William H. Espey, PE, PH.D., D.WRE, Dist.M.ASCE joins LJA Engineering, Inc. in the Public Works Division as Director of Water Resources. With 60 years of experience in water management and coastal engineering, his distinguished career and reputation provide a strong complement to LJA’s own capacity and capabilities. He is a registered engineer in four states and a founding Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers.
“It is an honor to welcome Dr. Espey to the LJA family. His expertise is a perfect addition to our already strong water resource teams in Texas and provides us with additional opportunities throughout the United States.” Allen Sims, VP Water Resources
Dr. Espey is nationally recognized as having contributed notable advancements in urban watershed analysis, stormwater management, and hydraulic modeling. He is a leading technical expert who developed new techniques of analyzing and solving water resources challenges. An eminent practitioner, he has served on many boards, committees, and workgroups to craft policy, implement new regulations and develop solutions to complex environmental impacts of public works projects.
As an outgrowth of Dr. Espey’s Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Texas at Austin, his Urban Unit Hydrograph methodology has found application in both state and city drainage design manuals and is published in several textbooks, including the “Civil Engineering Reference Manual” for PE exam. Dr. Espey started his career with the U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Division. In 1972 he co-founded Espey Huston & Associates Inc. (EH&A) and served as President. In 1993 he founded Espey Consultants, Inc.
Instrumental in founding ASCE’s Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI), his work and teaching in the areas of water resources and oceanography demonstrate an overall understanding and high level of expertise in water quality, stream gaging, storm/floods-runoff, tidal effect, and freshwater inflow requirements to river and bay systems. In partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Espey’s work has been instrumental in evaluation of waterways in Texas, including the Texas Bay System, Mississippi River System, Louisiana, and Illinois (Lake Michigan System).
Dr. Espey was awarded the Department of the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in 2007 by Assistant Secretary of the Army, John Paul Woodley, Jr., and Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock, the third-highest honor within the Department of the Army given to individuals not employed by the military for his work as a member of the Katrina ASCE External Review Panel (ERP).
Because of his eminence in water resources, he holds appointments to several important committees, including the Lake Michigan Diversion Technical Committee as mandated by the modified Supreme Court decree of 1980, for which he was the committee’s first chair, a role that he continues to this day. He also serves on the independent Technical Review panel for the USACE/FEMA Joint Texas Coastal Hurricane Surge Project, is chair of the Basin and Bay Expert Science Team (BBEST) mandated by Texas Senate Bill 3.
Several of his most notable awards include:
- American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) 2015 Outstanding Practitioner in Water Resources
Engineering Award, 2015:
- Distinguished Member of ASCE, 2014
- AAWRE 2014 Founders Award and Service Award
- Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Council’s Award of Excellence, EWRI/ASCE, 2013
- Founding Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resource Engineers (AAWRE), Founding member of the Board of Trustees and Treasurer of Board of Trustees, 2005, 2005-2011 Past President
- Named Engineer of the Year for the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, 2009
- Lifetime Achievement Award, EWRI/ASCE, 2006
- Charter Member, Civil and Architectural Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni, University of Texas at Austin, 2003
- Distinguished Graduate of the College of Engineering, at the University of Texas, 1986
- Life Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
For more information on LJA GIS, please visit: https://www.lja.com/gis/