When Eric Stewart takes his family out into the green spaces of Austin, TX, he can take heart in knowing the key role he plays protecting the environment he loves, not only for his family but also for the community at large. Stewart, P.E., CFM, ENV SP, is an HDR project manager in Austin and has headed up numerous Texas-based integrated stormwater management projects. He has walked and assessed more than 150 miles of Texas streams and is intimately familiar with the state’s hydrologic and geomorphic landscape. Stewart manages the Shoal Creek Restoration Project in Austin’s Pease Park. The project provides erosion protection in Shoal Creek, improves stormwater runoff quality, and restores native vegetation along the creek corridor. Project elements include design and construction of six rain gardens and water-quality facilities, natural bed and bank stabilization, a bike and pedestrian trail, connectivity improvements, invasive vegetation removal, and native riparian corridor expansion.
Stewart also is part of a team developing plans and specifications for daylighting Eliza Spring, home to the largest-known endangered Barton Springs Salamander population. “We are increasing habitat by restoring a naturally free-flowing surface stream and reestablishing its historical connection to Barton Creek,” says Stewart.
What He Does Day to Day
As a water resources project manager in HDR’s water business group, Stewart is part of a team addressing multiple aspects of the water cycle. His expertise is in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and design, stream restoration design and construction, and erosion control. For the last 11 years, Stewart has focused on projects reducing the impact of flooding, erosion, and stormwater pollution, as well protecting lives, property, and the environment.
What Led Him to This Line of Work
While in college, Stewart spent two summers interning at an environmental engineering firm in Oklahoma City, where he was born and raised. He helped monitor remediation sites and perform environmental site assessments. “Lying down on the sizzling pavement for repeated attempts to fish out a dropped water-quality sampling bailer from a three-inch well in the brutal Oklahoma summer heat was a memorable experience,” notes Stewart.
He spent a summer in Houston working on water availability studies for Texas regional water supply planning. Stewart’s stormwater interest was solidified doing undergraduate research at Rice University in Houston, where he earned a B.A. in environmental sciences, a B.S. in civil engineering, and an M.S. in environmental engineering (water resources). “The field of hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and flood mitigation fascinated me,” says Stewart. “I was struck by the idea that a watershed connects its people by the water and to the water and imbues a sense of responsibility to care for its natural and beneficial uses.”
After graduation, Stewart landed a job in Houston conducting floodplain studies, site design, and flood mitigation and protection projects. In June 2001, Tropical Storm Allison—which caused $5 billion in damage—hit the Texas Gulf coast while Stewart was working on a major flood protection project for the Texas Medical Center. Stewart returned to Rice University to research flood forecasting and provide longer lead times for more efficient emergency response. “After two years of graduate research, our team developed a new generation of the flood alert system for the Texas Medical Center,” says Stewart.
Stewart accepted a job with HDR in Austin “to work in a field of engineering in a city experiencing tremendous growth but trying to do it the right way,” he says. “Many people may be surprised by what they find in Austin with its rich natural resources, springs, hill country, trails, and green spaces. Austin has a strong environmental ethic and an informed workforce, and was an early leader in the United States for flood and water quality protection.”
What He Likes Best About His Work
“My motivation to work as a civil engineer is rooted in the idea that our day-to-day work has tangible effects on society and improves quality of life,” says Stewart. “Most people drive around the city, walk along a creek, or turn on a faucet and aren’t aware of both natural and man-made forces that affect their daily lives. In some ways I like being behind the scenes, but at times I wish more people were more directly aware of impact of their actions as well as the people who work daily to guide sustainable choices.”
His Biggest Challenge
“Integrated stormwater management is now the industry standard as we no longer execute projects with a single driver, but for a given project we look to maximize benefits across all disciplines of stormwater management,” points out Stewart. “Project teams are bigger, issues are more complex, and at times objectives compete.”
Stewart’s job has put him on the leading edge of implementing sustainable solutions with HDR’s involvement with the sustainable infrastructure rating system Envision from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. “As an Envision-certified professional, I am constantly looking for ways to guide clients in choosing the right project and establishing a holistic and collaborative framework. It is not easy.”
