King County and the City of Kent Celebrate the Lower Russell Levee Setback

One of the new picnic shelters in use.

King County recently held a celebration to mark the end of the Lower Russell Levee Setback Project and the reopening of City of Kent’s Van Doren’s Landing Park. Principal Geotechnical Engineer Henry H. Haselton, who served as Aspect’s project manager on the project, was in attendance at the culminating event.

At $58M, the Lower Russell Levee Setback Project is one of the largest multi-benefit flood control/ecosystem restoration projects in Washington. It replaced an aging flood control system along an approximately 1.4-mile corridor of the Green River in Kent with a new levee and river revetment system. This new system meets current US Army Corps of Engineers standards, is FEMA certifiable, and strengthens flood protection for nearby homes and businesses. Fish and other river dwellers benefit from the increased water conveyance and shallow, slow water areas created by the new levee setback, engineered log jams, and off-channel embayment, while those on land can enjoy enhancements to the adjacent park, including new play structures, picnic shelters, and a wildlife lookout tower.

New observation tower on the bank of the Green River.

New Mt. Rainier play structure at Van Doren’s Landing Park.

Henry led Aspect’s geotechnical engineering, engineering geology, and hydrogeologic services as part of a multidisciplinary design team led by HDR. Our work spanned from reviewing existing site data and mapping in April 2014 through developing levee design alternatives to overseeing geotechnical aspects of construction in late 2022. During that time, our team:

  • Conducted two round of subsurface explorations to supplement existing site data and mapping 

  • Collaborated with the design team to identify and address geotechnical project cost drivers, such as reuse of on-site soils and construction dewatering strategies

  • Developed geotechnical design and construction recommendations for the new setback levee and flood walls

  • Collaborated with Northwest Hydraulic Consultants to design log jams and other aquatic restoration features

  • Provided geotechnical design criteria to the Berger Partnership for new park facilities

  • Evaluated stormwater infiltration feasibility for the park via large-scale pilot infiltration tests

The project’s success is the result of years of close collaboration between King County’s Water and Land Resources Division, the City of Kent, the Muckleshoot Tribe, and the design team. Congratulations to all who contributed to this project with multiple benefits for the environment and community.

The Path to Professional License: Henry N. Haselton, PE

In the science and engineering industry, seeing a “PE”, “LG”, “PMP”, or other initials behind someone’s name shows that person went through years of work experience that culminated in a substantial test to confirm the right to practice their area of technical expertise. Many go through this licensing journey but few outside that group know what the process is really like.

We’re telling those stories here. Aspect’s professionals are writing a series of articles that capture the trials and successes of studying for and receiving these career-defining milestones.

Henry N. Haselton, Professional Engineering (PE) License

Date of Test:  October 2021

Date Awarded: December 2021

Henry at a residential reconnaissance site.

When did you start with your test prep?

I think around July, but I didn’t hit it too hard until August.

What were your study tactics? How did you get started?

Lots and lots of practice exams was my study tactic. I started by talking with Aspect folks and other friends that had just taken the exam to see what worked for them in terms of studying techniques and planning. A big first step I did in July was to outline on a calendar what days I would study and the number of hours I would spend each day to get myself up to 100 hours of study time. I don’t think I hit my exact goals, but this gave me a good outline and schedule to hold myself to.

What should a person gearing up to do this know about the mental, physical, and social challenges of test prep?

Just try to not get stressed out about the test prep and studying. At first it is intimidating because a lot of the material you review is on topics you haven’t seen since college, but in reality most of the material in the general civil category involves very simple calculations.

Walk us through the Big Test Day…

I don’t have any unique tips for the big test day, just the classics of get a good night sleep, try to stay relaxed and not stressed, and trust your studying and intuition. Test day for me was pretty funny as I showed up in a dark parking lot to see people with wheelbarrow-sized carts full of books walking across the street like zombies while I just had a little bag of books. Once I got signed into the test center and placed at my desk, I went to the bathroom while we were waiting for them to pass out tests and got scorned for doing that without permission. So overall not the best start, but it still worked out.

How did you feel when you got the results?

New PE Henry in Mexico.

It was a huge relief for sure, because you take the test and afterwards it is hard to gauge how you did or what the passing grade will be, then a couple months go by before you know anything. It’s worth mentioning though that there is no shame in not passing it on your first go; it’s just a reminder to study a little more next time around and come in more prepared and relaxed. My great friend from college who is an excellent engineer ended up failing the same test I took but passed it the next time around and is better for it. 

What lessons did you learn that you’d want others to know?

For many of us, academic life was a huge series of tests that determined your grades and continuation in school. This is just one more test in a long series, and possible the last major one you ever take. So enjoy that feeling of walking out of a big exam that you were well-prepared for. That amount of closure can be hard to find in the professional world.

Meet Nick Iapalucci and Henry N. Haselton!

Technical Support Specialist Nick Iapalucci and Staff Engineer Henry N. Haselton (definitely a relation to his uncle, Aspect’s Principal Geotechnical Engineer Henry Haselton) recently joined Aspect’s Seattle office.Here are five questions we asked to get to know them better.

Nick Iapalucci - Technical Support Specialist

Nick Iapalucci, Technical Support Specialist

  1. Where are you from?

    I grew up in Carrollton, Texas and went to college in Santa Fe, New Mexico. My wife and I were ready to expand our careers and our son was starting middle school, so after finding work in Seattle we decided to make the move!

  2. What inspired you to pursue Technical Support. What made you curious about it?

    I have been in a support role in wide variety of fields: outdoor recreation, film, theater, radio, social work, childcare, and information technology. I enjoy helping people and solving problems.

  3. What do you like best about your area of expertise? What excites you and keeps you motivated?

    I think this is a very exciting time to be working with information technology! With our advances in virtualization and connectivity, I think possibilities have expanded farther than we can imagine at this point.

  4. What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

    I have family in California, Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts so traveling is a popular activity. On the weekends we camp, hike, bike, paddle, or whatever else we can come up with outside.

  5. Where would your dream house be located?

    Nowhere permanent! Our dream house will probably be an RV someday.

Henry N. Haselton - Staff Engineer

Henry N. Haselton rating the Grand Canyon.

  1. Where are you from? If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, what brought you here?

    I grew up on the coast of Maine in a small town called Rockport. I spent the last 7 years in Bozeman, Montana, before coming to Washington. I came to the Northwest because I love the combination of the big mountains and the ocean.

  2. What inspired you to pursue geotechnical engineering? What made you curious about it?

    I was initially drawn to civil engineering because of my interest in math and science and a desire to apply these fields to real-world problems. I have always enjoyed problem solving, so civil engineering made sense as a field to pursue. Within civil engineering, I was attracted to geotechnical engineering because of the highly variable nature of soil and rock between different locations. I have always been drawn to the outdoors, so working in an engineering field that involves site-specific field investigations and learning about varying ground conditions is a great fit for me.

  3. What do you like best about your area of expertise? What excites you and keeps you motivated?

    I like that geotechnical engineering requires lots of field work and site investigations to determine the specific conditions in a given area. I enjoy learning about the natural world surrounding us and how to allow humans to inhabit places safely and sustainably. The spatially variable soil conditions and hands-on investigation keep me motivated and interested. I am excited to learn more about the geology of the Pacific Northwest and be able to apply it to geotechnical engineering.

  4. What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

    I enjoy a wide variety of outdoor recreation, including skiing, mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, and fishing. I am trying to spend more time learning some water sports such as white water rafting and surfing. I am excited to live in the Pacific Northwest so I can explore new areas for skiing and other activities.

  5. Where in the world would you like to travel next?

    There are lots of new places I would like to visit and many I want to revisit as well. Near the top of my list for new places to travel would be doing a ski trip to Chile and Argentina in our summer (winter in the southern hemisphere).