Lonnie Howard began working for Johnson Engineering in 1994 after completing the University of Florida’s graduate program in groundwater and open channel hydraulics. Currently, the director of our groundwater resources team, Lonnie has also served on the company’s Board of Directors for the past seven years.
For more than 18 years, Lonnie has worked on hundreds of projects for municipalities, utilities, private developers, and agricultural clients. His extensive experience providing clients hydrological and hydrogeological services includes performing hydrogeological investigations, well construction, wellfield design, well abandonments, well rehabilitations, groundwater modeling, hydraulic modeling, hydrologic modeling, computer programming, deep injection well design and construction oversight, water supply planning, utility certification through the Federal Public Service Commission, and water use permitting for public water supply, irrigation, and dewatering, just to name a few. He has also provided expert testimony before hearing examiners related to zoning cases and before the Governor’s cabinet pertaining to water supply and hydrogeology at the Babcock Ranch.

If you want to find Lonnie outside of Johnson Engineering, more often than not he’ll be in the field standing on the side of his well drilling rig. He is a licensed water well contractor, as well as a professional engineer, which gives him unique insight to both sides of groundwater projects. Lonnie is passionate about any endeavor he takes on. He is a hard working, hands-on leader who isn’t afraid to take off his tie, roll up his sleeves and get dirty. He has considerable accomplishments and qualifications; his infectious enthusiasm and his collaborative experience in developing and innovating water supply solutions provide an essential base for the continued advancement of the company.

When Lonnie isn’t drilling wells, he’s spending time with his large family in LaBelle. A fifth generation Floridian, raised in Hendry/Glades Counties, Lonnie is extremely active in his community. He sits on the Hendry County Construction Industry Licensing Board and is also a strong supporter of the LaBelle Youth Soccer Association, LaBelle Junior Pro Basketball and LaBelle Quarterback Club. Lonnie’s wife Vanita and their three children can be found at church every Sunday morning and out on Lake Placid spending time with family and enjoying their boat.

Lonnie is a solution driven leader who will bring Johnson Engineering into what he likes to call the ‘Solution Generation.’ Lonnie will provide leadership and direction in the areas of strategic planning, development and service management. He will work directly with each market leader in building a strong solution-oriented strategic vision for the company’s future. We are excited about these changes and to embark on this journey. With the beginning of this new era at Johnson Engineering, we look towards the future with hope and anticipation.

Contact Lonnie with any questions at mkt@johnsoneng.com.

In addition to odor detection, our team also conducts noise monitoring services, recording noise in decibel units around property boundaries to verify they remain in compliance of noise ordinances.
For more information about odor and noise monitoring services, please contact environmental scientist Tim Denison at mkt@johnsoneng.com.

Andy Tilton, P.E., our senior environmental professional, has conducted numerous environmental site assessments for a wide range of private sector clients as well as governmental agencies throughout Southwest Florida. Tim Denison, our lead environmental scientist, recently completed training in American Standard Testing and Methods (ASTM) 1527 for Environmental Site Assessments. Under Andy’s charge, Tim will be providing Phase 1 and Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessments for our clients when needed.

For more information on environmental site assessments, contact Tim Denison at mkt@johnsoneng.com.

At this year’s FGCU President’s Scholarship luncheon, our transportation design technician, Sabrina Smith was recognized as this year’s recipient of the 2011-2012 Johnson Engineering Endowed Scholarship.

Gary Bull, Johnson Engineering’s chief financial officer, announced his retirement after 26 years of service. Gary served on the company’s Board of Directors and was director of the administrative market group. Gary handled the finances, client relations and contract management, as well as growth and risk management for the company.

We thank Gary and Don for their valued years of service to Johnson Engineering and wish them well in their retirements. Should you have any questions, please contact Kevin Winter at 239.461.2473 or kwinter@johnsoneng.com.

Matt Howard, P.S.M. has more than three decades of experience in the field of surveying. He joined Johnson Engineering in 2000 and became a partner of the company in 2005. Matt has been serving as the company’s survey manager for the LaBelle office, but will now perform his daily operations from the Fort Myers office.

Matt has performed numerous surveys for the public and private sector throughout Hendry and Glades Counties for many years and has intimate knowledge of the Southwest Florida area. His work has included boundary surveys, topographic surveys, route/right-of-way surveys, construction layout and control surveys.

Matt will replace Mark Wentzel, P.S.M. who served as director of the surveying and mapping group for 11 years. Mark will continue to serve on the company’s Board of Directors and provide surveying and mapping services for the company.

Contact Matt for your surveying and mapping needs at mkt@johnsoneng.com.

Bob has strong relationships with local and state leaders through his years of working with the South Florida Water Management District and Lee County. He also brings many years of knowledge and experience working in Highlands, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Martin and Polk Counties.

Bob will be involved with companywide corporate planning and working with market leaders in the development of the company’s strategic plan.

Contact Bob with any questions at mkt@johnsoneng.com.

As our appreciation of the unique Florida hydrology and associated natural systems continues to expand, coupled groundwater-surface water dynamics have gained increased attention in the regulatory sphere. With the advent of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), impaired waters classification and EPA numeric nutrient requirements for pollutants of concern, understanding how sites discharge surface water has become a growing concern for property owners, environmental professionals and regulators, alike. The ability of a property owner to have a firm grasp of how these interactions function will give them a leg-up on securing workable permits and complying with environmental regulations, as well as properly managing their project site through sustainable development.

The ongoing Long Term Discharge Study began in 2006 as a collaborative effort by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the Bonita Bay Group and Johnson Engineering to evaluate the behavior of stormwater management systems over extended time periods as it relates to total inflows and outflows. Six project sites were selected for the study and equipped with on-site rain gauges and datalogger/pressure transducers (devices used to measure water levels) at the outfall structures. This data has been used to calculate flows and associated nutrient loadings from the systems. The study has recently added a component to assess the effects of groundwater interactions on the stormwater management systems. Observations made during previous years of monitoring have shown that the amount of discharge from a study site depends not only on the rainfall received, but on other site-specific conditions, such as hydrogeology.

During the first full year of monitoring in 2007, which represented the height of a multi-year drought, discharge only occurred at two of the six project sites, with no discharge through the outfall structures for the entire year from the four other project sites. Incidentally, the site receiving the highest rainfall amount was not one of the sites that discharged. Similar overall trends continued during the 2008 through 2010 monitoring periods, although more discharge events did occur due to higher rainfall amounts. Generally, the study sites tend to fall into either high or low discharge frequency categories. Sites in southern Lee and northern Collier Counties, in particular, discharge very infrequently, which suggests that groundwater interactions may play an important role in system function. Discussions with the FDEP and Bonita Bay Group regarding these discharge behaviors explored the benefits of adding a groundwater monitoring component to the study in order to assess the impacts of groundwater interactions.

The groundwater monitoring program, implemented in the spring of 2011, will develop site-specific data to be used in conjunction with existing and ongoing rainfall, surface water quality and discharge data collected within the study basins. The groundwater monitoring program will allow for a quantification of the volumes of groundwater moving into and out of the study basins, and the associated water quality. The groundwater monitoring program will also measure evapotranspiration (ET) directly at the study sites, something rarely done in this area. Evapotranspiration refers to the combination of water transmitted to the atmosphere via direct evaporation, such as from water bodies or the ground surface, and from transpiration by plants.

Two Bonita Bay communities in Fort Myers, The Verandah and Shadow Wood Preserve, were selected to represent the low and high discharge groups, respectively. Each site has been instrumented with a network of monitor wells and an ET gauge, in addition to the existing rainfall gauges and water level measuring devices on the outfall structures. Water levels at the monitor wells will be measured and compared to water levels in the stormwater lakes and lake discharge behavior. The monitor wells will also be sampled quarterly for a suite of water quality parameters of concern, similar to those collected from the lakes. Johnson Engineering will perform site-specific testing to determine aquifer characteristics and calculate the volume of groundwater entering and leaving the stormwater management lakes and moving between the water table aquifer and deeper aquifers underlying the project sites.

Using this data, Johnson Engineering will establish water budgets for each site. Typical water budgets are calculated by measuring components such as rainfall, irrigation usage and run-off, and attributing whatever deficit remains to ET—potentially up to 85% of losses from the water budget. Introduction of the ET gauge will enable Johnson Engineering to measure ET losses directly, which will serve as a check on other parts of the water budget and provide information on site-specific conditions. In addition to calculating water budgets for a study area, use of an ET gauge can also help residential developments, agricultural operations and golf courses better control their irrigation practices and make sure their projects have adequate irrigation allocations.

Ultimately, better understanding the dynamic interactions of surface water and groundwater will facilitate better stormwater management system design—for everything from water quality treatment to aesthetic considerations. Enhanced knowledge of how stormwater management lakes may function at a given site can also aid in selection of irrigation sources and strategies, such as whether to use recharge wells to supplement irrigation withdrawals from lakes, as if so, which well designs and locations will provide the most efficient and cost-effective use of the water.

For more information, contact Kim Arnold, P.G., at mkt@johnsoneng.com.

Originally from Iowa, Kevin is married with two sons, both in high school. He joined Johnson Engineering in September 1986 as a civil engineer with responsibilities for all phases of development, utility, drainage and road design. He became a partner of the firm in 1992 and began to focus his efforts on land development projects.

Kevin’s leadership has served us well, as he has been the firm’s project manager for many well known projects, including the Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) Expansion, Page Field Commons at Page Field Airport and Gulf Coast Town Center, as well as the old and new Boston Red Sox Spring Training Facilities in Fort Myers.

Kevin is spearheading the Board’s efforts to develop a strategic plan that will renew the
company’s goals and methods of operation. Client satisfaction is our utmost priority and through
this change, our ability to serve our clients will be enhanced with the new plan set into action.

Contact Kevin with any questions at 239.461.2473 or kwinter@johnsoneng.com.