Geoffrey Smyth, P.E., believes that while United States municipalities have spent many years “doing an excellent job of education, regulation, and monitoring point-source dischargers, we really now have to wrestle with the biggest animal in the room: nonpoint-source dischargers, which is basically 95% of America.” That a large portion of the US is not regulated under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit “is probably the largest stormwater issue facing this country, and how you effectively manage that nonpoint-source contaminant loading entering our waterways, whether it be rural, urban, or a combination, in the watershed.”
Smyth and his colleagues tackle the issue daily. He manages the Science and Engineering Division of Tacoma, WA’s Environmental Services Department, which provides engineering, technical, and compliance support for the city’s surface water, wastewater, and solid waste utilities. It’s also one of three agencies affiliated with The Center for Urban Waters, a collective policy and research facility designed to protect and restore urban waters in Tacoma, Pierce County, and western Washington. “Our collaborative efforts can be used not just nationally, but globally as we begin to build around the synergy that’s here,” notes Smyth.
The Center attracts environmental scientists, analysts, engineers, and policymakers from throughout the Pacific Northwest to form collaborative teams conducting leading-edge environmental research exploring fundamental and applied scientific questions for rational and effective environmental stewardship. Smyth describes the Center as a three-legged stool upon which the Puget Sound sits. One leg is his department. Another is the Puget Sound Partnership, a state agency coordinating efforts to restore and protect Puget Sound through policies that fuel regulations. Research helps determine the regulations’ effectiveness through the third leg: the University of Washington-Tacoma. The Center has two laboratories in which analysis of pollutants of concern is conducted by the university and the city to determine if the monitored regulatory standards for permits such as the MS4 municipal stormwater permit are being met and could be modified for greater effectiveness.
What He Does Day to Day
Smyth manages the 147 full-time employees in his division, coaching, mentoring, and evaluating performances. Given his military background, Smyth believes in possessing strong decision-making skills, which he brings into action in ensuring the division meets the goals and objectives set forth by the directors, city council, and the city manager. He attends meetings involving large projects and guides the science and engineering environmental service team in carrying out the needed tasks. He develops consensus among work groups focusing on water quality. He works with other city departments and outside agencies to foster development of Tacoma’s environmental stewardship programs.
What Led Him to This Line of Work
As a youth, Smyth wanted to be an archeologist. After career counseling, he felt that while the job may have been gratifying, it didn’t offer upward mobility or a decent wage. Smyth decided he could affect more people through engineering (he loved fixing and building items). While friends pursued traditional engineering roles, Smyth directed his efforts to the ocean, inspired by his youthful days on New Jersey’s coastline. He earned a B.S. in ocean engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) and an M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Akron. His first job was as a utility engineer doing wastewater and water modeling and water supply and wastewater engineering for Bellingham, WA. He later began working with surface water, which took on more prominence in his Tacoma job.
What He Likes Most About His Job
Smyth likes that he can practice environmental stewardship through both traditional engineering activities and innovative approaches. “Working with such highly skilled professional people on a daily basis is really rewarding,” he says. “That’s what I find attractive about coming to work every day. We hold similar beliefs about what we’re doing here and how we go about it. I wouldn’t be here without all of the hard work and guidance everybody has provided to me.”
His Biggest Challenge
“In today’s political and economic climate, the biggest challenge is being able to deliver really sustainable, cost-effective solutions to our environmental responsibilities,” says Smyth. “Those responsibilities are not only the result of policy or regulation, but are in direct response to the changing world we live in. We have some responsibility to that.”