Press Releases

Forest Lake, Minnesota (April 2005) - North American Wetland Engineering LLC (NAWE) announces the addition of David Austin, P.E. to their ecological engineering team. Mr. Austin is internationally recognized as one of the leading experts in tidal flow wetland systems, a role he will continue at NAWE as Vice President of Ecological Design. NAWE is recognized worldwide for their contributions to ecological engineering and environmental restoration, having won numerous regional and national awards on previous projects.

"We are very excited to have David joining us", says Curt Sparks, President of NAWE. "The combination of David Austin and Scott Wallace (Executive Vice President and co-founder of NAWE) brings together the two leading ecological designers in the United States. Scott Wallace holds four patents in this field, and David Austin holds four, with additional patents pending. We believe this combined intellectual property and expertise establishes NAWE as the key developer of future technology in the ecological engineering field."

NAWE engineers participate in some of the most important environmental engineering projects around the globe. These include the protection of the Meso-American Reef in Mexico, restoration of the Yarqon River in Israel, and discussions regarding the restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshes in Iraq. Closer to home, NAWE engineers are leaders in developing innovative, cost-effective wastewater solutions for small communities and residential developments. Reflecting their commitment to small communities, NAWE-designed projects have been the recipients of three Earth Day funding awards by USDA Rural Development in Minnesota and Wisconsin over the last two years.

Mr. Austin holds a BA in Mathematics from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, a MS in Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California - Davis. He is a registered Professional Engineer and a Certified Ecologist. He is one of the leading designers of Living Machine® treatment systems. Prior to joining NAWE, Mr. Austin served as Director of Research and Development for Dharma Living Systems Inc. (DLS). NAWE and DLS continue to enjoy a close working relationship.