BC:Opta™
BC:Opta™
The water industry needs a new approach to secure a reliable future.
From aging assets, budget limitations, drought and storm surges, increasing regulations to replacing skills of a retiring workforce— finding the time and resources to improve outcomes for short- and long-term success is an ongoing opportunity.
The possibilities for improvement are endless if we know where to start. The opportunity is in making processes better or more efficient, shifting expenditures, freeing up your staff time and resources, and focusing on your customer demands. At BC, we believe we can get there through optimization. We call this approach BC:Opta™.
BC:Opta™ gives you the ability to right-size what you are willing to take on and the immediate problem you are trying to solve. Some challenges may need to be addressed on a large-scale and others proven with a more measured approach. While as an industry we are known to optimize approaches, there are approaches and solutions possible today that were not attainable in the past.
Our BC:Opta™ approach relies on a three-part framework: people+technology+adoption that achieves immediate and long-term impacts and improved utility performance. Whether you need to employ technology, enhance skills for the future, or improve some other part of your utility business, all optimizations have one thing in common – they represent a change in the way we work.
Kirk Olds, PE
National Practice Leader for Utility Performance
BC's unique approach to making the most of what you have
Technology. New technologies and innovative approaches can have dramatic results. However, technology isn’t for every optimization and there are many things you can improve without technology. BC can help you leverage your existing technologies or find the best technology to meet your needs, whether employing new technology or not.
Adoption. All of the best advice, tools, and technologies are for naught if adoption doesn’t happen, and no one uses or implements the solution. Adoption is about implementing and embracing a change in the way work is done. BC knows this is the key, and we have the resources and expertise to help you and your teams get there.
Operational Performance
- Process Engineering
- SCADA/Automation
- Treatment Plant Capacity
- Resource Utilization
- Operational Digital Twins
Infrastructure Strategy
- Asset and Maintenance Management
- Asset Management Digital Twins
- Infrastructure Lifecycle
- Capital Program Delivery
- Data Management
Enterprise Resiliency
- Risk and Resiliency
- Business Process Improvement
- Planning
- Knowledge Retention
Operational Performance
- Process Engineering
- SCADA/Automation
- Treatment Plant Capacity
- Resource Utilization
Infrastructure Strategy
- Asset and Maintenance Management
- Infrastructure Lifecycle
- Capital Program Delivery
- Data Management
Enterprise Resiliency
- Risk and Resiliency
- Business Process Improvement
- Planning
- Knowledge Retention
“As an industry, we know we need to get better, but how should we do it? It’s not that we must do more with less, it’s that we must do more with the same capital, operating budgets, and staff. The answer is in optimization.”
Kirk Olds, PE
National Practice Leader for Utility Performance
“As an industry, we know we need to get better, but how should we do it? It’s not that we must do more with less, it’s that we must do more with the same capital, operating budgets, and staff. The answer is in optimization.”
Kirk Olds, PE
National Practice Leader for Utility Performance
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Brown and Caldwell advances research and innovation, elevates Dr. da Silva to director
Experienced engineer and scientist to accelerate water industry-leading program, fast-track groundbreaking environmental solutions
Brown and Caldwell advances research and innovation, elevates Dr. da Silva to director
WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Aug. 1, 2024 – Brown and Caldwell (BC) announces the promotion of Dr. Allegra da Silva to director of Research & Innovation (R&I) as the firm continues to advance research and technical innovation in the water and environment sector.
Brown and Caldwell’s R&I program is an industry-leading program that advances applied science and accelerates innovation. Over the past five years, the program has sponsored 200 projects with over 100 clients.
As director of R&I, Dr. da Silva will be responsible for advancing BC’s R&I strategy, including acceleration and application of innovation in collaboration with the firm’s Technology and Innovation Leadership Team. She is committed to ensuring that Brown and Caldwell is well-positioned to address our clients’ greatest challenges with leading-edge, integrated solutions.
“Dr. da Silva is fully dedicated to integrating our best research and innovation into everything we do at BC. She brings a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm, and strategic thinking to this role. I’m very excited for BCers, our research partners, and our clients to experience her leadership firsthand.”
Brown and Caldwell Chief Technical Officer Wendy Broley
Dr. da Silva brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her new leadership role with more than two decades of experience in environmental engineering consulting and research including:
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- EPA Guidelines for Water Reuse, technical editor
- WateReuse Colorado, president
- The Water Environment Federation (WEF) blue-ribbon panel of wastewater and public health experts, vice-chair
Since joining the firm in 2018, Dr. da Silva has served as a technical advisor on more than 30 BC projects, including the Environmental Investigation for Emerging Contaminants (EIEC) in Honolulu; the Recycled Water Program in Boise, Idaho; and various PFAS-focused projects across the country. She also has overseen BC’s portfolio of Water Research Foundation (WRF) projects and has served on the WRF Research & Innovation Strategy Committee, and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Dr. da Silva is engaged in national regulatory forums to influence policy around direct potable reuse (DPR), ambient water quality criteria, and PFAS management. Her passion for working at the intersection of science and policy is evident in her contributions as a technical author for the 2012 U.S. EPA Guidelines for Water Reuse, the 2017 U.S. EPA Potable Reuse Compendium, and the 2017 WEF Water Reuse Roadmap.
A licensed professional engineer based in Colorado, Dr. da Silva holds a doctorate and master’s degree in environmental engineering from Yale University and a bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is based in Brown and Caldwell’s Denver, Colorado, office.
About Brown and Caldwell
Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, Brown and Caldwell is a full-service environmental engineering and construction services firm with 50 offices and over 2,100 professionals across North America and the Pacific. For more than 75 years, our creative solutions have helped municipalities, private industry, and government agencies successfully overcome their most challenging water and environmental obstacles. As an employee-owned company, Brown and Caldwell is passionate about exceeding our clients’ expectations and making a difference for our employees, our communities, and our environment. For more information, visit www.brownandcaldwell.com
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