Austin Branch Newsletter
April 2008	Volume 12, Number 8
In This Issue… Meeting/Speaker Info President's Message Texas Section Spring Conference Meeting Sponsor Info Excellence in Journalism Award YMF Update UT Austin Update History & Heritage Call for Conference Presenters Continuing Education	April Branch Meeting – April 15, 2008 Topic TPDES General Construction Permit Speaker Kimberly Wilson TCEQ When Tuesday, April 15th Social - 11:30 to Noon;  Lunch/Speaker - Noon to 1:00 PM Where Embassy Suites North - 5901 N. IH 35 Cost $15 with RSVP; $5 for Government/Students; Additional $5 without RSVP RSVP Click here to RSVP by Noon, Friday, April 11th \Meeting Sponsor
Quick Links… About Us Job Board Younger Member Forum
April Speaker: Kimberly Wilson, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Revisions to the TPDES General Construction Permit Ms. Wilson graduated from Texas State University - San Marcos in August 1997 with a B.A. in Geography - Environmental and Resource Management.  She began her career with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in January 1999 as a permit writer with the Industrial Permits Team, Wastewater Permitting Section.  In March 2007 Ms. Wilson transferred to the Storm Water & Pretreatment Team, Wastewater Permitting Section as the Team Leader.
President’s Message by Kelly A. Barney, PE The month of March has come and gone, but it was another successful one for the Austin Branch of ASCE.  Mike Heiligenstein, the Executive Director of CTRMA (Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority) came and had a Q&A session with the attendees of the luncheon.  It was very informative and we were lucky to have Mike volunteer his time to come and talk with us. The Austin Branch was also recognized by the UT Student Chapter of ASCE for our support of the chapter over the last few years.  They recognized us at their annual UT Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Department Spring Banquet that was held at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center on campus on March 27, 2008.   I also want to take this time to thank all of the committee chairs and board members for their time and efforts in helping make the Austin Branch even better.  Without the ideas and dedication from our volunteers serving on committees and the Board, we would not be where we are today.  Your hard work is all greatly appreciated!! Now I must scurry away from this office and go catch my plane to Chicago!  Heading up to see my 10^th Cubbies Opening Day.  It will be sad as it is my first without my brother, but I will carry on the tradition for the family.  Go Cubbies! Looking forward to another exciting month!  If you would like to get involved in the Branch, please feel free to contact me at Pape-Dawson Engineers, Inc. at 512-454-8711 or at kbarney@pape-dawson.com.  There is an opportunity waiting for you!
Texas Section ASCE Spring 2008 Meeting – April 23-26, in Corpus Christi The Texas Section Spring Conference will be held at the Omni Corpus Christi Bayfront Hotel from April 23-26. The theme is “Crossing the Bridges of Tomorrow” and the Section will be celebrating its 95^th anniversary in the Sparkling City by the Sea, where it all began. This event provides opportunities for Continuing Education, connecting with the larger community of Texas civil engineers, cheering the college concrete canoe teams on, and of course enjoying the beautiful setting on the Gulf of Mexico. Conference information and registration can be found at http://www.texasce.org/docs/mtginfo.cfm
April Meeting Sponsor – Blanton & Associates Blanton & Associates, Inc. provides a broad range of environmental consulting, planning, and project management services with a focus on regulatory compliance and permitting, including the preparation of Categorical Exclusions, Environmental Assessments, and Environmental Impact Statements. In addition, Blanton & Associates has a full service geographic data department specializing in satellite remote sensing, digital image processing, and geographic data development. Our staff is experienced in developing timely and cost-effective solutions related to compliance with federal, state, and local environmental regulations.  These include: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Endangered Species Act Department of Transportation Act National Historic Preservation Act Texas Antiquities Code Clean Water Act
Excellence in Journalism Award – Nominations due April 28^th by Linda Barlow, P.E. – Public Relations Chair The Austin Branch PR Committee is accepting entries for the 2008 Texas Section Excellence in Journalism Award, and strongly encourages you to nominate a story, or stories. Eligible stories must be published or broadcast between May 1, 2006 and April 30, 2007. The Austin Branch has submitted an entry that won the 2005 Texas Section Excellence in Journalism Award.  Ricardo Gandara, a general features reporter for the Austin American Statesman, received the award for his article Road Warriors, which was published in the Statesman on August 8th, 2004. In summary, the article is about various personnel (engineers, equipment operators, business owners, etc.) involved in the Lamar Street Reconstruction project.  Your project could also receive this type of recognition! The Excellence in Journalism Award was established in 1994 by ASCE to honor newspaper journalists for outstanding news articles that enhance public understanding of the role and impact of civil engineers and civil engineering. Nominations of regional or national general interest news stories are accepted in five categories: Daily and Weekly Newspapers, Magazines, Electronic/Web-Based News Outlets, Radio, and Television. A list of Award criterion is shown below and can be viewed at the following web link: http://www.asce.org/pressroom/honors/excel_journalism.cfm: Entries should advance public knowledge and understanding of civil engineers, the profession or the issues that they impact; Include knowledgeable civil engineering experts; Cover all sides of the civil engineering issue fairly; Effectively explain how the civil engineering project or issue impacts the community or region; Accurately describe the civil engineering project or issue; and Clearly describe the civil engineer's role (Examples: How did engineers contribute to the project's completion? How did engineers influence the positive outcome of an environmental issue, natural disaster or key legislation?). If your story meets the criteria above (and the eligibility requirements listed on the website), please submit your nomination directly to any member of the Public Relations Committee (Linda Barlow lbarlow@hvj.com , Sharon Hamilton sharon.hamilton@casengineers.com, John Conquest JDCONQUEST@mactec.com, Cesar Calderon calderon@guerra.com or Jennifer Otterson JMOtterson@pbsj.com). Please include a copy of the article/publication medium, which should show a minimum of the authors name, date of publication and the publisher’s name. Nominations must be submitted by April 28, 2008 to enable the committee to pull together the submittal. Nominations must be submitted to the Texas Section ASCE by May 5^th, 2008.  If you have any questions, you can contact any member of the Public Relations Committee.
YMF Update by Kimberly Patak, P.E. – Younger Member Forum President Attention all engineers 35 and younger, we want you as an ASCE YMF chair/officer! We are on the lookout for people interested in becoming active with the ASCE chapter. If you are interested in meeting great people that are in the same field as you, developing the chapter, and/or serving your community, please give any of the YMF officers a shout. All of our contact information can be found at austinasce.org/ymf.htm. Speaking of meeting great people... Tis the season to get outside! Please join your fellow engineers for an early evening hike on the greenbelt, followed by dinner and drinks on Barton Springs Road. Meet me at the Zilker Park access to the Barton Creek greenbelt on April 23 at 6pm. We will head out for an easy going hike around 6:15. Invite anyone and everyone as it's just too pretty to be inside! And finally, good luck to the engineers taking the Spring exam! I only have one hint to give...it's all about organization. See everyone on the 23rd!
ASCE Student Chapter – April Briefing from UT by Ryan Rush, UT Student Chapter Corporate Relations Officer With the academic year wrapping up and finals around the corner, the UT ASCE student chapter aims to end the year on a good note with strong showings at the Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge Technical competitions. March was one of the busiest months of the year for the concrete canoe team. After mix design was finalized with mix #30, a mix weighing 55 pounds per cubic foot with a compressive strength of 1700psi, the concrete canoe was poured on March 28^th. On January 19, The Steel Bridge team placed 1^st overall at the Texas-Mexico regional competition in Beaumont, Texas. The team has been preparing for the National Steel Bridge Competition to be held in Gainsville, Florida on Friday May 23^rd. After finishing 6^th in the nation last year, the team is poised for another strong showing. In February, UT ASCE meetings were blessed by the presence of C Faulker Engineering and Cunningham Allen. Having both run a business, both speakers were able to explain what it takes to become a successful engineering firm. If your company would like to get involved with ASCE, please contact Ryan Rush at ryan@mail.utexas.edu. With half of our meeting slots for the 2008-2009 academic year already booked, we are looking to fill our remaining bi-weekly meetings with companies that have interesting projects and great opportunities to share with our students.  Our website can be found at www.ut-asce.org. It contains information for Technical Competitions, Outreach, IM Sports, and Social Events as well as useful contact information to reach our officers. (From Left to Right) Dong Hyun Kim, Nick David, and Hol Gaskill help in construction of the Concrete Canoe by pulling the fiberglass reinforcing mesh tight against the first lift of concrete.
The April 1900 Flood by Cindy Jones, E.I.T. – ASCE Member                 The storm of April 5-8, 1900 is historic storm for Austin and the Lower Colorado River basin.  The storm began as two separate events in Val Verde County and Swisher County on April 5, 1900.  By April 7, the events united in the Central Texas region resulting in large amounts of rainfall within the Colorado, Guadalupe and Brazos watersheds.  This storm caused some of the highest stages to date along these rivers.  During this 3-day event, rainfall totals throughout the majority of Texas ranged from 3 to 5 inches, with nearly all stations in Central Texas exceeding 5 inches of rainfall.  Travis County had received more than 7 inches during this 3-day event.  Using the “Atlas of Depth-Duration Frequency of Precipitation Annual Maxima for Texas”, this storm event was approximately the 10-year storm for a 3-day duration in Travis County. One of the most memorable consequences of this storm was the crest height of the Colorado River which ultimately led to the failure of the Austin Dam on April 7, 1900.  At the time of failure, the granite dam was sustaining flood stages approximately 10 feet above the dam crest.  This failure added more volume to the already flood-raged river.  On the evening of the April 7, a warning of the Austin Dam failure was sent to the US Weather Bureau in Galveston via telegram.  Locations along the Colorado River south of Austin were immediately notified.  It is believed that this warning saved the lives and property of many along the Lower Colorado River.  The wall of water resulting from the dam failure and excessive rainfall was approximately 50 ft above normal stage in southern Austin.  This crest then traveled downstream to Bastrop and Smithville where it peaked approximately 40 feet above normal stage on April 8^th.  The Colorado River then peaked in LaGrange, on April 9^th, approximately 47 feet above normal stage.  The final peak was recorded in Columbus on April 10^th; however by this point the river travelled as a gradual rise versus an abrupt peak.  The peak stage was approximately 34 feet above normal in Columbus.  It was also approximated that the floodplain spread approximately 2 to 4 miles wide through Colorado and Wharton Counties, and 4 to 12 miles wide in Matagorda County.  Flood stages did not recede until mid-May in Matagorda County at the mouth of the river.  In comparing these recorded flood stages to a recent study performed by the Lower Colorado River Authority, it appears as though the flood stages are very similar to the 100-yr frequency event from Austin to LaGrange.  The recorded flood stage in Columbus was very similar to the 50-yr frequency event. This flood of April 1900 did great amounts of damage to Austin and the lower communities along the Colorado River.  It is estimated that the flood engulfed the lives of approximately 50 inhabitants over its course.  However, due to the warning of the Austin Dam failure, many people fled to higher ground and farmers and stockmen moved their livestock to higher ground in the middle of the night to protect them from the rising river.  Damages in Austin included the Austin Dam, the Power House, the majority of water crossings, and several buildings and low-lying homes.  These damages in Austin totaled approximately 1.6 million dollars, which would be approximately 39.4 millions dollars in today’s currency.  Other damages by county were approximately as follows:  Bastrop $50,000; Fayette, $14,000; Colorado, $80,000; and Matagorda, $10,000.  The April 1900 flood was a historic event for Austin and the Lower Colorado River basin, however this flood is not widely publicized as a great flood.  The rainfall totals are surprisingly low for such a flooding event; however, the severity of the April 1900 flood was amplified by the breaching of the “Great-Granite” Austin Dam, an engineering marvel of its time.  Fortunately, the warning of the dam failure provided by the US Weather Bureau spared many lives and much property damage that would otherwise have occurred in this catastrophic event.
Call for Structures Congress 2009 Conference (Austin, TX) Speakers/Papers! You are invited to submit your proposals and/or paper abstracts for the 2009 STRUCTURES CONGRESS. Proposals should focus on topics consistent with the list published in this announcement. Session requests and paper abstracts should be no more than two printed pages per abstract and must be submitted through the SEI Website at www.SEInstitute.org. SESSION REQUESTS need to include the session title and a short description of the session, name of proposed session chair and contact information (including email address), and name of the organizing/sponsoring committee (if applicable), as well as each presenter/author’s name and contact information (including email address), and each paper’s title. Each author/presenter in the proposed session MUST individually upload their abstract and select the proposed session as its topic (session MUST be uploaded first). Sessions organized by committees of SEI/ASCE are strongly encouraged. PAPER ABSTRACTS must include each author’s full name, credentials, affiliation, location, and contact information (including email address). Abstracts will be reviewed and should be sufficient to judge the quality and appropriateness of the work for the Congress. Any special comments, such as session, track, or topic for which the paper is best suited, should be written at the bottom of the abstract page. EXPENSES All expenses related to preparing and presenting the papers, including camera-ready manuscripts and illustrations, are the responsibility of the authors and co-authors. Due Date: June 10, 2008
ASCE Spring/Summer 2008 Continuing Education Seminars from Michael W. Cook – Senior  Manager, ASCE Geographic Services In our continuing effort to enhance communications between ASCE’s Sections, Branches and ASCE National, Geographic Services is pleased to advise you of the following seminars scheduled in your geographic area from April  through September 2008: May 1-2, 2008 Austin, TX Strategic Planning, Valuation & Ownership Transitions for Engineering Firms (Management and Leadership) May 8-9, 2008 San Antonio, TX Risk Assessment in Geotechnical Engineering ~NEWLY UPDATED! (Old Title: Probabilistic Methods in Geotechnical Engineering) (Geotechnical) May 29-30, 2008 Corpus Christi, TX Design of Buildings in Coastal Regions (Structural) May 29-30, 2008 San Antonio, TX Effective Project Risk Management (Management and Leadership) June 19-20, 2008 Dallas, TX Financial Management for the Professional Engineer (Management and Leadership) September 11-12, 2008 San Antonio, TX Pipe and Pipeline Renewal (Geotechnical) September 25-26, 2008 San Antonio, TX Construction Cost Estimating for the Civil Engineers ~NEW! (Construction/Development) These in-depth, practice-oriented programs are produced by ASCE’s Continuing Educations Department and may be of interest to many ASCE members in your Sections and Branches.  We would greatly appreciate if you would consider positing information on these seminars in your newsletters and on your websites. Information on seminars scheduled in other ASCE Regions can be found under the Region maps on ASCE’s website at http://www.asce.org/inside/sec_brnch.cfm,  Detailed descriptions of the seminars (by title) are available on ASCE’s website at www.asce.org/conted/seminars. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Kelly Jarvis, Continuing Education Registrar at kjarvis@asce.org, or me at mcook@asce.org.
Thank You to Our 2008 Sponsors Want to be an Austin Branch Sponsor?  Gives your company advertising and free postings on our online job board.  Click here for more information.
© 2008 Austin Branch American Society of Civil Engineers The Austin Branch Newsletter gives you the latest information on ASCE events and activities.  To inquire about this newsletter or to publish articles contact the Communications Director.  Contact information for our Board of Directors can be found at www.austinasce.org. National ASCE – www.asce.org      Texas Section – www.texasce.org