BERRYMAN & HENIGAR RETAINED TO HELP RESTORE LAKE OKEECHOBEE

ORLANDO, FL, May 17, 2002 -- Berryman & Henigar will be providing a wide variety of consulting engineering services that will help restore the Lake Okeechobee Watershed in south Florida. Ray Berryman, chief executive officer of Berryman & Henigar made the announcement.

Lake Okeechobee, the center of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades system, is the largest lake in Florida and the second largest freshwater lake in the continental United States, surpassed only by Lake Michigan. The drainage basin covers more than 4,600 square miles.

During the past 25 years, Lake Okeechobee has experienced excessive phosphorus loading from development and agricultural runoff in its watershed. The five-year, $6 million project represents the first major component being implemented for the $7 billion Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is co-managing the project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Berryman & Henigar is part of a team of consultants led by HDR that is working together to achieve water quality improvements and flood protection while restoring some of the most sensitive wetlands areas in the Everglades. HDR was awarded the project contract by the South Florida Water Management District.

There are four major restoration components:

North of Lake Okeechobee Storage Reservoir
Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough Storage and Treatment Area
Lake Okeechobee Watershed Water Treatment Quality Facilities
Lake Okeechobee Tributary Sediment Dredging

Berryman & Henigar is participating in the preparation of a Watershed Assessment. Principal tasks include:

Water Quality Design Criteria: Review and evaluate existing, pending and potential future water quality standards for phosphorus concentrations.
Data Collection: Compile existing data relevant to the hydrological characterization of the northern part of the lake including land use soils, water quality, flow and sedimentation.
Rainfall Frequency Analysis: Perform a temporal and spatial analysis of rainfall frequency patterns in the northern basin to aid in the conceptual designs of proposed reservoirs.
Tributary Drainage Area Delineation: Assess existing condition drainage basin boundaries within the northern part of the lake.
Basin Base Flows: Estimate seasonal base flows at District structures discharging to the lake from the northern watershed. The information will be used to estimate base flows in upstream tributaries.
Phosphorus Settling Rate: Assist in reviewing initial estimates of phosphorus settling rates for the northern part of the lake.
Project Delivery Team (PDT) Participation: Attend regularly scheduled PDT meetings involving cities and counties bordering the lake, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, citizen advocacy groups, industries and other stakeholders.

"This GIS-based hydrologic and hydraulic analysis is critical for the District's efforts to restore the Everglades. It is the specialty of our newly established West Palm Beach office and will be emulated in upcoming CERP projects," said Berryman & Henigar's project manager Elie G. Araj, P.E.

Berryman & Henigar, Inc. is a municipal professional services firm headquartered in San Diego, CA, with 13 offices nationwide, five of which are in Florida. The firm provides municipal engineering, public finance, asset management, community development, construction management and e-Government services to public agencies nationwide. With a staff of more than 350 professionals, Berryman & Henigar is ranked as one of the top 250 consulting engineering companies by Engineering News-Record. Further information is available on the Web at www.bhiinc.com.

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