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GZA Wins Gold And Bronze At 2019 ACEC/MA Engineering Excellence Awards

NORWOOD, MA, March 24, 2019 -- GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. (GZA), a leading multi-disciplinary firm providing geotechnical, environmental, ecological, water, and construction management services, was named one of five Gold winners in the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Massachusetts 2019 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) competition this week.

GZA won the Gold Award for the Upper Roberts Meadow Reservoir Dam Breach and Stream Restoration Project in Northampton, MA. The project’s centerpiece is the removal of a Poor Condition, High Hazard dam that was 35 feet high and 125 feet long – the tallest dam to be removed in Massachusetts at the time. GZA developed a unique “staged” removal process over several weeks, gradually releasing about 10,000 cubic yards of rich sediment to renourish the downstream reaches of Roberts Meadow Brook.

The project successfully eliminated a threat to public safety and a liability for the City of Northampton while reconnecting trout habitats, revitalizing aquatic and plant life along a local stream, and saving the city more than $500,000 in dredging and disposal costs.

GZA won a Bronze Award for its work on the Centennial Pond Dam Rehabilitation project on Mother Brook in East Dedham. The project involved repairing a High Hazard dam that sits within twenty feet of historic buildings and newly-built residences. The GZA team redesigned the dam with safety in mind, serving as the engineering consultant to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and bringing a 19th century dam up to modern safety standards.

“All of us at GZA are honored to receive this acknowledgement from ACEC Massachusetts for these examples of our commitment to engineering excellence and innovation,” said Patrick Sheehan, GZA’s CEO. “GZA’s work on these two dam projects reflects our long term leadership in the dams and levees practice area and our continued commitment to improving the safety and the quality of life in the communities in which we work.”