EBA received a National Recognition Award in the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) 2024 Engineering Excellence Awards competition for the firm’s work on the City of Bowie’s Water Main Recapitalization project. EBA president and CEO Rizwan Siddiqi, PE; EBA assistant vice president Joseph Danquah, PE; and the City of Bowie’s Director of Public Works Aldayuz Jose accepted the award at the Gala Dinner and Awards Program held Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Washington, DC.

ACEC’s Engineering Excellence Awards competition recognizes the year’s most outstanding engineering achievements. The winning projects represent engineering ingenuity, complexity, achievement, and value.

EBA provided professional engineering services to help the City address maintenance issues and service interruptions related to 60-year-old unlined cast iron pipe in the City’s Kenilworth neighborhood. Pipe corrosion due to tuberculation over the years had caused water discoloration and reduced water pressure that no longer met fire flow requirements. Though the City’s plan was to replace the old pipe with new, EBA performed a detailed analysis that identified cured-in-place structural pipe liner installation as a better option.

“We are thrilled and deeply honored by ACEC’s recognition of this groundbreaking approach to water main rehabilitation,” says Mr. Siddiqi. “Because this method had previously been used locally for sewer main only, we understood the concerns of City leadership and residents regarding the final water quality, safety, and taste. As such, our team undertook extensive study, research, and testing to confirm our solution would provide clear, odorless, and tasteless drinking water. We also identified multiple benefits, such as cost savings and reduced impacts to both homeowners and the surrounding environment.”

Ultimately, EBA’s trenchless technology expertise led to an innovative, sustainable solution that achieved an $800,000 cost savings while preserving 50+ trees in the project area. The rehabilitated pipes, now restored to a nearly new condition, will serve Kenilworth residents for decades to come.

Click here to watch the EEA red carpet interview and learn more about this fascinating project.