People Spotlight: Meet Nik Carlson
Our People Spotlight series gives you an inside look at our technical experts around the world. This week, we are highlighting an economist from our Water business in the U.S. and providing an insight into their inspiration and work.
Nik Carlson is a principal economist based in Oakland, California with several decades of experience performing economic and financial analyses for a wide range of water, wastewater, renewable energy, transportation and natural resource infrastructure projects across the United States. Nik routinely supports project planning for our clients’ large infrastructure projects. His analysis of economic benefits provides the basis for better decision making, including the evaluation of project alternatives and justification to secure project funding. His expertise in feasibility, benefit-cost, environmental justice and impact analysis help achieve more beneficial, equitable and sustainable long-term project outcomes. Nik’s experience has ranged from supporting multi-billion water/wastewater programs, public-private concession evaluations for the National Park Service, providing grant funding assistance to cities and successful water-right litigation settlements for small tribal governments in rural Montana and Oklahoma. As a certified ENVISION Sustainability Professional, Nik led the sustainability analysis and application that contributed to the US 101 Managed Lanes project receiving a Silver award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.
Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.
During my gap year before university, I worked for a grassroots environmental group in Massachusetts as a community organizer and door-to-door fundraiser. Our leading issue was advocating and organizing for the clean-up of groundwater pollution from a neighboring military base. I saw firsthand both the environmental effects and the bureaucratic challenges in addressing complex and sensitive issues. But more importantly, working with local residents and public officials showed me the vital and effective role that informed public engagement, stakeholder commitment and collaboration can contribute to achieving effective environmental solutions. This formative experience encouraged me to earn a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government where I gained the analytical skills and tools I needed for a career as an environmental economics practitioner.
As a community organizer working for a grassroots environmental group in Massachusetts, collaborating and partnering with local residents and public officials showed me the vital and effective role that informed public engagement, stakeholder commitment and collaboration can contribute to achieving effective environmental solutions.
What is your favorite AECOM project that you’ve worked on and why?
Over the last 14 years, I have been involved in planning and development of Sites Reservoir in Northern California. Once completed, it will be California’s largest new reservoir project in over 50 years and will provide off-stream storage of up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water — enough to serve 7.5 million people. The project is an ambitious and expensive collaboration between the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the State of California, and more than 20 regional water agencies. It has been an interesting, challenging and personally rewarding experience supporting the project’s evolution from initial conceptual alternatives to its forthcoming project delivery during a period of shifting political contexts, regulatory requirements and evolving future water demand and availability projections.
As a complex and multi-benefit water project, there is a multitude of interrelated resource and operational issues. Determining the project’s lifecycle costs and benefits has been an important component of the work. My work also included the analysis to identify the most beneficial approach to water management for urban water demand, agricultural, ecosystem, recreation, flood protection, water quality, emergency supply and hydropower generation. My analysis has supported the evaluation and selection of project alternatives, justified over US$1 billion in federal and state funding, and assisted sensitive negotiations between agency partners to secure public benefits. As a result, this project has greatly expanded both my understanding and ability to perform comprehensive and rigorous economic feasibility evaluations.
One of the most rewarding achievements was helping the Sites Authority apply and advocate for state funding. This effort required intensive collaboration with the team’s hydrologists, engineers, cost estimators and environmental experts to quantify and document the reservoir’s expected long-term performance.
One of the most rewarding achievements was helping the Sites Authority apply and advocate for state funding. This effort required intensive collaboration with the team’s hydrologists, engineers, cost estimators and environmental experts to quantify and document the reservoir’s expected long-term performance.
Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community
I recently helped the Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMVA) in Reno, Nevada win US$30 million in federal grant funding for its groundbreaking wastewater reuse project. This ambitious initiative will convey wastewater from the City of Reno to the City of Sparks for advanced treatment and groundwater replenishment to provide critical benefits to the entire watershed. The project not only increases dry-year water supplies for Sparks’s residents and businesses — it is also a forward-thinking solution that allows the neighboring City of Reno to avoid a costly expansion of its wastewater facility. The recycled wastewater supply is not only vital for supporting the City of Sparks’ future growth and economic development but also important for maintaining local agricultural use and protecting the Truckee River’s ecosystem. By addressing both water scarcity and infrastructure challenges, TVMA is taking a major step towards more sustainable watershed management that also ensures a more reliable and resilient future water supply and wastewater service for the region’s residents and businesses.
The project not only increases dry-year water supplies for Sparks’s residents and businesses — it is also a forward-thinking solution that allows the neighboring City of Reno to avoid a costly expansion of its wastewater facility.
Share a piece of career advice.
My advice is to try daily to maintain a growth mindset as best you can. Try to stay curious, open and flexible to new ideas and opportunities. Embrace continuous learning, challenges and occasional mistakes. Actively collaborate and learn from your colleagues. A growth mindset approach will not only help your personal growth and make your professional life more rewarding but can also keep you more youthful and engaged in your day-to-day tasks and relationships. It can also enable you to better collaborate and contribute to innovative problem solving to improve the world around us.