On rainy days, most people just find their umbrella, grumble about the weather, and go about their day. But water resources designers aren't like most people. When they see rain, they're inspired to consider how the streets will divert the water safely, how infrastructure could change to minimize the damage of heavy rainfall, and how it can all be done in a more eco-friendly way.
As a Project Manager, Water Resources in McCormick Taylor’s Philadelphia office, Christine sees opportunities to manage water all around her.
“I wanted to get involved in water resources engineering because water, and the lack of water, impacts our daily lives," Christine said. "I always wanted to work in a field that allowed me to help control the water, but also to attempt to keep it from getting polluted.”
After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Villanova University, Christine joined McCormick Taylor with the goal of helping the firm’s growing water resources engineering group. She is responsible for stormwater management and erosion and sediment control design for highway projects, as well as hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for bridge projects. With each project, she brings her passion for finding new and innovative ways to control stormwater runoff and utilizing green infrastructure, which is something she hopes will become more mainstream and affordable in order for homeowners to take advantage of its many benefits.
“Green infrastructure uses natural systems to capture and filter stormwater before it enters into a receiving waterbody, helping to reduce pollution and flooding. I would also like to see more education and implementation programs being created.”
Since beginning her career here, Christine’s favorite project has been helping design an underground basin for County Line Road, Section WD2, which was also one of the first projects she worked on. The project involved the widening of County Line Road and improvements to the intersection. Christine assisted in the design of the underground basin to moderate peak flow rates and volumes from the surrounding area. The basin was designed to be underground so the surface could remain a soccer field.
Christine is active in Philadelphia’s engineering community. She serves as Membership Chair for the Engineer’s Club of Philadelphia’s Committee on Younger Members and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Young Members Forum.
