Press Releases

Forest Lake, Minnesota (March 10, 2005)--North American Wetland Engineering of Forest Lake has received the prestigious Seven Wonders award for engineering achievement from the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers. The annual competition is held to recognize excellence in the field of engineering. NAWE won the award for its design of an engineered wetland to remediate a petroleum contaminated former BP refinery in Wyoming, clearing the way for its transformation into an award winning Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course.

Entries are judged on engineering methods, systems and skills utilized; the extent that the project advances the engineering profession; project complexity; the significance of the entry to society; and the extent to which the project meets the needs of the market, client or owner. Sixteen projects were submitted in the 2005 competition.

NAWE is a pioneer in the development of engineered wetlands for wastewater treatment and remediation of contaminated sites. They are recognized worldwide for their contributions to environmental preservation and restoration. President Curt Sparks and Executive Vice President Scott Wallace have traveled around the globe participating in some of the most important world environmental engineering projects including the restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshes of Iraq, protection of the Meso-American reef in Quintana Roo, Mexico and the ecological recovery of Sri Lanka after the Tsunami.

The innovative BP system is the largest remediation wetland in North America. The Casper, Wyoming facility was one of the oldest and largest refineries in the West, operating from 1908 until 1991. As a result of common operating practices during its 80 years of operation, it is estimated that 30 million gallons of oil had leaked into the shallow aquifer adjacent to the North Platte River. BP (formerly Amoco) and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality decided to implement wetland treatment technology since the site will take 50 to 100 years to clean up.

NAWE designed the treatment system, which is integrated into the water features of an 18-hole golf course built on the former refinery site. By using new, "green" technology, as embodied by engineered wetlands, the old refinery site has been transformed from a site that once seemed destined to remain an unused brownfield to a landmark helping to redefine the community.

Since 1997, NAWE has won several environmental awards based on their innovative solutions to wastewater problems. The company won the 2004 Minnesota Environmental Initiative Award for Private Sector Environmental Management. NAWE has designed over 200 wastewater systems throughout the United States and the world.

The delegation was most intrigued by the ease of operations and maintenance of the constructed wetlands, the specific components of the treatment system such as septic tanks (which are not common use in China), and the instrumentation. The two teams discussed possible cooperative arrangements between NAWE and the New District of Shenyang Hunnan to further the Districts environmental goals.