Nelson Dos Santos passes on good advice: “You are only as good as your last project so make sure every project is done right.”

Nelson, left with co-worker Andre Blanchard

Growing up with his father, older brother, and uncles all in the construction business, Nelson Dos Santos recalls the talk around the dinner table focusing on building things.

His parents immigrated to Canada in the early 1970’s and raised three children. Nelson recalls, “It was a comfortable home, but we were never spoiled. We were encouraged to work hard at school and, when we were old enough, we were encouraged to work part time. We were always reminded that things may be good today, but we need to think about tomorrow.”

A strong work ethic was an important part of the Dos Santos family, and both his parents and his older brother played a key role in ensuring that Nelson pursued an academic path.

Initially Nelson thought he would pursue a career in architecture; however, he ended up at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Science. Two years into the program he realized that he “needed to focus on something more defined” and so he transferred to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology where he completed the Civil Engineering Technology program.

As a technologist, Nelson worked with an engineer who suggested that he should pursue his degree. “He really taught me to always ask questions and to know why I am doing things and not just blindly following instructions. We continued to correspond as friends long after I left that job.”

After working as a civil technologist for a year, Nelson decided to return to the University of Alberta to the Faculty of Engineering where he obtained a degree in civil engineering. When Nelson graduated from the engineering program, he started working for Associated Engineering. “My first experience was working with Project Manager Gene Luchka.” Nelson recalls, “Gene introduced me to “real” engineering and taught me some of the basic skills, which I still use today, though I have not quite accepted the three-piece suit as everyday office attire.”

Nelson is appreciative of the fact that he has been able to work with many of the engineers in the office throughout his career at Associated Engineering. “Dean Reidt and Herb Kuehne have been involved in most of the projects I have worked on. I have learned a lot about our business from them. As a junior engineer I was always amazed at how they could look at a set of drawings and specifications and, at a glance, point out things that I had missed.” Both Herb and Dean taught Nelson to look at the big picture, look at the basics, and think about how a project might get built. He also credits them for teaching the importance of commitment to a project and the project team.

As a Project Manager, Nelson admires the qualities of those project managers he has worked with in the past. “I have always been impressed by how some project managers can stay cool under pressure; Blair Birch is one of those who has shown me the importance of keeping calm. I have sat in meetings with Blair where his calm and relaxed personality has diffused a tense situation."

In addition to being able to stay cool and diffuse situations, Nelson has learned that client relationships are the key to success. He credits Herb Kuehne for this lesson. “Herb’s level of energy is unbeatable, and I am always amazed at how he can control a meeting. He has shown the importance of knowing the client and knowing what they need. Herb uses the philosophy that the client is always right, and has instilled in me that you are only as good as your last project so you have to make sure every project is done right.”

When asked what his most memorable experiences have been at Associated Engineering, Nelson speaks of the projects that he has been able to work on from design to construction phases. “I have been involved in the Southeast Regional Water Supply Line, the Lower Townsite East Loop Road, and the Confederation Way Twinning in Fort McMurray. I also had the opportunity to work on the Vancouver South Airfield Upgrade and the Edmonton International Airport Apron Expansion. These were unique projects that posed some interesting engineering challenges and provided opportunities for me to learn and grow.”

Calgary NW Inner City Stormwater Study takes advantage of GIS software
to create hydraulic model

In June 2007 the City of Calgary experienced a major storm event which resulted in significant structural damage to 14thStreet NW between 16thAvenue and 8thAvenue. As a result of this storm, the City engaged Associated Engineering to prepare a detailed hydraulic model, analyze the drainage system, and identify and evaluate improvement options to increase the level of service.

The contributing drainage area for this study consists of nearly 1500 hectares of residential, commercial, and institutional development. Considering the size of the study area and the degree of sophistication required in the analysis, Associated Engineering selected the MIKE Urban software for this project. Project Engineer Andrew Wiens advises, “To date, we have set up and tested the model. The results from flow and rain monitoring will be used to calibrate the model. Once we have calibrated the model, we can provide the City with recommendations for improvements.”

The City requested that the drainage model include a detailed over- land flow network for the entire watershed, and account for the inlet capacity to the pipe network based on the catch basin locations, type, and connectivity. In addition, the City also wanted a detailed catchment delineation, with an average catchment size of 2 hectares. These additional features allow for an evaluation of overland flow routing, surface storage within street sags, and the ability of the catch basins to allow flow into and out of the pipe network.

Applying advanced Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques to the City’s raw data resulted in the highly automated development of links and nodes to describe the overland flow network within defined roadways. This in turn allowed for the efficient development of over 3000 overland flow channels and over 2300 nodes. The overland flow network also includes nodes at sags and crests along the road alignments to account for storage and diversion of flows in areas where ponding may occur.

The raw GIS data consisted of over 800 pipes, 750 manholes, and 3000 catch basins. The pipe system is connected to the overland flow network based on the existing catch basin locations and connectivity. Nearly 1360 orifices are used to describe the inlet capacity of the catch basin system as well as the surcharge capacity of the catch basin’s and unsealed manholes. In addition, over 50 weirs are used to describe other overland flow paths within and out of the watershed area.

Our team used GIS software to automate catchment delineation to the catch basin level. Using GIS allowed for the efficient development of the catchment attributes, saving a lot of time on the model development.

“During the analysis phase we will consider different rainfall events, several outfall boundary conditions and different improvement options,” says Andrew. “The review and efficient analysis of output data for such a large model with so many different conditions would be very challenging without the use of GIS software.”

Development of the hydraulic and hydrologic model was completed by Andrew Wiens, Corinne Wotton and Marie Eve Reynaud. GIS assistance was provided by David Watt, James Burn, Tanya Stephens, and Jennifer Disher of our Asset Management Group in St. Catharines. Duane Strayer is leading this project, which exemplifies how GIS software and GIS data can be applied to efficiently create very detailed databases, such as hydraulic models.

Looking North on 14th Street NW Calgary