EBI News for April 10, 2025 – Parsons selected for PFAS work at Tucson International

EBI News for April 10, 2025 – The following news section contains the latest stories for the environmental industry. Including, Parsons selected for PFAS work at Tucson International, acquisitions, and more!

 

Stantec announces acquisitions

Stantec (Edmonton, Alberta) is acquiring Page (Washington, D.C.), a 1,400-person architecture and engineering firm. Stantec expects the addition to position it as the second largest architecture firm in the United States and to “greatly strengthen” its position as the largest integrated engineering and architecture firm in North America. Page deepens Stantec’s resources in key growth areas such as advanced manufacturing, data centers, and healthcare. Stantec’s U.S. Buildings practice will grow by approximately 35%, and the company’s overall U.S. employee headcount will expand to approximately 13,500 people. Stantec also announced the acquisition of Ryan Hanley, a 150-person engineering and environmental consultancy with locations across Ireland. Founded in 1931, Ryan Hanley brings relationships and technical expertise related to the Irish water sector in particular and is considered an important part of Stantec’s goal of expanding its presence in Ireland. Ryan Hanley has been Stantec’s local joint venture partner since 2020, supporting Ireland’s water company, Uisce Éireann.

 

Arcadis wins share of $1.5B contract to support USAF

Arcadis (Amsterdam, Netherlands) has won a U.S. Air Force Multiple Award Task Order Contract for planning and engineering environmental services. The $1.5 billion contract focuses on conservation, cleanup, and compliance across all U.S. Air Force headquarters, major commands, and installations worldwide. With a five-year base ordering period and a single five-year option, the contract allows for a total project period of up to 10 years. Arcadis says it will introduce cutting-edge remediation techniques, including the firm’s patented Thermal In-Situ Sustainable Remediation solution, which uses solar energy to accelerate natural contaminant breakdown.

 

Parsons selected for PFAS work at Tucson International

Parsons Corporation (Chantilly, Va.) has been selected by the operator of Tucson International Airport to execute a PFAS facility investigation. “Decades of relying on PFAS-containing aqueous film-forming foam for firefighting at airports has led to PFAS impacts and associated risks to the environment, as well as human and ecological health,” said Mark Fialkowski, president of Infrastructure North America for Parsons. “Our team provides experts who can guide both military and civilian airports through all aspects of PFAS from assessment to remediation.” In February Parsons acquired TRS Group Inc., a specialist in PFAS, thermal and holistic environmental remediation, for $36 million. 

 

Improving water treatment with AI-powered soft sensors

In a recent issue of Water Innovations, senior technologists from Carollo Engineers (Walnut Creek, Calif.) and an Oregon State University professor explore how soft sensors powered by machine learning are revolutionizing potable water reuse systems. The authors discuss how soft sensors—intelligent algorithms that predict water quality based on existing operational data—offer a faster, more cost-effective way to optimize treatment compared to traditional methods using physical sensors and laboratory testing. Two case studies illustrate how Carollo has applied these innovations in real-world settings, demonstrating their potential to enhance efficiency and sustainability.

 

Aqua Strategies joins Hazen and Sawyer

Hazen and Sawyer (New York, N.Y.) announced that water-resources firm Aqua Strategies (Austin, Texas) has joined the firm. All 10 of Aqua Strategies’ staff are now part of Hazen’s growing Water Resources practice. Described as a merger of complementary skills sets, the new team members bring expertise in hydrology, hydraulics, water quality and sediment modeling, permitting, drought and climate change modeling, and water availability modeling and planning. Aqua Strategies’ experience in international water resources consulting also complements Hazen’s recent expansions into the UK, Canada and other countries. The CEO of Aqua Strategies has become vice president and leader in Hazen’s Water Resources practice.

 

EA awarded Howard County environmental contract

EA (Hunt Valley, Md.) has been awarded a contract by Howard County, Md. for environmental investigation and compliance services. The 12-month contract may be renewed for five years. EA has a long-standing relationship with Howard County, having provided environmental services under previous contracts over the last 16 years. The Howard County Department of Public Works also contracts with EA to provide Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments. Under this new award, EA will provide a comprehensive range of environmental services. EA has more than 250 environmental professionals within 30 miles of Howard County. 

 

SWCA solidifies presence in Minnesota

SWCA Environmental Consultants (Phoenix, Ariz.), a 100% employee-owned firm, has set up a new office in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, enhancing SWCA’s ability to serve clients in Minnesota and the Great Lakes region while also attracting “top-tier talent.” In Minnesota, SWCA serves industries such as transmission, generation, transportation and mining, addressing issues like water quality, invasive species, land development impacts, wetland and habitat degradation, threatened species, and coastal resiliency along the Great Lakes. SWCA is growing significantly in the Great Lakes region, with its Chicago office celebrating more than a decade in business and a New Buffalo, Mich. office opening in 2024. With the addition of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul office, SWCA now has more than 1,700 employees across 45 offices nationwide and in Mexico.

 

AECOM wins USACE remediation contract

AECOM (Kansas City) has been awarded a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Kansas City District. The contract, which has a ceiling of $225 million, will see AECOM continuing to provide environmental remediation services across the USACE Northwestern Division and U.S. EPA Region 2. AECOM’s scope of work will include site investigation, remedial investigation and design, feasibility studies for PFAS, chemical sampling and testing, groundwater modeling, community and stakeholder engagement, and engineering during construction. AECOM will collaborate with three specialty small businesses, including HUBZone-certified FPM Remediations Inc. under a U.S. Small Business Administration mentor-protégé agreement. 

 

Tetra Tech acquires Irish firm Carron + Walsh

Tetra Tech Inc. (Pasadena, Calif.) has acquired Carron + Walsh, an Irish management consulting firm that provides project and cost management for large-scale commercial, life sciences, residential, and infrastructure programs across Europe. Carron + Walsh has relationships and framework agreements with life sciences’ clients, public sector bodies, housing authorities, financial lenders and private development companies.  “We are very pleased to welcome Carron + Walsh to Tetra Tech,” said Dan Batrack, Tetra Tech chairman and CEO. “Carron + Walsh further expands Tetra Tech’s client network and cross-selling opportunities in the delivery of critical infrastructure programs in the Republic of Ireland.”

 

Kinnetic Environmental to join Integral Consulting

Integral Consulting Inc. (Boulder, Colo.), an environmental, scientific, and engineering consulting firm, announced the acquisition of Kinnetic Environmental Inc. (KEI, Los Alamitos, Calif.) with offices in California and Alaska. KEI performs marine and freshwater sediment and water quality studies and the planning, collection, and evaluation of dredged materials from ports, harbors, estuaries, rivers, lakes, and the open ocean. Ken Kronschnabl, CEO of KEI, noted: “For many years we have worked side-by-side with Integral. We felt this was the right time for our firms to join forces and continue to build a preeminent environmental services firm.”

 

Gonzalez Companies acquires FPBH

Gonzalez Companies LLC (St. Louis, Mo.) announced the acquisition of FPBH Inc., a civil engineering and environmental firm headquartered in North Vernon, Ind. with additional offices in Seymour and New Castle, Ind. With a staff of approximately 16 professionals, FPBH has a track record of supporting municipal clients across the region. The addition of FPBH is expected to strengthen Gonzalez’s design and construction service capabilities in water, wastewater, stormwater, surveying, commercial development, and local agency (roadway) projects. Established in 1999, Gonzalez Companies is a civil engineering and construction management firm with a team of over 230 employees across 13 offices in 16 states throughout the Midwest. Gonzalez is part of the Trilon Group, which received Morrissey Goodale’s Most Prolific and Proficient Acquirer award in 2025.

 

Analysis shows big differences in states’ wastewater recycling

To assess water recycling across the Colorado River Basin and its affected states, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, in partnership with Natural Resources Defense Council, has investigated water recycling progress and policy development across Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Across the Colorado River Basin an average of 26% of municipal wastewater from POTWs was recycled, but there were striking differences between states prioritizing reuse and those falling behind. Top water recycling states were Arizona, reusing 52% of treated wastewater, and Nevada, as much as 85%. California, which produces by far the largest volume of wastewater, only recycled 22% of its treated wastewater in 2022. Of the remaining states, New Mexico recycled 18%, Colorado 3.6%, Utah less than 1%, and Wyoming 3.4%. The analysis is based on 2022 data from POTWs processing more than 1 million gallons per day. Researchers noted having to call treatment plants one by one, underscoring what researchers described as a “data desert” due to the absence of consistent reporting systems. The overdrawn Colorado River supplies water to more than 40 million people.

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