23rd Annual Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Management & Quality Conference

23rd Annual Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Management & Quality Virtual Conference

Virtual

May 13-21, 2021

2021/05/19 08:00:00

Keynote Speakers                                                                                                                                                                   Wednesday, May 19

 

KATHLEEN JACKSON

Texas Water Development Board

Kathleen Jackson was reappointed to the Texas Water Development Board by Governor Greg Abbott on March 9, 2017. She was appointed to the Board by Governor Rick Perry on March 18, 2014. Jackson has a diverse background representing agricultural, environmental, industrial, and wholesale-supply interests, which includes developing and implementing water management strategies for Southeast Texas. As a registered professional engineer, Jackson served as public affairs manager for one of the world’s largest petroleum and petrochemical producers.

   Wednesday, May 19

SID MILLER

Texas Agriculture Commissioner

An eighth generation Texas farmer and rancher, Sid Miller is the 12th Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). He has devoted his life to promoting Texas agriculture, rural communities and the great state of Texas. Born in De Leon, Texas, in September 1955, Sid Miller graduated with honors from Tarleton State University in Stephenville with a Bachelor of Science in Vocational Ag Education.A recognized community leader, Miller was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000. He quickly earned a reputation as a staunch defender of Texas agriculture, constitutional freedoms and individual liberties for all Texans.

 

   Thursday, May 20

Earl Lott

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Earl began his career with TCEQ in 1995 as an Engineering Specialist in the Petroleum Storage Tank Division. Since that time, he went on to serve in several key management roles with the agency including:  Team Leader of the Agriculture Team in the Water Quality Division, Manager of the Water Utilities and Districts Section, and Assistant Deputy in the Office of Permitting, Registration, and Remediation.  He served as Director of the Waste Permits Division for over 12 years.  Some of his core accomplishments with the agency include:  successfully representing the agency on several before the legislature on key bills, leading the implementation of the federal standards for coal combustion residuals in Texas, spearheading efforts to streamline permit processing time frames, and successfully negotiating options with EPA to allow used tires to be used as fuel in cement kilns.  Earl holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Business from Texas State University.   He grew up part of a fourth-generation ranching family where he learned the meaning of hard work and learned to have a sincere love and appreciation for natural resources.

 

SPONSORS

Silver

Scheibe Consulting, LLC Firm

Scheibe Consulting is a full-service Civil Engineering firm located in Central Texas. Our firm provides services throughout Texas, with on-going and past project experience specifically in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Our firm focuses on providing water resources and stormwater related services to public and private clients. Our firm has staff with hands on expertise in the use of advance hydraulic analysis software packages, including the use of HEC-RAS (Steady, Unsteady, 2D), HEC-HMS, HEC-SSP, HEC-FDA, FEMA-BCA, InfoWorks ICM 2D, XP-SWMM 2D, PC-SWMM 2D, EPA-SWMM, and RMA 2D. Our staff also has extensive expertise in coastal surge, wave, and tidal circulation modeling specific to the Laguna Madre and the Gulf of Mexico. Our staff has hands-on experience with local Cameron County stormwater modeling projects and understands the complex nature of modeling in flat terrain. Our experts have local experience with the use of adjusted SCS peaking factors to calibrate local hydrologic models and our staff has worked on local projects and/or has on-going efforts to implement projects specific to CCDD #5, CCDD #3, CCDD #1, Willacy County, Starr County, Hidalgo County, US Army Corps of Engineers, and the USFWS. Our modeling staff also has years of practical design and construction experience related to drainage improvements, including: Regional Detention Facilities, Regional Water Quality Facilities, Streambank Stabilization/Restoration Projects, Diversion Channels, Levees, Dams, Concrete lined Channels, stormsewer systems, pump stations, coastal breakwaters, and roadway projects. Having a modeling staff with experience in 2D applications who also understand the design and construction level issues makes our team very unique. Our firm includes a group of highly skilled professionals that are very hands-on, ensuring that our clients receive a service from skilled senior staff that are focused on quality and professionalism.

www.scheibeconsulting.com

Bronze

 

City of Los Fresnos

The area which is now home to present day Los Fresnos is not unknown to history. In fact, this area along the Rio Grande River and the Gulf of Mexico played a significant role in both the US-Mexican War and the American Civil War. The plain of Palo Alto (tall timber) just five miles south of town was the site of the opening battle of the war between the U.S. and Mexico in 1846. In 1907 Lon C. Hill, Jr. bought 14,232 acres and parceled them into lots. This eventually evolved into the layout of the original town site of “modern” Los Fresnos which was finally developed in 1915.

www.cityoflosfresnos.com

HALFF Associates

Halff Associates is a unique regional consulting firm that has provided full-service engineering, architecture, and related services for decades. We are committed to continually investing in our employees, fostering a culture of collaboration, and delivering unwaveringly high-quality results for our clients. Our passion is providing smarter solutions with a distinctly human touch for everyone we serve.

www.halff.com

Melden & Hunt, Inc.

Melden & Hunt, Inc. was founded in Edinburg, Texas in 1947 as a full-service consulting, engineering and surveying firm. Melden & Hunt, Inc. has become the engineering and surveying firm in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas, offering the most diverse array of services available to anyone in the region.

www.meldenandhunt.com