Veltrop remembered for many contributions to dams and hydropower community
 Jan Veltrop Click here to enlarge image |
Jan Veltrop, an engineer whose contributions to the global dam community included a term as president of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), died March 24. He was 85.
Veltrop, a leading international authority on dam design, joined Harza Engineering Co. in Chicago, now MWH, in 1954. From 1979 to 1984, he was Harza’s chief engineer. He retired from Harza in 1994 as senior vice president.
Veltrop was a prolific writer, author of more than 70 technical papers and articles while at Harza. During that time, he also guided project planning, design, construction, and monitoring of dams, including environmental and social aspects.
He directed the design of the Mayfield and Mossyrock dams in the U.S., both part of Tacoma Power’s 462-MW Cowlitz River project, in Washington State. As project manager and director, Veltrop led the development of the 1,000-MW Mangla spillway project in Pakistan, 2,000-MW Karun 1 (now known as Abbaspour) in Iran, and 2,316-MW Bath County Pumped-Storage in the U.S.
Veltrop also worked on 3,478-MW Tarbela in Pakistan and 10,300-MW Guri (Simon Bolivar) in Venezuela. For a year and a half in the 1980s, he was resident manager in Chengdu, China, for the preparation of contract documents for international bidding for the 3,300-MW Ertan hydroelectric project. In the 1990s, he was project manager for a proposed pumped- storage project near the Dead Sea in Israel.
In the early 1980s, Veltrop served a two-year term as chairman of the U.S. Committee on Large Dams. In 1988, he began a three-year term as president of ICOLD.
Veltrop received the Rickey Medal from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1997 for his contributions to hydroelectric engineering. In 1998, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering and was appointed a commissioner of the World Commission on Dams.
Veltrop, a native of the Netherlands, completed a degree in mechanical engineering at the Technological University of Delft. He came to the U.S. on a student visa to attend Renselaar Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a master’s degree. He received a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Veltrop is survived by his wife Ruth, two sons, a daughter, and six grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Oxfam America, 226 Causeway St., Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02114-2206.
Nygaard joins Winston & Strawn
Kristina Nygaard joined Winston & Strawn LLP in the law firm’s Washington, D.C., office. She works on hydroelectric licensing and compliance matters, including wave and tidal energy.
Nygaard previously served as the head of the hydropower regulatory practice of Troutman Sanders LLP.
For 23 years, Nygaard was assistant general counsel for the hydroelectric program at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In that capacity, she was involved in legal and policy development in FERC hydropower regulation, oversaw hydropower orders voted out by the commission, and appeared before congressional committees, federal appeals courts, and conferences as an authority on hydro issues.
Nygaard is a member of the board of the Energy Bar Association, where she has served as chair of the association’s Hydroelectric Committee. She serves on the Hydropower Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources. Her memberships include the National Hydropower Association and Northwest Hydroelectric Association.
Portland General Electric taps Hackett for new wind assignment
Portland General Electric (PGE) named Gary Hackett on-site construction manager for the 400-MW Biglow Canyon Wind Project. The project is in the early stages of construction, with the first phase (125 MW) to be on line by December 2007. Upon completion, Hackett will work as plant manager.
Hackett previously was PGE’s manager of hydro engineering support services, working in safety compliance, training, and budgeting.
Hackett began his association with hydro following high school, working as a millright apprentice at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 2,160-MW John Day powerhouse while attending college. He later worked on steam and gas operations for General Electric. In 1980, he joined PGE’s nuclear operations. Four years later he moved to the hydro side of the utility.
While working in hydro, Hackett was an industry leader. He served as chairman of the National Hydropower Association’s Hydraulic Power Committee and as member of the HydroVision 2004 and 2006 conference steering committees.
Bradley retires from Snohomish County PUD
 Martin Bradley Click here to enlarge image |
Martin Bradley retired from Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD). He continues to serve as president for his company, Machinery Installation and Maintenance, Inc. (MIM).
In 1982, Bradley worked on installing turbines and generators at Snohomish County PUD’s 111.8-MW Henry M. Jackson project, which was being constructed on the Sultan River in Washington. A year later, he co-founded MIM, a vertical millwright general contractor. The company completed small industrial projects, including warranty work on several hydroelectric projects in western Washington.
In 1984, the Henry M. Jackson project began operating, and MIM was retained to perform warranty work there. Upon completing this work in 1986, Bradley was offered a position with the utility as a mechanical constructor at the powerhouse. For nearly 21 years, he worked at the utility during the day while working with MIM on evenings and weekends. As MIM grew over the next decade, the company began performing jobs involving large crane work and equipment installation.
In 2006, Snohomish County PUD hired Gary Anderson, who previously worked in the tugboat industry, to take over the mechanical constructor position at Henry M. Jackson, providing for a smooth transition to Bradley’s retirement.
Van Do retires, starts consultancy
 Tung Van Do Click here to enlarge image |
Tung Van Do formed VanDo Consulting in early 2007. He left Powel, Inc. to establish the consulting business, which helps power utilities improve hydro system performance.
VanDo Consulting provides a wide range of services, including operational analysis, development of modeling tools for forecasting, and operations and planning studies.
Van Do joined Charles Howard & Associates, Inc. in 1982, and continued on with the company after it was acquired
by Powel, Inc. in 1999. Throughout the years, he held a variety of positions, including engineer, principal, president, and, most recently, vice president of hydro engineering.
GEI announces addition of senior engineers
GEI Consultants, Inc., a water resources, geotechnical, and environmental engineering consulting firm, added three senior executives to its Rocky Mountain regional headquarters. Daniel Johnson and John Harb joined the firm as senior water resource engineers, and Steven Townsley is senior program manager.
 Daniel Johnson Click here to enlarge image |
Johnson will lead GEI’s new Boulder office while providing support to clients as a practice expert and senior program manager. Johnson previously was employed by MWH for four years, after a career of nearly 30 years with URS, Woodward-Clyde. His experience includes multi-disciplinary water supply projects, including dam design and geotechnical engineering, and he has expertise in roller-compacted-concrete (RCC) dam technology.
 John Harb Click here to enlarge image |
Harb will serve GEI clients as practice expert, senior program manager, and client liaison. During a 37-year career with the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior, Harb managed water and power operations for projects on the Colorado River, including Hoover Dam. His expertise includes water resources development studies, water supply program management, and water quality, dam safety, and environmental compliance projects. Harb most recently managed the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Irrigation Water Quality Program.
 Steven Townsley Click here to enlarge image |
Townsley will lead the Rocky Mountain Civil Engineering Group, providing clients with project delivery expertise for water resources and hydropower projects. During a 24-year career in engineering, he oversaw federal projects for the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service. His experience includes design/build, water supply, flood control, hydropower, and fish passage projects.
Newsome joins SeaBotix
 Sean Newsome Click here to enlarge image |
Sean Newsome is sales manager, Americas, for SeaBotix. The San Diego, Calif.-based company manufactures remotely operated vehicles for a variety of applications, including inspections at hydro facilities.
Newsome is responsible for direct sales and distributor relations throughout North America. He promotes SeaBotix products at marketing and trade shows. His duties also include advertising and technical writing, as well as training and support of manufacturer’s representatives.
Newsome began his career with underwater vehicles while in the U.S. Navy. He later worked for almost six years at DeepSea Power & Light, a manufacturer of oceanographic equipment, including underwater lights, cameras, and flotation devices, located in San Diego.
TCB names Lake senior engineer
 Gary Lake Click here to enlarge image |
Gary Lake has joined TCB, an AECOM company, as senior engineer. His duties include managing small, medium, and large hydro and dam projects. He is involved in both new and rehabilitation project designs, as well as construction management.
Before joining TCB, Lake worked as an independent consultant providing engineering support for hydro and dam projects. During a 35-year career, he has worked on hydro and dam projects in the U.S., as well as throughout Asia, Africa, South America, and Central America.
