Black & Veatch’s Dr. James Barnard Honored with ‘OPAL’ Industry Award for Work in Advanced Water Pollution Control

The American Society for Civil Engineers recognizes Barnard, global process and technology leader, for ‘innovation and excellence in civil engineering design’

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Black & Veatch announces that Dr. James Barnard, global process and technology leader for the company’s water business, has been honored with the American Society for Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Outstanding Projects And Leaders (OPAL) award for design. The OPAL award is bestowed upon exceptional civil engineering leaders in recognition of their lifetime achievements. The ASCE selected Barnard for his outstanding contributions to the field of design in advanced water pollution control.

The ACSE calls Barnard, who has been with Black & Veatch since 1998, “the most influential design practitioner in advanced water pollution control.” A recognized leader in civil engineering, the biological processes he designed for the removal of nitrogen and phosphorous from used water facilities are currently applied around the world. He has also worked extensively with universities and research facilities to share knowledge that can be applied to almost any activated sludge plant in the world, including reducing chemical pollution in the fermentation of biosolids.

Barnard has also published 180 papers highlighting his research on biological nutrient removal (BNR) and is internationally recognized for developing the revolutionary principles behind BNR. He is known as the “father of BNR.” For more than 50 years, Barnard has researched, developed and improved water and wastewater treatment processes to be more cost effective, eco-friendly and efficient.

“Having worked for so long to improve water pollution and treatment efforts and to make my work accessible to communities everywhere, I am so grateful to be honored by ASCE for my achievements,” said Barnard. “Ultimately, my work has been guided by curiosity and the desire to create solutions that benefit all people, and I hope these principles continue to drive progress in the field.”

Editor’s Notes:

• This year’s OPAL leadership award winners will be honored at the OPAL Awards Gala, a virtual event held Oct. 8 as part of the ASCE 2021 Convention.
• Barnard has received many awards over the course of his career, including the South African Civil Engineering Award for Design (1983); Koch/Imhoff Award for Outstanding Scientific Contribution, IWA (1988); Honorary Board-Certified Environmental Engineer, AAEE (2006); Elected Fellow, Water Environment Federation (2011); Singapore Lew Kuan Yew Water Prize (2011); Ph.D., Iowa State University (2012); Simon Freese Prize and Lecture Award, ASCE (2017); and several others. Earlier this year, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
• Click here to download a photo of Dr. Barnard.

About Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch is an employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2020 exceeded US$3.0 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.