Faculty & Staff

Neil Grigg Publishes New Book

Dr. Neil S. Grigg has published the book Water Finance, Public Responsibilities and Private Opportunities. The book offers a detailed look at the water industry and the trends that can lead to investment opportunities Water has quickly grown into a big global business, with annual revenues in the United States alone reaching over $200 billion.

In the years ahead, companies as well as governments must find innovative ways to address important issues within this field without sacrificing basic needs, such as safety of drinking water or the reliability of water for energy production. Nobody understands this better than author Neil Grigg, a forty-year veteran of the water industry. Most of the water business operates under the radar, but with this reliable resource, Dr. Grigg provides a comprehensive coverage of the public responsibilities and private opportunities associated with it.

Dr. Rebecca Atadero & Students Inspect the Castlewood Canyon Arch Bridge

In July, Dr. Rebecca Atadero and M.S. students Doug Allen and Oscar Mata conducted testing and inspection at the Castlewood Canyon arch bridge located just south of Franktown, Colorado. The bridge was originally constructed in 1946 and was reconstructed during the summer of 2003.

During reconstruction the original arches were repaired by removing the damaged concrete, cleaning corrosion from the reinforcing bars and using shotcrete to restore the cross-section. The arches were then further reinforced with externally bonded fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite sheets.

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FRP materials are still a comparatively new material to civil engineering. Although there were a number of early projects, most FRP applications have taken place since the mid-1990s. They are attractive for repair because they are lightweight with a high strength to weight ratio, they have a very small profile, they can be easily tailored to conform to the geometry of the existing structure, and although they can degrade due to environmental exposure they don’t corrode. Extensive research has shown the effectiveness of FRP in restoring or adding strength to existing concrete members, but as a newer material, the durability of FRP in field environments is still an important issue.

This project, Long Term Monitoring of Mechanical Properties of FRP Repair Materials, was funded by the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Mountain Plains Consortium a USDOT University Transportation Center. The project includes assessment of the condition of the FRP placed on the Castlewood Canyon bridge eight years ago and a laboratory component to investigate the effect of deicing agents on the bond between FRP and concrete. During July the research team inspected one full arch of the bridge for signs of debonding, conducted on-site bond testing, and collected samples of the FRP for laboratory testing. The laboratory component of the project will continue into the summer of 2012.

Water Utilities Now Smelling Water Before Sending to Consumers

Dr. Pinar Omur-Ozbek, a research assistant professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department, has trained Loveland Water Treatment Utility personnel on April 1st, to detect off-flavor compounds in the source and treated water using their sense of taste and smell.

The same workshop was held for the City of Fort Collins Water Treatment Utility last November. Omur-Ozbek trains the participants on the sensory method known as Flavor Profile Analysis (Standard Method 2170), which is designed to guide water engineers diagnose problems with drinking water more quickly and to enable them to take faster action to minimize consumer complaints. Dr. Omur-Ozbek’s research focuses on the aesthetic issues associated with drinking water such as earthy odors or metallic tastes.

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Water quality changes with the seasons. After warm summer months, algal blooms may lead to production of off-flavor compounds in the source water. Even though reliable analytical methods are available, they take time and more skills to conduct. However, same odorants may be detected at much lower concentrations by humans with just simple taste-and-smell techniques. Detection of off-flavors is essential for the success of the water utilities as today’s customers expect good tasting water from their tap. The water industry spends millions of dollars each year to provide palatable water to their customers.

Flavor Profile Analysis, which includes smelling of the water samples, is completed within minutes and a treatment method may be put in place as soon as there is a change in the aesthetical quality of the source water. This sensory method may also be used to ensure the efficiency of the treatment by analyzing the finished water. As one of the main goals of the utilities is to satisfy their consumers, the trained personnel at the water utility may easily and quickly respond to the complaints. Samples taken from the taps of the consumers may be analyzed right before their eyes to show them the utility values their perceptions and applies similar techniques (taste and smell) to examine their water.

Dr. Terry Podmore reaches out to Ugandan orphans

Dr. Terry Podmore recently joined a team from Engineering Ministries International, or EMI, working on an orphanage development project in Uganda. EMI (www.emiworld.org) is an organization of Christian engineers, architects and surveyors who, as volunteers, respond to requests for assistance from Christian organizations around the world.

The team worked with Watoto, an organization in Uganda devoted to the care of orphans in that country. Watoto was founded by Gary and Marilyn Skinner in 1994. They look after about 4,000 orphans in four settlements around Kampala, Uganda's capital and one in northern Uganda as an answer to the child soldier problem in that area.

To read Dr. Podmore's article in the Coloradoan, click here