Bountry’s award was announced at the National Society of Professional Engineers awards luncheon, held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Bountry was also selected as Reclamation Engineer of the Year.
The Federal Engineer of the Year title is an annual award sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers and the Professional Engineers in Government group. Recipients are selected from federal agencies which employ a minimum of 50 engineers across the globe. The award honors technical expertise, leadership skills, publications and community service achievements.
Working as a hydraulic engineer at the Reclamation Technical Service Center’s Sedimentation and River Hydraulics Group, Bountry has accomplished many important projects pertaining to river restoration. One such project involved the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams (located near Port Angeles, Washington) in order to restore salmon populations and honor treaty obligations with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. The same effort necessitated the management of 27 million cubic yards of reservoir sediment.
Acting Commissioner David Murillo stated that Bountry “is an outstanding and well-rounded engineer who has made key achievements in river restoration and I would like to congratulate her on her selection as Federal Engineer of the Year.”
Murillo proceeded to comment on the importance of the Bureau of Reclamation’s work: “Reclamation engineering expertise is known throughout the world and this expertise is developing tools to guide a sustainable water and power future.”
The Bureau of Reclamation is the biggest wholesale water supplier in the United States and the country’s second largest producer of hydroelectric power. In addition, the Bureau’s facilities provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits.
For more information, visit the Bureau of Reclamation’s website.
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