Careers at TKDA

Engineering | Architecture | Planning

TKDA welcomes Ben Meemken, PE

Environmental engineer Ben Meemken, PE, has joined TKDA’s water/wastewater group in the firm’s Municipal, Utility and Planning Division.

He has a decade of experience in the planning, design, and construction of potable water supply systems; wastewater and stormwater collection and treatment systems; and dewatering, dredging, and remediation projects.

Ben found his passion at the end of a fishing line, and from an early age he was driven to find a career that involved the preservation and improvement of “The Great Outdoors.” Now, he appreciates that his work is focused on the protection of human health and the environment.

He served as project engineer for the City of Blaine’s Northeast Wellfield Construction project. He provided construction observation and administration during the installation of four new municipal wells. Ben also designed well rehabilitation, piping and metering upgrades for several wellhouse improvement projects. For the City of Victoria, Minnesota, he designed a 450-foot-deep screened quaternary water supply well and led the team through bidding, construction, and the well startup process.

Ben has been a part of various wastewater treatment engineering projects for Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) in Saint Paul. He designed a project to replace the primary settling tank chain and flight collectors at the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant. He built a hydraulic model of MCES’ Blue Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant using hydraulics software for future facility planning. He was also project engineer on a capacity analysis of the 4,000-foot-long Riverview Siphon, which serves Saint Paul and West St. Paul.

As the engineering project manager, Ben led a multidisciplinary team through the modeling and final design of the Minnesota DNR’s Grassy Point/Kingsbury Bay Restoration project in Duluth, which involved the dredging of non-native sediment and legacy wood waste to restore 240 acres of coastal marsh habitat.

“We are extremely pleased to have Ben join our group,” said Dan Nesler, PE, water/wastewater group manager. “He has a diverse skill set and key experience to add to the success of our team.”

Ben holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University. When he’s not working, he’d prefer to be outside with his wife and son — likely at the business end of a fishing pole.