ARCADIS executive VP elected to WERF, WRRF board of directors

Dec. 16, 2014
ARCADIS North America has announced that Doug Owen, executive VP and chief technical officer of the company's water division, will serve on the boards of the WateReuse Research Foundation and the Water Environment Research Foundation.

HIGHLANDS RANCH, CO, Dec. 16, 2014 -- ARCADIS North America, a global natural and built asset design and consultancy firm, has officially announced that Doug Owen, executive vice president and chief technical officer of the company's water division, will serve on the boards of two influential water research organizations: the WateReuse Research Foundation (WRRF) and the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF).

Owen has been elected to a two-year term as chair of the board of directors of WRRF, an educational, nonprofit, public benefit corporation that serves as a centralized organization for the water and wastewater community to advance the science of water reuse, recycling, reclamation, and desalination.

WRRF's research covers a broad spectrum of issues, including chemical contaminants, microbiological agents, treatment technologies, salinity management, public perception, and economics. Most recently, it has undertaken an ambitious research program to answer key questions that will enable a regulatory construct for direct potable reuse.

In addition, Owen has also been elected to the board of directors of WERF for a three-year term, starting in January 2015. WERF, formed in 1989, is America's leading independent scientific research organization dedicated to wastewater and stormwater issues. The board has sole authority for all of WERF's research activities, including awarding research contracts and providing policy and funding direction.

"Given the rapid changes in these fields of research, the missions of these two organizations increasingly overlap," Owen said. "As the two organizations seek to develop more opportunities for cooperation and collaboration, I hope to leverage my experience in water and environmental management -- and with this community -- to help both WRRF and WERF achieve their goals."

For the past six years, Owen served on WERF's selection committee for the Paul L. Busch Award, recognizing the outstanding individuals whose ongoing efforts contribute significantly to water quality research and its practical application in the environment (see "Innovative water quality research encouraged by WERF award"). He also had the honor to present the Award this year at the 25th annual WERF Subscriber Luncheon and Award Presentation at the 2014 WEFTEC conference.

In his role at ARCADIS, Owen is also responsible for its sustainability approach, integrating sustainable practices into client services and evaluating adaptation strategies for climate change. He currently serves on the board of the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at Harvard and has contributed to the water elements in the Envision® sustainable rating system.

Prior to 2007, Owen served as managing director of ARCADIS's business unit, providing drinking water, wastewater and water resources services to municipal clients. He has led applied research projects on advanced technologies, consulted with utilities on treatment and facility planning for over 6 billion gallons per day of treatment capacity throughout the U.S., and has provided technical and facilitation support to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and American Water Works Association (AWWA) on a range of policy issues.

Owen is also a board member for the UNC School of Public Health Foundation and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. He has served on EPA's National Drinking Water Advisory Council as the chair of the Editorial Advisory Board for Journal American Water Works Association; as a trustee for AWWA's Water Science and Research Division; and on advisory boards for the universities of Texas, New Hampshire and Columbia. He has published widely on water treatment and planning topics in books, peer-reviewed journals and at national and international conferences.

See also:

"WRRF selects CA American Water test slant well for national research project"

"WERF awards UC Berkeley, Stanford University contract to study nutrient removal from urban runoff"


About ARCADIS

ARCADIS is a global natural and built asset design & consultancy firm working in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomes through the application of design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services. ARCADIS differentiates through its talented and passionate people and its unique combination of capabilities covering the whole asset life cycle, its deep market sector insights and its ability to integrate health & safety and sustainability into the design and delivery of solutions across the globe. For more information, visit www.arcadis-us.com.

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