Michael J. Hillebrenner, PE

Mr. Hillebrenner holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Bradley University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, Florida, and Utah. Additionally, he is a Certified Project Manager through the Illinois Capital Development Board and a certified Leaking Petroleum Storage Tank (LPST) Project Manager through the Texas Department of Environmental Quality.

Mr. Hillebrenner has over fifteen years of experience in civil and environmental engineering projects, including engineering design; project/construction management; water resources; site assessments; remedial implementation, reporting, and permitting; environmental compliance; and construction engineering within the commercial, residential, industrial, and public sectors. He has successfully managed multi-million dollar engineering, construction, and redevelopment projects for numerous clients involving a variety of complex civil and environmental consulting issues. Mr. Hillebrenner provides support to many of the firm’s practice areas, including Site Assessment & Remediation (Industrial, Brownfields, and Petroleum), Environmental Compliance, Green & Sustainable Remediation, Insurance, and Litigation.

• Principal Engineer and Project Manager for the design, construction, and remedial closure of three former wastewater lagoons covering 10 acres at a former adhesives manufacturing facility in Central Illinois. Closure included in situ stabilization (ISS) of over 160,000 cubic yards of wastewater sediments, utilizing Portland Cement and bed ash under an approved construction permit with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Bureau of Water (BOW). The project included the installation of an engineered soil cap over stabilized materials, as well as restoration of one of the lagoons to original floodplain conditions. The Site is located within the Illinois River floodplain and is surrounded by wetlands. The overall project cost was $12MM.
• Principal Engineer for the investigation and remediation of a 5-acre chlorinated solvent dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) plume located at a 100-acre sucker rod manufacturing plant in Oklahoma. The Site is enrolled in the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ). Due to the complex nature of the plume, full-scale remediation will include the installation of a 1,200-linear foot permeable reactive barrier (PRB) for a groundwater treatment and vapor intrusion mitigation system within the existing 100,000-square foot manufacturing building.
• Principal Engineer and Project Manager for the design and construction of a 9-acre industrial landfill cap in Iowa for a previously closed landfill operation. Roux determined through hydraulic/hydrologic modeling that the existing cap failed, resulting in an increase in leachate head, ultimately affecting groundwater in the underlying aquifer. The design included a geosynthetic cap system consisting of a geocomposite gas collection layer, a High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane, a geocomposite drainage layer, and a soil/vegetation cap layer. A stormwater conveyance system was also designed to intercept precipitation and prevent migration into the landfill in order to further reduce leachate elevations. The overall project cost was $3MM.
• Project Manager and Lead Design Engineer for the replacement of five 11,500-gallon oil/water separators with new 25,000-gallon and 50,000-gallon oil/water separator systems, for an electric utility provider in Northern Illinois for the enhanced removal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Construction involved the characterization and disposal of PCB-impacted soils and management under Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) guidelines. The design/installation improved the existing 30-year-old stormwater treatment system, in order to maintain water quality compliance with the owner’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements.
• Principal Engineer for a Brownfields Redevelopment Site located along the Chicago River in Chicago’s West Loop. The redevelopment included a new 52-story office tower and an overbuild structure over Metra and Amtrak rail lines. The project involved the excavation and closure of two leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs), including geophysical surveys, soil sampling and waste characterization, and preparation of 20-day and 45-day LUST reports. Due to the complicated nature of the surrounding soils and impacts, the Site was closed through the Illinois Site Remediation Program (SRP).
• Principal Engineer for the investigation and remediation of a 400-acre former alumina refinery in Texas. The project includes closure of a 30-acre Industrial Waste Management Unit (WMU). Work was conducted pursuant to Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP) requirements, including preparation of an Affected Property Assessment Report (APAR) and 9 Response Action Plans for areas of concern (AOCs). This investigation of over 30 AOCs included completion of soil borings and monitoring wells throughout the facility, as well as assessment of off-site sediment and development of a Tier 2 Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA).
• Principal Engineer for a Brownfield Redevelopment Site located in Chicago, Illinois. The redevelopment includes the revitalization of the existing 18-acre commercial development into a new college prep high school campus. The Site involves over $3MM in site remediation costs associated with soil removal and the installation of engineered barriers. The Site was processed through the Illinois Site Remediation Program (SRP).

PCB’s in Stormwater. Environmental Management Learning Summit. Midwest Energy Association (MEA). Minneapolis, MN. September 13, 2012.

Alternatives to Phosphorus Treatment in Food Processing Wastewaters. Midwest Food Processing Conference. Milwaukee, WI. December 4, 2013.

Wastewater Treatment with Constructed Wetlands and Natural Media. Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI). Countryside, IL. October 20, 2015.

Saving Money Through Sustainable Remediation. Roux Webinar (Live). Oak Brook, IL. August 20, 2018.

Development, Design, Construction, and Management Trends in Retail & Mixed-Use. RE Journals 9th Annual Retail & Mixed-Use Summit. Chicago, IL. September 7, 2018.

Passive Stormwater Treatment Technologies. Storm Water Solutions (SWS) Conference & Exhibition. Tinley Park, IL. November 14, 2018.

Storm Water Controls: Improving Cap Performance at a Closed Industrial Landfill. Storm Water Solutions (SWS) Conference & Exhibition. Tinley Park, IL. November 14, 2018.

Sustainable Industrial Stormwater. Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI). Countryside, IL. November 28, 2018.

Industrial Construction, Design and Technology Trends (Moderator). Bisnow Midwest Industrial & Logistics Summit. Chicago, IL. June 4, 2019.

PFAS: It’s Use in Manufacturing and Future Liabilities. Illinois Manufacturing Association (IMA) Environmental Conference. Oak Forest, IL. November 20, 2019.