Arcadis announced today that Gabriel Trejo, principal water engineer, has been named a recipient of the 2024 40 Under 40 Recognition Program from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES).
The AAEES’s 40 Under 40 Recognition program celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to the fields of environmental science or environmental engineering either individually or as a member of a team. Trejo’s commitment to improving drinking water quality through designing and implementing disinfection processes, as well as his mentorship of environmental engineering students and outreach to students from underrepresented communities, has earned him this well-deserved recognition.
With over 14 years at Arcadis, he leads the Disinfection and Oxidation Community of Practice in the U.S. Resilience Business Area, with project experience in California, Ohio, and Texas. His work has focused on performance upgrades to eliminate contaminants of concern and reduce the formation of disinfection byproducts. He has played a significant role in projects supporting the design and implementation of biologically active filtration and disinfection systems for water treatment plants with capacities ranging from 16 to 600 million gallons per day.
His expertise spans the entire treatment process, including updating pump stations, implementing biologically advanced filtration systems, and upgrading the disinfection processes. Projects he has supported include leading the conversion to enhanced coagulation and biologically active filtration at the 330 MGD Elm Fork water treatment plant in Dallas, TX, as well as designing a new ozonation system and conversion of dual media filters to biologically active filtration at the 16 MGD Oregon water treatment plant in Oregon, OH.
In addition to his technical leadership in water quality improvements, Trejo has been an active contributor to several committees within the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the International Ozone Association. He co-chairs the Rookie Ozone Professionals, Enthusiasts, and Students Committee of the International Ozone Association-Pan American Group, and he will also be a lead author for a chapter in the upcoming M-88 Manual of Practice published by AWWA.
Upon receiving this recognition, Gabriel said: "It's an honor to be recognized by the AAEES. I'm grateful to the resilience community for the opportunities it has provided me to help advance processes and procedures in environmental engineering. It's a joy to be in the position to help give back to communities and a responsibility I fully embrace. I look forward to the continued opportunities to mentor the next generation of environmental engineers."
The presentation of the award ceremony will take place at Howard University in Washington D.C. in April.
