Movers and Shakers
Cliff McLain
July 1972…for me, I was 2-1/2 years old. For Cliff McLain, he was just beginning what was a storied career of almost 38 years for Moorhead Public Service (MPS). There are some that say, “all good things must come to an end”, and for Cliff his retirement as the Water Division Manager at MPS means countless hours of fishing for that elusive walleye on Franklin Lake just outside of Pelican Rapids.
After graduating from Moorhead State University Moorhead in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Cliff’s career began at MPS as a water plant operator. He was initially responsible for the development of the water quality control laboratory with implementation of certification for bacteriological analysis. After receiving his Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from North Dakota State University in 1979, Cliff was promoted to Water Plant Supervisor. He became the Water Division Manager in 1983 with the additional responsibility for the distribution system. He has been involved in numerous water projects over his career at MPS including the design and construction of new well fields in the Buffalo aquifer, pilot studies for dual media filters and ozone disinfection, and the design and construction of a 10-million gallon per day (MGD) lime-soda ash softening treatment plant with ozone disinfection (the first of its kind in Minnesota), to name a few. Cliff was also responsible for developing the water main and meter replacement programs, wellhead protection plan and implementation, source water assessment, and security plan for MPS.
Cliff has long been recognized as a leader in the drinking water industry within the State of Minnesota. In addition to being a Registered Professional Sanitary Engineer in Minnesota, Cliff holds a Class A Minnesota Water Supply System Operator license. It was Cliff’s passion for serving the water industry that led him to become involved in the Minnesota Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) back in 1980…when the Minnesota Section was a part of the North Central Section.
Cliff’s service to AWWA was no less than extraordinary. From 1983 through 1991, Cliff served on the Board of Trustees and was a member of the Section Education and Membership Committees. He served as the Minnesota Section Chair in 1989 through 1990. In 1994, Cliff was honored for his distinguished service and commitment to the water supply industry by being selected as the George Warren Fuller Award winner for the Minnesota Section. Since 2000, Cliff served nine years on the AWWA Standards Council, including a term as Vice-Chair. He was the liaison to the Technical and Education Council, Utility Quality Programs Committee, and the Water Utility Council. He is presently the Chair of the AWWA Standards Council Disinfectants Committee and serves on the NSF 60/61 Joint Committee- Drinking Water Additives. He was further honored for his contributions to the Minnesota Section and the water supply industry in 2006 by being awarded the Leonard N. Thompson Award. In addition to his involvement in AWWA, Cliff has actively been involved in other civic water industry activities including the Clay County Planning Commission, the Red River Basin Water Quality Team, the Lake Agassiz Water Authority, the Clay County Local Water Plan Advisory Committee, and River Keepers.
Cliff and his wife, Janeen, live in Moorhead. Their son Daniel will graduate from Moorhead High School and attend the University of Minnesota this fall. Cliff’s other three children live in the Fargo-Moorhead area. After retirement, Cliff plans to travel, work on his house, and catch a lot of fish.
--written by Brian Bergantine, AE2S
John Friel, PE, recently joined Short Elliot Hendrickson’s (SEH) St. Paul Wastewater Group as a Sr. Professional Engineer. He is responsible for providing technical assistance and direction to clients on municipal and industrial wastewater issues, design and construction administration for wastewater treatment facilities, wastewater treatability studies, facility planning, and technical review.
Prior to joining SEH, John spent the last 15 years serving as a project engineer, project manager and senior civil engineer at AECOM, Bonestroo and Barr Engineering. His experience at AECOM and Bonestroo included managing and project engineering municipal water and wastewater projects throughout the U.S.; and his most recent experience at Barr included working on water, stormwater, and wastewater evaluation and design projects for private mining, power, and other industrial clients.
John earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Marquette University, a master of business administration from DePaul University, and a master of science in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota.
John is a member of Engineers without Borders, he is the Minnesota Section Vice Chair of the Central States Water Environment Association (CSWEA), and he has sat on committees for the Minnesota Section of the American Water Works Association (MNAWWA), Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), and American Consulting Engineering Companies Minnesota (ACEC/MN). John is a licensed professional engineer in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Mark Wallis, P.E. has joined MSA’s Duluth office as a Water Specialist and Senior Project Manager. He will be responsible for leading their Minnesota water specialty group. For the past 25 years, he worked at a Twin Cities firm where he prepared water system master plans, distribution system hydraulic modeling, and designed water utility facilities for more than 20 cities and townships. He is a licensed professional civil engineer in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Christopher Larson, PE, recently joined Short Elliot Hendrickson’s (SEH) St. Paul Water Group as a Sr. Professional Engineer. He is responsible for providing technical assistance and direction to clients on municipal and industrial water issues, design and construction administration for water treatment facilities and appurtenances, water studies, facility planning, and technical review.
Prior to joining SEH, Chris spent the last 15 years serving as a project engineer and project manager at Dames & Moore, Clayton Environmental, Bonestroo, and HR Green. His experience included designing and managing municipal water treatment plant projects, wastewater projects, and major sewer conveyance projects. Chris is the Engineer for the Joint Powers Water Board of St. Michael, Albertville, and Hanover where he is working on the only Aquifer Storage and Recovery project in Minnesota.
Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1995 and a master’s of science in environmental engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2007.
Chris sits on the Research and MAC committees for the Minnesota Section of the American Water Works Association (MNAWWA). As part of the MAC committee, Chris is in charge of the Pipe Tapping Competition that will debut at the 2010 MNAWWA Annual Conference.
Chris is a licensed professional engineer in Minnesota.
October 2008
Bob Cockriel, Utilities Superintendent, for the city of Bloomington was awarded the Minnesota Public Works Association (MPWA) Superintendent of the year.
The purpose of the award is to recognize public works individuals from all management levels who have made significant contributions to the profession.
Bob has served the public for over 30 years. Bob received his bachelor's degree in Public Administration from Metropolitan State University. He later received a master's degree in Infrastructure Systems Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Congratulations, Bob!
September 2007
Karla Peterson has succeeded Dick Clark, who retired in July, as supervisor of the Community Water Supply Unit in the Minnesota Department of Health Section of Drinking Water Protection (DWP).
Karla came to MDH in June of 1994 after receiving her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota, taking over the duties of plan reviews, certification, and fluoridation. She later got her master’s degree in public administration from Hamline University in St. Paul. Karla has been the manager for a number of Safe Drinking Water Act rules and is also the chair of the Minnesota Section AWWA.
March 2007
Chris Catlin is the new superintendent of water plant operations for Minneapolis Water Works, reporting to Shahin Rezania, the director of Water Treatment and Distribution Services.