Freese and Nichols, Inc. announced today that Mark Graves, P.E., a nationally recognized expert in membrane technology, is joining the firm’s water treatment and reuse team as a senior project manager in the Austin office. In this role, Graves will lead the development and execution of water treatment and reuse projects across Central Texas. Graves will also contribute as a senior advisor and technical expert to projects companywide.
“Austin and its surrounding cities are among the fastest-growing in the nation, and these municipalities are taking a hard look at the most efficient way to provide quality water services to increasing populations,” said Robert Pence, P.E., CEO of Freese and Nichols. “The addition of Mark Graves enhances the value that Freese and Nichols brings to our municipal partners by offering a new level of national insight to these challenging treatment projects.”
Throughout his 18-year career, Graves has acquired a deep bench of knowledge in water supply planning, water treatment process engineering and wastewater and reuse engineering. He has managed numerous bench scale and pilot studies for treatment process selection and optimization, and has been involved in the development of numerous water supply studies, water quality improvement studies, water supply, treatment and quality evaluations, treatment system designs, groundwater and seawater desalination strategies, and disinfection strategies.
Graves has worked on projects for numerous Texas agencies, including the Brazos, Guadalupe-Blanco, Lavaca-Navidad, San Antonio and San Jacinto river authorities and the Texas Water Development Board Planning Groups for Region G in the Brazos River basin, Region L in South Central Texas and Region N in the Coastal Bend. He has also worked with municipal water utilities statewide, including the San Antonio Water System and the cities of Corpus Christi, Kerrville, Pflugerville and Round Rock.
In addition to establishing himself as a highly respected treatment engineer in Texas, Graves is considered a national expert in membrane technology. He worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on developing the design criteria and cost curves for selected water treatment technologies that include membrane treatment, ozone, biologically active filtration and granular activated carbon (GAC) absorption, and he lends his insight to the American Water Works Association (AWWA) as a member of the national Membrane and Disinfection Standards Committees along with serving locally as the AWWA Central Texas Seminar Chair.
Graves earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, and his master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Freese and Nichols, Inc. is a professional consulting firm serving clients across the Southwest and Southeast United States. With sustainability in mind, Freese and Nichols plans, designs and manages infrastructure projects. It is the only engineering/architecture firm to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Learn more at www.freese.com.
