Articles

Technical Sessions - February 2018

MORNING SESSION @ 11:00 AM 

Topic: The City of Wichita Falls Indirect Potable Reuse project

Speaker: Daniel Nix

Born and raised in Wichita Falls, Daniel graduated Midwestern State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science.  He has worked for the City of Wichita Falls for over 29 years, starting as a Utilities System Worker 1 with the Water Distribution Division and has worked his way up the ladder to Utilities Operations Manager, a position he has held since 2008.  He possess’ a Grade A Water License and Grade C Wastewater License from the State of Texas.  He is extremely active in the Water Industry; serving on the Board of Directors for the American Water Works Association, serving on numerous committees for Filtration and Reuse, authoring an award winning book and developing a Specialty License Plate in the State of Texas that promotes Water Conservation.

Daniel has participated in the contingency planning for the last 2 droughts in Wichita Falls, as well as overseeing the last several revisions of the City’s Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plans.  He finalized the construction on the Reverse Osmosis Plant in 2008, and successfully brought it into operation.  He was very familiar with the Reuse initiatives that were spawned from the 1990’s drought, so when the most recent drought showed no signs of abating, Daniel was quick to bring all of the past reuse studies to the attention of Administration and worked on developing the Conceptual Design of the Temporary Direct Potable Reuse (DPR).  He was part of the team that engaged the TCEQ on developing guidelines for the DPR, planning the route of the pipeline, and overseeing the Verification Studies to prove the system was safe.  In conjunction with the DPR work, Daniel has been part of the team that has developed the Permanent Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR) system that will go on line in 2017.  Through his work on the DPR and IPR systems, Daniel’s guidance is sought after by other Municipalities and States that are pursuing Reuse initiatives.

Daniel’s wife Cheryl is the Director of the Science Program at McNiel Junior High School, and teaches 7^th Grade Science.  They have been married for 15 years, and have two children; Matthew and Alexis.  Matthew is a Sophomore Accounting Major at MSU and Alexis is in the 7^th Grade at McNiel, participating in Volleyball and Choir.  The entire family is active in volunteering their time with equine therapy for challenged individuals at Whispers of Hope.

• Worked for the City of Wichita Falls for 31 years.
• Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science from Midwestern State  University.
• Possesses a Grade A Water License and Grade C Wastewater License from the State of Texas.
• Member of American Water Works Association, serving on the Coagulation & Filtration Committee, Reuse Committee and the newly formed Standards Committee for Direct Potable Reuse.
• Authored an award winning Book for AWWA on Filter Evaluation Procedures.
• Currently the Past Chair of the Texas Section AWWA.
• Operated one of only 2 Direct Potable Reuse facilities in the United States

AFTERNOON TECHNICAL SESSION @ 1:10 PM

Topic: Overview of EWB-USA and Water for Culli Culli Alto, Bolivia.

Speaker: Julie Jones, P.E.

Engineers Without Borders is a non-profit, humanitarian engineering organization.  Engineers Without Borders USA builds a better world through engineering projects that empower communities to meet their basic human needs and equip leaders to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.  EWB-USA’s vision is a world in which every community has the capacity to sustainably meet their basic human needs.

Julie Jones co-founded the Northwest Arkansas EWB-USA Professional Chapter and the University of Arkansas EWB-USA Student Chapter in 2005, and she is now president of the North Texas Professional Chapter.  She has mentored the Southern Methodist University Chapter of EWB-USA, and been project lead on projects in Guatemala and Bolivia.  She was the Arkansas State Representative for the South Central Region of EWB-USA from 2005-2009, Vice President from 2009-2011, President 2011-2013 and she currently serves as Texas State Representative of the region.  She is also a Texas Section Director for Dallas Branch of American Society of Civil Engineers. 

Julie attended the University of Arkansas where she received her B.S. in Civil Engineering and her M.S. in Civil Engineering, both with an emphasis in Environmental Engineering.  Her thesis was on Factors Affecting the Operation and Maintenance of Biosand Filters for Rainwater Treatment in Developing Countries.  This research was done for filters in Zaragoza, Colombia in Amazon region. 

She holds a Professional Engineer License in Texas, and she works at Nathan D Maier Consulting Engineers, Inc. in Dallas for the Water Resources Division.  Julie has ten years experience as a design engineer.  She has worked on projects for numerous municipalities including Dallas, Garland, Richardson and Irving.  She has worked on several large thoroughfare projects as the hydrology and hydraulics design engineer. These types of projects include roadway and guideway drainage, hydrology and hydraulics studies, and FEMA studies.  Julie specializes in the field of hydrology and hydraulics, and FEMA studies.