Geoscientist-in-Training, Neal Barretto, is making his mark in the community as a hydrogeologist, volunteer, and musician. During the day, Neal, who is based in our Calgary office, applies his hydrogeology training in the field, collaborating with contractors and subconsultants to manage groundwater. Neal assisted in a large-scale groundwater dewatering project for a landfill in Hong Kong.

He oversaw drilling, testing, and installing infrastructure for several complex, groundwater wells. Neal’s wide variety of experience also includes inspecting cisterns for the Keshawn First Nation, taking stream flow measurements for the Calgary International Airport, and completing groundwater monitoring for the Francis Cooke Landfill near Exshaw, AB. In addition, Neal was a member of the multi-discipline team that won several awards for the Calgary Zoo Flood Mitigation project. He showcased the team’s work with a poster presentation at the 2019 Western Canadian Water Conference, which received the conference’s poster presentation award.

Outside of the office, Neal thrives on building relationships with people in and outside of the industry. He has been heavily involved with the Calgary Stampede for the past 15 years. Beginning as a member of the marching band program, then working in the front office and teaching the youth programs from 2013-2018, Neal now volunteers for a couple different sub-committees within the Stampede. Volunteering in a community-based program has been very rewarding and has given Neal the chance to interact with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences. He has also enjoyed travelling around the world and making lifelong friendships along the way. Through his professional and volunteer work, Neal is shaping our shared future.