AHS congratulates William “Bill” Greenslade of Matrix New World Engineering, the latest recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award (LAA). The award was presented to him at this year’s symposium in Tucson.
Bill has 52 years of experience on hydrologic and environmental projects in Arizona and the Southwest. He received his B.S. (geological engineering) in 1965 and M.S. (hydrology) in 1967 from the MacKay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno. He is a registered Professional Engineer (Geological) in Arizona and a Registered Geologist in Arizona and California. Bill served on the Arizona Board of Technical Registration (BOTR) from 1999–2002 and was Vice-Chair from 2001–2002 and Chairman from 2002–2003. He currently serves on the Legislation and Rules Committee and on the BOTR’s Enforcement Advisory Council.
Bill’s professional accomplishments include conducting in-depth studies of the relationship between groundwater pumping and baseflow in many Arizona stream / river systems, including the Little Colorado, Verde, Salt, River, Gila, Santa Cruz, and San Pedro Rivers, as well as tributary creeks. Recently, he developed a groundwater flow model for the Big Chino Valley to support an application for modifying the City of Prescott’s Designation of Assured Water Supply (DAWS), successfully defending the model in appeals court. He has also assisted several Native American tribes with water supply studies and water rights disputes. Among these cases are the Northern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement to resolve claims that the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe may have to the Little Colorado River and to surface water and groundwater in the LCR watershed. He has also provided testimony on ground/surface water interrelationships in central Arizona alluvial basins for the Gila River adjudication proceedings.
Throughout his 28-year career with Dames and Moore, Bill served as both principal investigator and project manager. He directed and participated in more than 50 investigations at 18 nuclear power plant sites, which included evaluating the potential for contaminant transport, and participated in studies of environmental compliance, dewatering, stormwater diversion, and leachate collection systems for mines.
The LAA honors individuals who have contributed to AHS or to the science of hydrology within Arizona and/or who have received national recognition for their contributions in the field. The award consists of a personal recognition plaque, a rotating plaque listing all past recipients, and a $500 check to an Arizona educational organization of the recipient’s choice. AHS has awarded fourteen LAAs since 1995. To see a complete list and learn more, visit our LAA page.