Trevor Datwyler, PE, was recently promoted to manage AE2S’ new Utility Planning Practice. “The Utility Planning Practice is all about helping our clients make better decisions with their utilities,” he says. “I am excited about the unique skill set our team brings in developing tools to help our clients solve problems. Whether it’s a tool to help monitor drought severity, or a better way to track the timing and costs of capital improvement projects, our team can accomplish some really amazing things in a short amount of time.”

The Utility Planning Practice continues to help the City of Woodbury, Minnesota, develop operational strategies for mitigating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) impacts. Recently, a calibrated hydraulic model was used to help integrate a temporary water treatment plant and optimize storage and well operations when impacted wells were removed from service. The team also helped develop a risk model to aid the City of Helena, Montana in prioritizing capital replacement projects based on historical utility information.

As a second-generation engineer, Trevor always wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Civil Engineering – Hydraulics from Utah State University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Utah, Colorado, and North Dakota.

Trevor has been with AE2S for eight years. “My favorite aspect of working at AE2S is the creativity and drive our team has to solve problems for our clients.  Each project brings unique challenges, and our team is always pushing the limits to come up with the best solutions. The culture of AE2S is what sets us apart. The synergy you develop in a group of skilled professionals that are all internally driven to be the best at whatever they undertake is extremely powerful,” he says.

In his role, Trevor primarily focuses on helping clients with asset management plans and hydraulic models, but he also manages water system design projects, such as pump stations and pipeline replacements. He says his favorite project to date has been the analysis AE2S completed on the Strawberry Aqueduct & Collection System for Central Utah Water Conservancy District.

“We analyzed the hydraulics of 40 miles of six to 12-foot diameter tunnels to identify ways to improve hydraulic efficiency. We were able to use our model to identify a location where an unintended hydraulic jump was occurring inside one of the tunnels, limiting the capacity at the outlet. For validation of the model results, we fed 40 feet of half inch diameter stainless steel pipe with a go pro camera strapped to the end into the tunnel outlet, while flowing 450 cfs. Not only did we successfully complete this inspection without losing any equipment, but we successfully captured footage of the hydraulic jump occurring in real time. We’re currently designing improvements to the outlet structure to eliminate this problem,” says Trevor.

As a member of the American Public Works Association (APWA) and the American Water Works Association, Trevor is active in industry organizations. He also serves as the Technical Program Lead for the Intermountain AWWA Conference Committee.

A native of Providence, Utah, Trevor considers himself an avid outdoorsman. “If there’s an activity that gets you out in the mountains, I’m probably into it. My favorite right now is backpacking and pursuing bull elk with my children. Seeing my kids light up when they hear a bull bugling on a crisp autumn morning is one of my favorite things in life,” says Trevor. He and his wife Clare, who is also an engineer, have four children who share Trevor’s love of the outdoors. “My daughters love caring for animals and would be quite happy if we had decided to be cattle ranchers instead of engineers,” he says with a laugh. Thankfully for AE2S, Trevor chose engineering.

The Datwyler family enjoys hiking together.