Schnabel Engineering

Several members of the Schnabel team attended Virginia’s Dam Safety Awareness Day event at Lake Louisa Dam on May 11, hosted by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (VA DCR). Part of a national effort to encourage individual and community responsibility for safeguarding dams, the event highlighted the importance of maintaining resilient infrastructure and recognized the recently completed spillway rehabilitation project at Lake Louisa Dam. The site was selected because the project serves as an example of successful collaboration between state officials and dam owners. Schnabel Engineering was selected to manage the project from design through construction, supporting the replacement of the aging spillway to improve long-term safety for the Blue Ridge Shores community and downstream areas. Attendees heard remarks from state officials, including Deputy Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Adrienne Kotula and DCR Chief Engineer Andrea Henry, and the project owner, the Blue Ridge Property Owners Association, followed by a tour of the dam and completed project site. We’re proud to support projects that help strengthen infrastructure resilience and protect communities across Virginia and beyond. Read more about the event here: https://lnkd.in/eX-MEnPc

We’re heading to Energize NC May 27 in Chapel Hill, NC, to connect with engineering leaders, energy experts, and industry partners for a focused day on the forces shaping North Carolina’s energy future. Be sure to catch up with Johnny Lowe and Jared Crenshaw – they’re eager to discuss today’s evolving energy landscape! ACEC/NC #ACECNC #EnergizeNC #energy Photo credit: © 2023 Live Media Group

We’re proud of the work our teams do in the field — and just as proud of the work they do in the classroom. Recently, Emily Seamster, Senior Staff Scientist in our Richmond office, visited a fifth‑grade class in the Hanover Public School District in Hanover County, VA, to bring geology and Earth science to life. From rock and soil types to aquifers, PPE, and environmental sampling, Emily gave students a hands‑on look at the science behind the world beneath their feet. “If I can leave with even one student excited about becoming a geologist, environmental scientist, or engineer, that’s a win for me,” Emily shared. “We need this next generation of professionals to have passion and purpose for their work, and I believe that seed gets planted early in life.” Talent Acquisition Partner Emily Bicking, whose son is in the class, joined the visit and provided shaded eye protection and Schnabel tote bags for each student. The class was fully engaged – asking thoughtful questions, examining soil samples, and even wondering how our work might support future life on Mars. Highlighting STEM roles in the classroom is one of the most meaningful ways we can invest in future scientists while living our values. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ebK9D5WH #STEM #geology #engineering #environmentalscience

Back for another season! 🪿 These two geese and their brood have become familiar faces around our Chadds Ford office, returning year after year to nest and raise their goslings nearby. It’s always a welcome sign of spring when we spot them waddling around campus with their newest additions in tow. #FaunaFriday #Spring #Springtime

We’re eager to experience the premier event for today’s joint military engineering community May 19-21 in Portland, OR – Society of American Military Engineers JETC Conference! Connect with our team in Booth 507: Sharon Krock, Reniere "Ed" Majano, Christopher Clarke, and Cathy Cole. #SAMEJETC26 #SAME

We’re proud to be a Sustaining Member Sponsor of the ASDSO Northeast Regional Conference May 18-20 in Buffalo. Stop by Booth 308 to connect with our team: Jack Gergel, Zachary King, Kevin Ruswick, Ryan Troy, and Alexa Stone. Be sure to mark your calendars for these insightful presentations from our experts on Tuesday, May 19: 💡 “Piano Key Weir Considerations in Northern Climates” -- Kevin Ruswick and Jack Gergel 💡 “Design and Construction for the Loughberry Lake Dam Rehabilitation” -- Zachary King 💡 “Enhancing Waterway Management and Decision-Making through System-Wide Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling of the Erie Canal” – Ryan Troy #ASDSO #DamEngineering #Dams

Our team is headed to the ITA World Tunnel Congress 2026 (WTC2026) May 15-21 to discover and learn about the latest trends and innovations in the tunnelling industry. Be sure to connect with Matthew Goff, PE, Stephen Njoloma, P.E., and Steve Brandon in Montreal, Canada! #ITA #WTC26 #tunnelengineering

Looks like we had an extra field technician join the crew during rock core logging in Floyd, Virginia. 🕷️ This wolf spider wasted no time inspecting the tools and checking in on the day’s core logging progress. Despite their intimidating size, wolf spiders are skilled hunters that don’t spin webs to catch prey. #FaunaFridays #WolfSpider

If you’re attending the 28th Annual Sowers Symposium May 14 in Atlanta, be sure to connect with our team: Graham Elliott, Brett Dodd, PE, Augie Loehr, Ryan Goldsmith, PE, and Pierre Rouaud! #SowersSymposium

Today we’re throwing it back to 1988 to a major engineering “first” for foundations constructed in the U.S. – one designed by Schnabel: floating stone columns. For the Processing Facility at the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Power Station in Salem County, NJ, the underground conditions included 40 ft. of man-made hydraulic fill sluiced in from the adjacent river. This material was too soft to build on – normally it would require extremely deep foundations to bypass this layer and others, resulting in expensive foundations, such as step taper piles in the order of 120 ft. Instead, Schnabel designed something never before tried in the U.S.: supporting the structure on floating stone columns. These columns are made by vibrating crushed stone into the ground to make it stronger – a ground improvement method widely used in Europe since the 1950s. The difference here was not taking the stone column foundations to a firm layer but “floating” them in the weight-of-hammer hydraulic fill. This was the first use of floating stone columns in the U.S. Our solution was faster, more efficient, and saved the project a lot of time and money. #ThrowbackThursday #SchnabelAt70 #Innovation