People of Reclamation: meet Adam Northrup, from GP's Eastern Colorado Area Office

Written by: Tyler Johnson

Adam Northrup, Civil Engineering Technician from the Eastern Colorado Area OfficeThe Great Plains region recently interviewed Adam Northrup, a Civil Engineering Technician out of the Eastern Colorado Area Office. Check out Adam's story in his own words:

I was raised in Bangor, Pennsylvania where I worked on my neighbor’s dairy farm starting at age 11. I earned my Associates Degree in Agricultural Engineering at the State University of New York – Morrisiville. I transferred to the University of Nebraska for my Bachelors in Mechanized Systems Management. I worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture – National Resources Conservation Service doing design and construction of manure storage facilities, barns, waterways, river restoration and dams in New Jersey for four years before joining Reclamation in 2013.

My job at ECAO as a Civil Engineering Technician is more of a “Jack of All Trades.” Dam safety, facility and infrastructure inspection, operation and maintenance and project management are just a few of the duties. Making sure that our projects are operating correctly and safely for the future is the main goal. I am on the GP Region Rope Access Team which gets me involved with many other projects. Being on the rope team allows for collaboration across Reclamation, which I bring back to ECAO for improved maintenance of our facilities.

I play ice hockey 2-3 nights a week between Denver and Fort Collins. Playing against ex-pros in Denver keeps me in great shape. I snowmobile as long as there is snow on the ground during the winter and spring. I enjoy fishing our reservoirs on my small boat in the summer. Favorite thing about working for Reclamation: The history and complexity of our water & power projects is fascinating. I enjoy trying to figure out why our predecessors designed things the way they did, then taking that historical knowledge and using it to design repairs that will modernize the system and keep the project operational for years to come.

Thanks for sharing your story, Adam! Reclamation is proud to have employees like you on the team!

Published on June 28, 2018