Water & Air Research, Inc. (Water & Air) was founded September 30, 1970. The founders were a well-credentialed group of engineers and scientists with close ties to the University of Florida Department of Environmental Engineering. The company’s first brochure noted that “the symbol we’ve chosen depicts the atmosphere, the water, and the land as a unified whole. And our services move across the spectrum of the science of ecology, broadly defined as the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment. Water & Air was formed in response to a need. A need for an interdisciplinary approach to producing solutions to environmental problems.” Through the years the symbol, with some minor tinkering, has remained the same, as has the interdisciplinary approach to producing solutions to environmental problems.
Almost immediately after the company was formed, the Corps of Engineers in Jacksonville awarded Water & Air a contract to measure water quality in the conservation areas between Everglades National Park and Lake Okeechobee. This one contract was our major income during the first six months of our existence and certainly got us off on the right foot. In the early 1970s, Water & Air’s work focused on waste treatment plants, phosphate companies, permitting, and environmental impact assessment.
In the mid and late 1970s, Water & Air worked on so-called 208 projects that were area-wide water quality impact and planning projects related to both point and nonpoint waste impacts. One of these was for the Central Florida Regional Planning Council and the other was for the Lowcountry Planning Council in South Carolina. Later, Water & Air was heavily involved with the Army and EPA in assessing the impact of munitions wastes on receiving waters. Work was done in at least five different Army installations where munitions were manufactured. The legacy of environmental assessment work done by Water & Air continues to this day. By the end of the decade, Water & Air’s staff had increased to approximately 20 persons.
Founders
James H. Sullivan Jr., Ph.D. University of Florida
Herbert A. Bevis P.E., PhD. University of Florida
Thomas deS Furman, P.E., M.S.E. University of Florida
James B. Lackey, Ph.D. Columbia University
Jackson L. Fox, Ph.D. University of Minnesota
1980- 1989
A number of different trends in the environmental industry influenced Water & Air’s fortunes in the 1980s. The advent of federal hazardous waste regulations (RCRA and Superfund) in the late 1970s and early 1980s created numerous opportunities for assessment and clean-up work. Water & Air conducted work for the Air Force and Army under the Department of Defense’s Installation Restoration (IR) program. Water & Air at the end of the decade began preparing environmental assessments for property transactions. We were one of the first firms to enter this market and it continues today as an important facet of our business.
During the 1980s Water & Air began a long relationship with the United States Navy. Major projects included initial assessment studies at three installations (Camp LeJuene, Cherry Point, and Norfolk), baseline studies and NEPA documentation at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Station, and major NEPA documents for the Navy’s Gulfcoast Homeporting effort and LCAC. Work for the Army Corp of Engineers carried over from the 1970s with projects for both the Savannah District and Mobile District, primarily evaluating the impacts of navigational improvements and dam construction.
Florida’s rapid growth in the 1980s, while not reaching north central Florida to the degree it did in other areas, did result in numerous Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs) in central Florida and northeast Florida. Water & Air prepared baseline studies detailing the impact of these major developments on infrastructure and the environment. These included: Tri-County Villages (Sumter County), Cala Hills (Marion County), Rock Crusher Road (Citrus County), Stonecrest (Marion County), Paddock Park (Marion County), Fairfield Communities (Jacksonville), and Windsor Park (Duval County), to name a few.
Water & Air continued to work for the phosphate industry assessing biological impacts from mining and preparing restoration plans. The company began its relationship with Tampa Bay Water, examining the effects of water withdrawals on biological communities. This relationship has continued to the present. There were many more small and large projects conducted during the 1980s not mentioned here. As the decade came to a close, Water & Air’s staff had increased to approximately 30 persons.
1990-1999
During the 1990s, Water & Air adapted to changing markets in a maturing environmental consulting industry. Water & Air’s core services remained remarkably stable. We continued our relationships with Tampa Bay Water (formerly West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority), Southern Division Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Florida Tile, North Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Georgia Pacific, and Taylor Engineering. Each of these clients provided the company with significant long-term projects that lasted much of the decade. New clients included Florida Department of Transportation, Offshore Shipbuilding, Tampa Electric Company, Alachua County, the City of Gainesville, Polk County, and St. Johns River Water Management District.
Begun in the late 1980s, the environmental audit facet of our business became a cornerstone of the company’s success during the decade as Water and Air’s environmental engineers and geologists conducted assessments throughout the United States. Water & Air staff expanded their capabilities in this area, entering more into the remedial design and clean-up phase of the hazardous waste work.
Other key projects during the 1990s included the Environmental Assessment and Habitat Management Plan for the beaches of Volusia County, Habitat Management Plans for Coleman Prison, and Orange Blossom Gardens, and numerous multiple audits for lending institutions.
As the decade drew to a close, Water & Air saw a significant expansion of its water quality investigations, prompting the addition of many new staff members. Two of Water & Air’s more esoteric specialties – benthic and algae identification – also experienced resurgence. Finally, Water & Air ventured into the development services arena in the Gainesville area by offering civil engineering and planning services to the local development community.
Water & Air’s infrastructure changed dramatically in the mid-1990s as we moved to our new offices. With the new building came a new phone system, computers, and a network. The vehicle fleet expanded to seven vehicles. Field equipment has also expanded dramatically to meet the increased demand for quality baseline environmental data. Staff size continued to grow, closing the decade at approximately 40 persons.
2000- 2009
Water & Air entered the new millennium on strong footing. The company has weathered many of the storms that have changed the environmental consulting landscape. We have not experienced flashy growth but have steadily increased our staff size over our thirty years. Our core capabilities have proven to be remarkably stable. As we enter the new millennium, we have the benefit of three decades of experience before us and we are blessed with continuity in our staff. Water & Air continues to strive to produce quality work at a fair price for its clients and to provide challenging work in an easy-going work environment to its employees.