Ted Sherrod, P.E., CPESC, CPSWQ, has worked on both sides of the fence in erosion control and stormwater efforts for the public and the private sectors. Until December 2010, Sherrod had spent 30 years as a state roadside environmental field operations engineer with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, amassing experience in erosion and sedimentation control for the planning, design, implementation, and maintenance phases of highway and bridge construction. Now, the environmental engineer can be found at URS Corp. in Raleigh, NC, where he specializes in construction and post-construction stormwater engineering. “I’m often asked how you transition from a linear-type background to other site development work and landfills,” Sherrod notes. “I had a chance to lead a lot of research work for the department relative to construction and stormwater. I was able to take what I considered state-of-the-art research work and apply it in the field on transportation projects. I’ve been able to take that science-based research to other construction sectors in other parts of the industry where they may not have been as advanced with some control methods, such as the use of polyacrylamides, not just in my state, but in other Southeastern and Midwestern states.” Sherrod passes on his knowledge through teaching for the International Erosion Control Association (IECA). He’s a volunteer member with IECA’s Professional Development Committee and serves as the North Carolina representative for IECA’s Southeast Chapter. Sherrod is past chair of the Certified Professional’s Executive Council.
What He Does Day to Day
Sherrod brings to the table at URS his experience in the North Carolina DOT’s construction stormwater program. He spends his days supporting other state transportation and highway stormwater programs, as well as post-construction stormwater design and implementation efforts in the Southeast. Sherrod also helps develop erosion and sediment control plans for private clients, power plants, and landfill site hazardous waste remediation work in North Carolina. He also develops erosion and sediment control training materials and conducts workshops and training for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
What Led Him Into This Line of Work
Sherrod’s passion for land and water preservation originated in the summers spent during his younger years working on farms, observing soil, crops, and water while picking cucumbers. He went on to earn bachelor of science and master’s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering from North Carolina State University. He later grew commercial fruit crops and presided over North Carolina’s strawberry growers’ association. His love for the land would carry through from farm fields to the construction industry.
What He Likes Best About His Work
Sherrod calls his work “an adventure” and says he loves its diversified duties. “There are challenges every day in different construction sectors. Addressing those challenges is what’s exciting to me,” he says. “I’m working with one power industry client that has brought me on to the construction planning team and made me part of their organization. They’re using the experience that I bring to the table as I assist them with their effluent limitations. That’s been rewarding.”
His Biggest Challenge
Sherrod spent a recent day with a state DOT client and experienced many of the same challenges he’s witnessed elsewhere in the industry. “It’s hard in many cases to get buy-in at all levels of an institution of environmental stewardship in conserving sediment on the job and stabilizing sites, and to develop those professional relationships with co-workers and upper management,” he notes. He is aware that there is an attitude among some in the private sector that the public sector is allegedly slow to change on specs, but he points out that there is a “faction of passionate professionals at the construction stormwater level that is open to new ideas through university research to support a science-based approach in solving their challenge.” Forward movement is “all about partnerships with regulatory agencies,” Sherrod adds. “That’s where we develop that trust.” It took 20 of his 30 years with the North Carolina DOT to see the tide turn, Sherrod says. He sees hope through the next generation of engineers. “They have the environmental stewardship already ingrained into their DNA, so they understand about doing it the right way the first time.”