History
In 1907, Leonard Metcalf, a Boston civil engineer whose specialty was water supply issues, and Harrison Eddy, superintendent of the sewer department in Worcester, Massachusetts, were introduced by a professor at Worcester Polytechnic. Shortly thereafter, they decided to join forces and create an environmental engineering firm called Metcalf & Eddy.
A Tradition of Innovation
From the very beginning, they were innovators. Their Gloversville sewage experiment station in upstate New York was one of the first in the nation to investigate treatment methods for sewage heavily charged with industrial wastes. There they designed and constructed the Dortmund tanks and trickling system for preliminary local treatment of the region's tannery wastes. This M&E innovative pre-treatment of industrial wastes waited another 70 years before becoming national policy!
Before World War I, the two men wanted to contribute to the next generation's environmental engineering education, so they prepared a comprehensive three-volume treatise: American Sewerage Practice. It was the first of four editions of what became the largest selling textbook of its kind, and currently the standard used by companies and universities worldwide. The fourth edition, Wastewater Engineering Treatment and Reuse was published in 2002.
Growth and Contraction Between the Wars
After World War I, our founders' business horizon expanded as they began designing water treatment and wastewater plants in such cities as Milwaukee, Chicago, Dayton and Toronto. Their reputation spread accordingly, to the point where the senior staff was asked to give expert testimony in several high profile, public works trials in New York collectively known as "The Queens Sewer Scandal."
The Great Depression changed the business, forcing a belt-tightening as the now 8 partners tried to keep as many staffers on the payroll as possible. They effectively replaced disappearing design work with more and more studies. But it wasn't until the onset of federally funded water distribution and wastewater treatment work that the firm's fortunes stabilized.
World War II brought more change with work on projects such as the Bermuda Air Base, calling for treatment of waste created at military installations from the manufacturing of explosives. This military connection continued after the war with such projects as the early warning radar defense systems in Alaska and Greenland, which helped develop the firm's expertise in extreme cold weather engineering.
Part of the Post-1945 Boom
The 1950s and 1960s witnessed a broadening of M&E's engineering capabilities to meet the challenges posed by the increasing toxic wastes generated by post-war industry, and the accompanying surge of federal environmental legislation. The company expanded into solid waste management, contaminated groundwater remediation and air pollution control. It also added general engineering work with such projects as the rehabilitation of Anchorage, Alaska after the 1964 earthquake.
It was also at this time that M&E started to become an international company, successfully expanding into other countries with projects that dealt with water supply and sewerage problems in places like Burma, India and Iran.
Changes in Ownership
In 1967, M&E's sixty years as a partnership ended when Bangor Punta investment group bought out the partners. This was the first of several ownership changes, as M&E was bought first by Research Cottrell, then by Air & Water Technologies, and then by Vivendi. In 2001, M&E became the environmental flagship of AECOM Technology Corporation.
Recent High-Profile and Innovative Projects
The 1970s saw the beginning of two wastewater projects that were pivotal to M&E's future success: the Blue Plains advanced wastewater treatment plant in Washington, D.C. where upgrades and operational support continue today; and the completion of the EMMA Study, which laid the foundation for the $4 billion Boston Harbor Project and the Deer Island treatment plant, which by project completion in 2002 had become one of the great American environmental success stories of our times.
The 1990s proved once again that innovation is the key to success. In Florida, M&E designed water treatment plants featuring sophisticated membrane treatment technologies to solve the problems of brackish water supplies. In New York City, M&E worked with the NYCDEP on pilot research to determine the most cost-effective method of biological nutrient removal (BNR) from wastewater treatment plants to help ensure that plant effluent didn't pollute Long Island Sound. And in Cleveland, M&E used cutting-edge modeling techniques to help plan wet weather controls.
New Directions
Today, under the leadership of Steve Guttenplan, M&E is playing a leading role in creating or developing the scientific and technological advances that are reshaping environmental practice around the world. Taking advantage of new developments in bio-engineering, including the applicataion of DNA sequencing, M&E's research helps maximize the effectiveness of processes such as biological nutrient removal at New York City's wastewater treatment plants and address the challenges posed by emerging contaminants of concern. As we look ahead to our centennial in 2007, we remain committed to our tradition of pioneering environmental services that protect the public, the environment and our clients.
