The American Council of Engineering Cos. of Colorado recently presented its 2016 Young Professional of the Year Award to Anna Campbell, a water resources engineer at Wright Water Engineers Inc. in Denver.

The honor recognizes outstanding talents, skills and abilities in the next generation of engineering leaders, age 30 or younger, who have shown leadership on projects that significantly impact public welfare or enhance professional development and growth.

Campbell initially worked with Wright Water Engineers on a contract basis, analyzing water-quality issues on lawsuit projects because of her modeling abilities and broad background in water quality, floodplains, hydrology, wetlands and fluid dynamics.

After joining the firm full time, she became an important contributor to a 10-month investigation of stormwater discharges from a Hawaii landfill during two large storms. The U.S. Dept. of Justice originally alleged that 13 felonies had been committed, including conspiracy and multiple violations of the Clean Water Act.

Campbell was responsible for research and analysis on National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting; construction practices and scheduling; stormwater management practices, including best management practices; protection of public health, safety and welfare; municipal bio-solid characteristics; and water-quality data interpretation.

Her efforts and those of the team resulted in an advantageous settlement for the firm’s client. The charges were reduced to two misdemeanors.
Campbell earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.  

“As a business owner, I am impressed with the caliber of the young professionals working in our industry,” said Marvinetta Hartwig, ACEC Colorado president. “Their talent, vision and true passion for engineering will evolve our industry as they develop solutions to address the complex challenges ahead. Anna Campbell is an exemplary example of the young engineers who are making an impact now and represent the future of our industry. We commend her on her contributions and wish her continued success.”