Areas of Expertise
Municipal and Civil Engineering
Infrastructure Master Planning
Working with various public agencies, the staff of 805 Engineers has prepared storm drain master plans, put together miles of pavement condition inventory, paving strategy master plans and implemented these plans successfully. Asset management plans for water system operations and capital fund planning are our other areas of expertise.
Streets & Highways Design and Construction
As City Engineer for three local cities, many pavement projects were prepared, bid and managed by the Principal Engineer for 805 Engineers. Some of the projects were minor road widenings, many were road maintenance projects and some were State Highway projects. 805 Engineers is familiar with the various levels of formality needed when designing and contracting for pavement work in the community.
Land Development Review
As City Engineer for three local cities, the Principal Engineer processed and permitted over 800 development projects through the stages of approval from conceptual through map recordations and construction. Your project will benefit from timely advice, no matter what stage it is in. The projects processed were not just on behalf of private property owners, but the public as well. Many public works projects were processed from concept to permit to construction and even operation.
Public Works Management
Working with local municipalities and special districts, 805 Engineers staff has designed, permitted and built well over 100 public works projects from road work, to sidewalks, to utility pipelines, to water wells and treatment plants, pipelines, and pump stations. The Summerland Sanitary District Wastewater Treatment plant was built at no cost to ratepayers, which was welcomed by the community and local beach users as a result of the improvements to the discharge water quality.
Construction Management
It can be challenging to construct public works or private projects in environmentally sensitive locations, or one’s with logistical nightmares. Proper planning with CEQA studies and conditions should be taken into account by Contractors, getting the project on the right track. Strong construction management follows up with adherence to the requirements of the contract and standard practices. An independent construction manager keeps an eye on design aspects as well, making sure that the project implemented is the project that was planned.
Storm Water Systems Design and Watershed Management
Storm water planning has changed considerably from the 1960’s to the current day. A conscious shift has been made from channelizing creeks with concrete to managing watersheds holistically and regulating construction in floodplains. As the recent mudflow disasters have demonstrated, the need to forecast and prepare is greater than ever. Whether your project involves tree removals and site grading or building in the FEMA zone, 805 Engineers can assist you with their experience.
Permitting
Whether your project requires a Coastal Permit, Fish and Wildlife review, or is work that will need to comply with any regulatory agency, 805 Engineers has been there and done that. Sometimes the maze of bureaucratic approvals can be overwhelming. Check with us for a systematic plan that will take your project through the system successfully.
Waste Water Collection and Treatment
From septic tanks and leach lines to 11 mgd treatment plants, 805 Engineers has the experience to get your project built and operating successfully. They have worked on both homeowner and municipal sized lift stations to make improvements to the facilities.
Water Treatment, Supply and Distribution
805 Engineers has consulted with cities and special districts for the construction of treatment plants, pump stations, and filtration units. The amount of distribution piping projects has been particularly significant, with the Principal Engineer handling over 25 miles of water main replacement piping for the City of Santa Barbara.
CEQA Review
While 805 Engineers does not provide CEQA processing services, the Principal Engineer has over 25 years’ experience processing projects on behalf of small cities. This experience provides clients with a perspective of what to expect during a CEQA review and how best to develop a project for compliance.
Flooding
FEMA has mapped all of the floodplains in the urban areas and development with them is restricted. With the scarcity of rainfall in Southern California, it surprises many people to see flooding in a location they would not expect it. The staff at 805 Engineers has seen the worst of it in the local areas and can advise how to avoid the potential for major damage, especially from uphill neighbors who change the runoff pattern and concentrate the flow.
Expert Witness
With all of the management of regulatory agencies and construction contracts, the Principal Engineer has provided Expert Witness services for projects that have gone sideways for one reason or another. He has advised attorneys as to drainage issues between neighbors, Home Owners Associations, CC&Rs, water well disputes and provided claims analysis. He is well known for his creative solutions for dispute resolutions and is a lifetime MENSA member.
Projects
Managed by Tom Evans
Roads
Bridge Retaining Wall
This retaining wall was installed to preserve an oak tree where the road surface was too close. The project was installed on Refugio Rd by COMB as a part of the bridge installations required by Fish and Wildlife to mitigate steelhead impacts due to the creation of Lake Cachuma.
Water
San Ricardo Well
This award winning project transformed a 1970’s well installation and pumphouse into a modern facility which incorporated solar power and other site mitigations to blend in with the neighborhood. The Goleta Water District relied on this well as their second most productive during the extended drought of 2011 to 2019.
Construction
Setting new transformer
The Goleta Water District installed a new hydroelectric turbine in its Van Horne pump station and reservoir. The SCE transformer needed to be changed out to handle the increase power generated by the facility.
Water
Depicted is a small well, planned and developed by the Principal Engineer for a 100 acre parcel at Hollister Ranch. This well replaced another well that dried up during the drought years. It now provides a very reliable source of good quality water to the site.
Construction
The retaining wall depicted was designed and installed by the Principal Engineer on the same 100 acre parcel as the well listed above. Created using Allan blocks the wall supports a garage and small shed above the embankment.
Roads
Miles and miles of sidewalks and roads have been repaired under the management of the Principal Engineer. Whether the damage occurred from overloading, poor drainage, or tree roots, the repairs administered have withstood the test of time. One of the benefits of seasoned professionals is that they have watched infrastructure age long enough to know what works and what doesn’t when repairing it.
Construction
The City of Buellton has a 13 acre park that was developed soon after the City incorporated. The Principal Engineer arranged for the site to be filled with excess dirt from Caltrans and then helped shape it into the vibrant park that it is today. A true community park, the projects offers something for just about everyone and provides a site for many large event gatherings.
Construction
San Ricardo (before work)
The San Ricardo Well Project is shown with “BEFORE” and “AFTER” photographs. This award winning project beautified the site, added treatment capacity, replaced a booster pump and rehabilitated the well. Decorative fencing and native landscaping finished off this neighborhood project.
Construction
San Ricardo (after work)
Construction
The City of Carpinteria remodeled its downtown streetscape of the course of five construction projects. With design elements by local architects, the overall project rejuvenated the downtown and has been the focal point for the annual Avocado Festival.
Construction
Cachuma Operations and Maintenance Board installed a number of “pre-fab” bridges over Refugio Creek south of Highway 246. The one shown here utilized pre-cast pieces built in Arizona and trucked to the site, where a contractor assembled the bridge and finished it off.
Construction
Gibraltar Dam, owned by the City of Santa Barbara, is about 100 years old and needed a repair on Spillway Three. For this project, all equipment and materials had to be shuttled to the site by way of a large crane. Workers descended four flights of stairs to get to the repair area. As shown in the photo, a portion of the concrete toe of the spillway was removed and replaced with new steel and concrete.
Meet Tom Evans
Principal Engineer of 805 Engineers, Inc.
A Career in Civil Engineering spanning 45 years
Tom grew up outside of Philadelphia and attended the Haverford School, a college prep academy. He attended Duke University for a year and then transferred to UCSB to enjoy surfing while furthering his education. With a degree in Math and additional classes from SBCC, Tom started his career with the Santa Barbara County Water Agency performing water demand and supply studies related to establishing the need for State Water. When the community voted down the first bond issue for State Water, he joined a local engineering firm as an entry level engineer. His first assignment was construction management for the last stages of the new El Estero Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Tom studied engineering courses on his own and accumulated experience with the Santa Barbara firm of Martin, Northart and Spencer. He was licensed in 1982 as a Registered Civil Engineer. At that point, he was set up by contract to serve as the City Engineer for Carpinteria (25 years), Solvang (17 years), and Buellton (15 years). He moved through the chairs at the company, eventually becoming the President. He changed the name of the firm to MNS Engineers, Inc and eventually sold his share of the business in 2006. MNS Engineers continues to grow and thrive as a company with a state wide presence and multiple branch offices.
Tom used the proceeds from the sale of the company to build a 3,000 square foot custom house in the foothills of the Gaviota Coast. In 2007, he joined the Santa Barbara office of Dudek as a Principal Engineer and provided consulting services to various clients. When the recession hit in 2010, he left private practice and joined the Goleta Water District as Chief Engineer in 2011. In 2015, he went to Montecito Water District as Chief Engineer for a year, followed by four year stint at the City of Santa Barbara providing project management and design services for a series of water related projects.
He retired from full time work in 2021 and started the firm of 805 Engineers to utilize the talent and experience of retired engineers that still want to take an active role in assisting clients with their projects.
Gallery
Images from our archive of projects
