigator in the Army Air Corps during World War II and afterwards obtained a degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas. He became a licensed structural engineer in 1961 and later served as president of the San Diego chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of California. As a partner of the firm Ruskin and Cook, Structural Engineers, Cook worked on a number of important civic structures in the San Diego area. He later joined Ferver Engineering Company, where as a vice president he handled the firm’s architectural business and turned his talents to marine facilities. The projects to which he contributed at Ferver included Scripps Pier, in La Jolla, California, and the nursing and rehabilitation wings of the Sharp Grossmont Hospital, in La Mesa,
California.

ASCE’s Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) hosted the course Building Design for Homeland Security at the Society’s headquarters, in Reston, Virginia, November 13–15. Developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the three-day program brought together professionals from industry, academia, and government who have an interest in making buildings safer and more resilient. The topics addressed included assessments of threats, hazards, and vulnerabilities; combatting chemical, biological, and radiological hazards; dealing with explosive blasts; and using databases and electronic security systems to best advantage. Case studies helped to illustrate key points.

The three instructors—Michael Kaminskas, P.E., M.ASCE, Eric Letvin, P.E., CFM, and Wes Lyons—are the principal authors of FEMA’s Reference Manual to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks against Buildings (FEMA 426) and Risk Assessment: A How-To Guide to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks (FEMA 452), both seminal resources in that agency’s series of publications dealing with risk management. Robert Chapman, Ph.D., the guest speaker, summarized the study he undertook at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of protecting capital assets.

“The culminating segment of the course was a series of presentations by each of the groups of their assessment of the security of the case study building and of their prioritized recommendations for enhancing its security,” reports Amar Chaker, Ph.D, P.E., M.ASCE, who is the director of the AEI and helped facilitate the program. “Each presentation,” he notes, “was followed by a series of questions from the instructors aimed at highlighting the rationale for the recommendations and validating them. Participants also had the opportunity to see and touch samples of low-strength concrete used in the construction of collapsible sidewalks.”

The materials used for the course included FEMA 426, FEMA 452, the publication Design Guidance for Shelters and Safe Rooms (FEMA 453), and CD-roms containing risk management databases. According to Chaker, the pace of the course flowed smoothly as lectures alternated with student activities. “The mode of instruction allowed the participants to get a better grasp of the concepts presented in the lectures by applying them to the case study,” he observes. “The exchanges among students in groups enriched and expanded their understanding and were essential to the formation of the kind of multidisciplinary team required to perform risk assessments and security evaluations.”

The course provided 21 professional development hours as well as 21 continuing education units as defined by the American Institute of Architects. Evaluations of the program by the participants were decidedly positive.

Outgoing House Member Named an Honorary Fellow
On December 14 ASCE held a reception at its office in Washington, D.C., for Congresswoman Sue Kelly (R), who represented New York’s 19th District. As part of the event, ASCE named Kelly an honorary fellow and presented her with a plaque commending her “commitment to repairing America’s aging infrastructure and leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives through the sponsorship of the Clean Water Infrastructure Financing Act and the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act and support for Qualifications-Based Selection.”

During her time in Congress Kelly championed federal investment in infrastructure, particularly aspects dealing with water and transportation, and she worked closely with ASCE on various issues concerning infrastructure improvement. Kelly and Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-California) introduced the Clean Water Infrastructure Financing Act of 2005 (H.R. 2684), legislation that, if enacted, would have authorized $25 billion in federal aid to sewage treatment plants nationwide through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. (Monies used by local governments for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities are repaid to states to create a “revolving” source of assistance for other communities.)

Kelly also sponsored the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2005 (H.R. 1105), a bill that was passed by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure this past September. The legislation will provide up to $350 million over four years to address deficiencies in the nation’s publicly owned nonfederal dams. Major features of the bill include the establishment of a program within the Federal Emergency Management Agency for rehabilitating and repairing dams; enactment of a public fund to award grants to correct deficiencies in publicly owned dams at the state and local levels; and authorization of appropriation levels that will help rehabilitate publicly owned nonfederal dams. ASCE assigned dams a grade of D in its 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, and since then there have been modest gains in improving the quality of the more than 3,500 dams in the nation that have been deemed unsafe. Experts estimate that more than $10 billion will be needed over the next 11 years to correct deficiencies in dams whose failure would pose a direct threat to human life.

Kelly has also been a steadfast advocate of qualifications-based selection (QBS), an approach enshrined in the Brooks Act (P.L. 92-582), which establishes the procurement process to be followed when architects and engineers are selected for design contracts with federal design and construction agencies. Enacted in 1972, the law specifies that contracts are to be let on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualification for the type of professional services required at a fair and reasonable price. Through its Policy 304 (“Qualifications Based Selection of Professional Engineers”), ASCE has expressed its strong support for qbs. On November 14 Judge T.S. Ellis III of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled in favor of ASCE and its fellow plaintiffs in a suit aimed at forcing the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council to amend its regulations so as to adhere to the Brooks Act when letting contracts for architectural and engineering services for the federal government. The ruling rejected the U.S. government’s preliminary motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that ASCE and its fellow plaintiffs lacked proper standing to file it. The court also set a date, February 2, for a hearing on dispositive motions. ASCE, along with the Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors, the Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services, and the National Society of Professional Engineers, filed suit in June 2006. The victory was the first step in a legal process aimed at ensuring that the federal government amends its practice.

W.F. Marcuson III, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.m.ASCE, the Society’s president, remarked during the reception that ASCE and all those concerned with the nation’s infrastructure would truly miss Kelly’s voice and leadership in Congress. Kelly lost her seat to John Hall (D) in the elections in November. She is the 24th person that ASCE has recognized as an honorary fellow.

Lea Program to Cover Shipping Costs of Donations
In recent years ASCE has been coordinating an effort to gather donated technical publications and ship them abroad to developing countries. Last year the Society sent more than 10,000 publications and other texts related to civil engineering from its archives to Iraq. Although ASCE members and others have been more than willing to contribute technical materials, the shipping expenses have limited the effort.

“A program focused on offsetting the costs of shipping technical materials would be a real help to these efforts,” explains Michael R. Sanio, M.ASCE, who as the Society’s director of international alliances has been coordinating the logistics of transporting the donated materials. “Modest funds to offset shipping costs would go a long way in ensuring that more donations are accepted and delivered to countries in need.”

Now, thanks to the Robert B. Lea Fund, which was established in 1969 to support the Society’s international activities, ASCE has secured enough funds to cover the cost of shipping donated technical materials overseas. The Lea Donations Program, which is being administered by ASCE’s International Activities Committee, aims to assist countries in enhancing their technical capabilities by supplying literature to schools, organizations, teachers, and students.

“The technical literature that I have gathered covers a broad range of topics,” Naveen Krishnamurthy, A.M.ASCE, a member of the Engineers Forum on Sustainability (sponsored by ASCE, the American Society for Engineering Education, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers) and an employee of Metcalf & Eddy, Inc., an engineering firm headquartered in Massachusetts, noted in a September 13 e-mail. Krishnamurthy is coordinating a contribution of technical materials that Metcalf & Eddy agreed to provide to ASCE’s donations program. “The literature covers civil engineering, mechanical engineering, pumps, water and wastewater treatment, pipeline technologies, disease treatment, chemical engineering, water reuse, [and] desalination,” added Krishnamurthy. “I think these materials will be of great benefit to our fellow engineers and other professionals.”

Those wishing to contribute technical materials to the Lea Donations Program or to obtain additional information should contact Sanio at (703) 295-6116 or msanio@asce.org.

Southwest Washington Branch Conducts Ethics Seminar
On November 16 the Oregon Section’s Southwest Washington Branch conducted an all-day ethics seminar that brought together more than 60 engineering professionals, including ASCE members from Washington and Oregon and members of the Society of American Military Engineers. The seminar—which featured presentations by the executive directors and board members of Washington’s Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors and the Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying—addressed such issues as stamping design plans, resolving conflicts of interest, handling difficult supervisors, and defending technical and public safety issues in the face of management and business pressures.

“It was a fun and enlightening day for all involved,” reports Thomas W. Smith III, M.ASCE, who as ASCE’s assistant executive director and general counsel facilitated a segment of the seminar based on the film Incident at Morales, produced by the National Institute for Engineering Ethics. “Attendees acted out a variety of ethics scenarios and then met in breakout sessions to evaluate and debate the appropriate ethical response.”

During a ceremony facilitated by Stacy Frost, A.M.ASCE, the Oregon Section’s president, and Kristina Swallow, P.E., M.ASCE, the governor of Region 8, a total of 15 members were inducted into the Order of the Engineer. (Those entering the Order of the Engineer accept certain obligations through an oath [Obligation of an Engineer] similar in spirit to the Hippocratic oath. The oath draws on the ethical guidelines of major engineering societies, and the initiates pledge to uphold the standards and dignity of the engineering profession and to serve humanity.)
Attendees earned 7.5 professional development hours and were offered guidance on accessing and using various resources pertaining to ethical and legal issues.

On December 14 the Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s Water Infrastructure Security Enhancements Standards Committee, or wise committee, which includes representatives from the American Water Works Association (awwa) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF), released two documents designed to form the basis of new standards: “Guidelines for the Physical Security of Water Utilities” and “Guidelines for the Physical Security of Wastewater/Stormwater Utilities.”

The documents provide drinking water, wastewater, and storm-water utilities with practical information on implementing better security measures at new and existing facilities. They also address risks from the construction and design perspectives and describe approaches for detecting and thwarting actions by malevolent parties. “These risk reduction standards for water, wastewater, and storm-water systems are an essential part of protecting our nation’s infrastructure from potential terrorist threats and allowing it to continue supporting our economy and public health,” Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE, the Society’s executive director, said recently.

Deterrence, detection, delay, and response are essential elements of a security system, according to the application section of both documents. “Security measures such as lighting, the presence of closed-circuit television, a clearly visible facility with no visual obstructions, or people in the area may deter an adversary from attacking a facility,” that section states. Moreover, it points out that “an effective detection system should include electronic features such as sensors as well as cameras or visual observation for assessment of alarm validity. Depending on the types of sensors, a detection system may include lighting systems, motion detectors, monitoring cameras, access control equipment, or other devices.” Attention is also given in that section to the efficacy of physical barriers: “Delay features consist primarily of physical hardening devices often employed in multiple layers to provide protection in depth.” An appropriate response to threats, the section continues, includes “actions taken to interrupt the adversary’s task. Utility staff, the utility’s security response force, or law enforcement may carry out the response with the appropriate responder dependent on the threat and policy of the utility. The capabilities of the responders to a security event, including number, authority, and weaponry, should be greater than the capabilities of the perceived threat to the facility.”

The document “Guidelines for the Physical Security of Water Utilities” deals with raw water facilities, wells, pumping stations, water treatment plants, water storage facilities, distribution systems, and support facilities. For water treatment plants, it recommends that security approaches be “based on protection-in-depth principles, where multiple layers of security measures are employed around the critical assets to detect and delay the adversary. An example would be the security system for protecting a chlorine gas disinfection system from an enhanced saboteur threat. This system might include a second fence within the confines of the perimeter fence surrounding only the chlorine storage and feed building and enclosing a minimum 100 foot (30 meter), well-lighted clear zone between the second fence and storage facility. The fence system could include intrusion de-t-ection, vehicle crash barriers, and access-controlled gates with limited authorization rights. The disinfection building may be constructed of blast-resistant materials and include blast-resistant and access-controlled personnel and vehicle doors. A gas-scrubber system with the capacity to neutralize multiple containers of the hazardous gas should be considered. Closed-circuit television cameras could be used to assess the threat of intruders and monitor authorized personnel activities.”

The document “Guidelines for the Physical Security of Wastewater/Stormwater Utilities” concerns itself with collection systems, pumping stations, wastewater treatment plants, and support facilities. Protecting pumping stations is likely to involve “equipment or systems to deter, detect, delay, and respond to a threat prior to an adversary achieving its objective or mitigation of the consequences of a successful attack by the threat,” the guidelines state. The document points out that while “larger pumping stations may be routinely staffed on a continuous or part-time basis, more frequently operations and maintenance staff only visit these facilities periodically to perform maintenance activities or to respond to failure alarms. Although typically isolated from the general public, these facilities can be located in residential, parklike settings or in the midst of denser populated urban areas. Due to safety concerns, the public generally has no direct access.”

According to recent statistics compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), approximately 170,000 systems provide drinking water in this country. “In today’s world, it’s critical that we think about the long-term security of our water systems during design and construction,” Jack W. Hoffbuhr, p.e., dee, the awwa’s executive director, said in a recent press release. “These guidelines will help utilities ensure that security is an integral part of their overall approach to treating, storing, and delivering safe water.”

The nation’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure systems each received a grade of D– in ASCE’s 2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. Although the U.S. faces a shortfall of $11 billion annually in the amount that would be needed to replace aging facilities and comply with drinking water regulations, federal funding for drinking water remains at less than 10 percent of the total national requirement, that report noted. According to the EPA, the nation will have to invest $390 billion over the next 20 years to replace existing systems and build new ones to meet increasing demand.

“The Water Environment Federation is pleased to partner with organizations like awwa and ASCE,” Bill Bertera, the WEF’s executive director, said in a recent press release. “Incorporating WEF’s technical expertise in wastewater into the development of its standards jointly serves the professionals who design and operate water infrastructure.”

Based in Alexandria, Virginia, the WEF is an interdisciplinary technical and educational organization focused on preserving and enhancing the global water environment. The awwa, headquartered in Denver, is an international scientific and educational society dedicated to improving drinking water quality and supply. ASCE has been working with both of these organizations to further refine and develop the documents released on December 14, which will be subject to public comment and trial use until June 30, 2007. Based on emerging technologies and methods and reflecting the development processes outlined by the American National Standards Institute, these standards are expected to embody the latest thinking by the nation’s infrastructure security experts. They represent the third phase of a water security initiative (organized in June 2002 by ASCE’s Environmental and Water Resources Institute and funded with a grant from the EPA) aimed at bolstering the safety of water, wastewater, and storm-water systems.

The first phase, which was completed in 2004, outlined a consensus process for security standards and provided a foundation for the second phase, which entailed three comprehensive training programs—Interim Voluntary Security Guidance for Water Utilities Training Module, developed by the awwa; Interim Voluntary Security Guidance for Wastewater/Stormwater Utilities Training Module, developed by the WEF; and Interim Voluntary Guidelines for Designing an Online Contaminant Monitoring System Training Module, developed by ASCE. These programs, which were implemented in 2005, come with guides for instructors, material designed for presentation via Microsoft PowerPoint, and quizzes and exams. Both flexible and thorough, they were developed for public officials and operation and management personnel possessing varying levels of expertise.

To access the guidelines, visit www.asce.org and click on the links beneath the heading “Protecting the Nation’s Water Supply from Attack.” Additional information may be obtained by e-mailing the wise committee at wise@asce.org.

—Mark Fitzgerald

The governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, last month appointed Thomas L. Jackson, P.E., F.ASCE, and Larry A. McKee, P.E., F.ASCE, two distinguished civil engineers from the New Orleans region, to the board of commissioners of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority–East (SLFPA–East), the regional levee board that will oversee flood protection measures on the Mississippi’s east bank. The slfpa-East, which began operations on January 1, arose from a constitutional amendment calling for the consolidation of the levee boards of various parishes between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

The amendment, which was approved by voters in Louisiana in September and became law last month, creates two regional levee boards—the slfpa–East and the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority–West (slfpa–West). Nominating committees are to make recommendations to the governor, and those chosen by the governor are to be confirmed by the state senate. Separated by the Mississippi, the levee boards will oversee flood protection measures on the two sides of the river.

“It is significant that we enter the new year with levee reform in place,” said Blanco in a December 31 press release. “Louisiana’s voters overwhelmingly supported my request to take the politics out of flood protection. There will be no distractions from this work. The new professional boards will focus exclusively on the safety of our homes and communities. That’s true progress, that’s true reform.”

Jackson, who served as ASCE’s president in 2003, is a consulting transportation engineer and a retired senior vice president  and chief engineer of dmjm Harris, an engineering firm headquartered in New York City. He has also held a variety of other offices within ASCE, serving as national director, treasurer, and vice president and chairing the task committee set up to oversee the relocation of the Society’s headquarters from New York City to Reston, Virginia. Jackson has also been active in the Red Cross, the Louisiana Engineering Advancement Program for Minorities, and the Society of Tulane Engineers.

McKee is the principal and founder of L. Abraham McKee, Engineers and Con-tractors, Inc., an engineering firm in Baton Rouge. With extensive experience in project finance and long-range utility development, he is a consultant to municipalities, state agencies, and other engineering firms. He has long been active within ASCE and has played important roles in ensuring the success and advancement of the Louisiana Section.

The SLFPA-East will eventually consist of 11 members (10 having been named at press time), all of them appointed by the governor. Although Blanco is prepared to name members to the slfpa–West, questions relating to residency requirements have prompted her to first seek an opinion from the state’s attorney general.

“We have come so far in reforming our levee boards,” added Blanco. “I want to be absolutely certain this new board will meet the high standards our people have demanded. In the meantime, the western levee district and staff are in place and will continue operating. I hope to have this matter cleared up as quickly as possible so these professional boards can begin their work of protecting our communities.”

—Mark Fitzgerald

According to an industry forecast reported by the American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. (AISC)—an association headquartered in Chicago that serves the structural steel design community and construction industry—U.S. demand for structural steel will again be strong this year. A surge in the construction of such structures as power plants, petrochemical and ethanol facilities, processing facilities, and roofless stadia—projects that traditionally are not included in square footage statistics for national buildings—will be a leading factor in the growth of demand, industry reports indicate.

“Historically, steel as a percent of market share has been around the fifty percent range,” explains Roger E. Ferch, P.E., M.ASCE, the AISC’s president. “That number is based on the percent of square footage for commercial buildings and residential buildings that are four stories or higher. The second-closest structural material to steel is concrete, and that tends to fall in the twenty-five to thirty percent bracket. Nowadays you see a lot of projects in a variety of different things. Some of the high-rises start with a concrete podium and then switch over to steel going up. On others you see the core in concrete but all the rest of the framing in steel. Some are still done in pure steel, some in pure concrete. There is significant work going on right now with power plants and other processing plants, and these kinds of structures are predominantly designed in steel, which, of course, has contributed to the demand side of things.”

On the supply side, the AISC estimates that the domestic production capacity for structural steel will increase by 10 percent this year as a result of mill expansions currently in progress. Although the quantity of steel at service centers has increased significantly, inventory measured in months of supply has remained level as a result of increased orders from fabricators. However, inventories of steel appear to be catching up to demand, and surveys of service centers indicate a return to more traditional order levels. “From a materials pricing standpoint, the industry took a significant hit in 2004,” Ferch notes. “Raw material just soared, so much so that construction at the mill was about seventy-five percent more than it was in 2003. We still maintained market share and weathered it through, but that was a significant development. Now it seems as though we’re using just about every piece of structural steel that can be produced at the mill.”

Industrial and warehouse projects, parking enhancements, development at schools and universities, and public-sector projects will fuel the demand for structural steel this year, according to industry forecasts. Moreover, industry experts expect a continuation of the trend in recent years toward greater use of structural steel on projects of every description and continued growth in total construction volume. Indeed, some projections are as high as the 1.94 billion sq ft (180.2 million m²) mark that was achieved in 2000.

The AISC anticipates a growth in tonnage demand for structural steel of 2 percent this year, and according to Ferch, members of the structural steel industry involved in the supply chain have been working diligently to ensure that supply continues to meet the expanding needs of construction. “We’ve held our own through a major price increase,” he adds. “We’ve held our own through some relatively tight supplies that are driven not by lack of production but rather by an increase in demand, and we’ve proven that we’re able to manage the situation and keep moving forward.”