Alden Research Laboratory - Aquisition of The Redmond, Washington Laboratory

Aquisition of The Redmond, Washington Laboratory

Alden acquired AECOM's hydraulic engineering and modeling laboratory in Redmond, Wash., and hired the associated staff on August 18, 2012. Combining the modeling talents and fisheries knowledge of Alden staff with the 34 years of hydraulic modeling and fisheries engineering experience of the AECOM hydraulic engineering and modeling operation, Alden created the largest commercial hydraulic engineering laboratory system in North America.

The Redmond laboratory was formerly known as the "ENSR hydraulics lab," and became part of AECOM in 2005 when AECOM acquired ENSR. Charles "Chick" Sweeney, P.E., started the independent hydraulic modeling laboratory in 1978. The hydraulics lab had been a leader in the optimization of hydraulic structures and fish passage systems associated with hydroelectric power generation, working especially closely with federal agencies and hydroelectric power utilities in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, the group has helped municipal utilities to ensure proper performance of pump stations and water conveyance systems. Capabilities include physical hydraulic modeling, 1-D and 2-D numeric modeling, 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, fisheries and hydraulic engineering design, and field services.

Alden had been expanding geographically in recent years, having opened up an office in Fort Collins, Colo., in 2009, and establishing a presence in Portland, Ore., in 2011. This addition was a major milestone in an ongoing effort to better serve clients in the U.S. and internationally