Brown and Caldwell Captures Key Roles in Monumental Project to Restore Everglades.

PLEASANT HILL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 14, 1995--Brown and Caldwell, an Engineering News Record top 100 engineering and consulting firm, has been awarded major contracts by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) for detailed design and engineering work under the $480 million Everglades Construction Project (ECP), designated under Florida's Everglades Forever Act of 1994.

The contracts, approved by the Governing Board of the SFWMD, assign Brown and Caldwell major project management responsibilities in two key areas: (1) design of the first area of treatment (6,430 acres) within the overall 40,000-acre Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) in the Everglades region; and (2) design of two new pumping stations to move treated water out of STA. The Brown and Caldwell projects are slated to begin immediately and be completed by February 1, 1999.

The primary goals of the ECP include environmental protection and enhancement, water supply control, and flooding/water quality protection. The STAs, generally consisting of a series of canals, will distribute stormwater runoff from agricultural lands south of Lake Okeechobee to several "natural treatment cells" for phosphorus removal.

The treated water will be redistributed via the pumping stations to imitate the natural waterflow of the Everglades ecosystem in its pristine form. The ultimate goal is to restore the Everglades to its original state.

Construction costs are estimated at $34 million for the initial STA project and $15 million for the first pumping station, one of the largest ever built in the United States.

"Brown and Caldwell is pleased to undertake one of the largest roles, in terms of scope and activity, in this immense program -- the largest of its kind -- to assist the district in restoring the Everglades," said Zachary Fuller, Brown and Caldwell Vice President/Regional Manager, based in the firm's Orlando, Florida, office. "Our efforts will help to ensure, for centuries to come, the preservation of one of America's greatest natural resources."

Brown and Caldwell has four offices located in Florida: Orlando, Miami, West Palm Beach and Tampa. The project will be managed from the company's West Palm Beach office.

Brown and Caldwell, headquartered in Pleasant Hill, California, was established in 1947 and is a multi-discipline environmental engineering and consulting firm that provides scientific, technical and engineering design services to government and industry. The firm has offices throughout the United States, two analytical laboratories in California, approximately 800 employees, and is ranked 66th among the top 500 engineering firms by Engineering News Record.

CONTACT: Brown and Caldwell

Margaret Coles, 510/210-2272

or

Fineman Associates

Stephanie Crowley, 415/777-6933