Proud to Partner With Arcadis on Their ACEC Virginia Grand Award Win
Schnabel Engineering is proud to celebrate our project teaming partner, Arcadis, on receiving the 2026 American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Virginia Engineering Excellence Grand Award for the Virgil R. Hazelett Reservoir at Cobbs Creek — one of the most significant water infrastructure projects in Virginia’s history. Schnabel designed the dam and reservoir as a subconsultant to Arcadis, while they were responsible for the reservoir permitting, river intake, and pipeline. Together with Arcadis and Henrico County, we were honored to be recognized by ACEC.
ACEC of Virginia’s Engineering Excellence Awards recognize engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value.
Henrico County partnered with Schnabel and Arcadis to design and construct a 15.5-billion-gallon off-stream storage reservoir capable of augmenting flows in the James River during drought conditions.
More than 100 engineers, geologists, and county leaders came together during the 20-year project journey to secure long-term drinking water reliability for a growing region. Now at full pool, the reservoir is preparing for recreational use and will provide a dependable water supply for the next 50 to 75 years—showcasing the engineering, partnership, and vision behind its creation.
Pictured: (from left) Charlie Kreye (client TRC), Paul Peterson (Arcadis), Gary Horninger (Schnabel), Nelson Dove (Arcadis), Mike Wooden (Arcadis), Mark Landis (Schnabel), Marchelle Sassong (Henrico), Lee Maddox (Henrico), Steve Yob (Henrico) and Jason Stiteler (Schnabel). Photo credit: Septima Phillips Photography