GEI Receives Merit Award in ACEC Colorado 2015 Engineering Excellence Awards Competition

DENVER, Co.—January 22, 2015— GEI Consultants, Inc., one of the nation’s leading geotechnical, environmental, water resources, and ecological science and engineering firms, announced today that the Colorado chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC Colorado) presented GEI with a Merit Award for the Republican River Compact Compliance Pipeline (RRCCP) project in Wray, Colorado, at its recent 2015 Engineering Excellence Awards luncheon. GEI provided design engineering services, from the project feasibility stage through to the “Issued for Bid” documents, and field engineering and construction management services during installation of the project. GEI employed a team of hydraulics, structural, geotechnical, mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as hydrogeologists and surveyors during design of the RRCCP.

The project consisted of 8 existing irrigation wells that supply up to 40 cubic feet per second of water through a network of 24- to 18-inch polyvinyl chloride (PVC) collector pipes to a central storage tank at the project high point where a 12-mile, 42- to 36-inch ductile-iron pipeline carries the water to a discharge point approximately 1-mile from the Nebraska state line. The pipeline was constructed using cut-and-cover techniques to deliver groundwater to the North Fork of the Republican River about one-quarter mile from the Colorado/Nebraska state line. Irrigation wells were rehabilitated and converted to supply wells, eliminating the need to find and develop new well sites. The project was completed almost $2.5 million dollars under budget and in 2013 successfully delivered the required additional flows to the Republican River to put Colorado in compliance with the compact.

Each year a distinguished panel of judges representing a cross section of industry, academia and media, assemble to rank the submissions on engineering excellence.

Projects in the competition are rated on the basis of uniqueness and innovative applications; future value to the engineering profession; perception by the public; social, economic, and sustainable development considerations; complexity; and successful fulfillment of client/owner’s needs, including schedule and budget.

ACEC Colorado is the business association of 230 member firms employing more than 10,000 employees in the independent private practice of consulting engineering. ACEC Colorado is a primary resource for accessing engineering information, expertise and business ethics practices. The Council provides leadership and direction by developing practical, feasible options and solutions based upon technical collaboration to achieve enduring outcomes to benefit society.

About GEI: GEI’s multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, and planners deliver integrated water resources, environmental, ecological, geotechnical and waterfront engineering solutions to diverse clientele nationwide. The firm has provided a broad range of consulting and engineering services on over 50,000 projects in 50 states and 22 countries. For more information on GEI, please visit www.geiconsultants.com.