Nitsch Engineering is proud to share that the Dominion Energy Castlewood Stormwater Infrastructure Improvement Project, the first industrial facility in the United States to receive USGBC SITES Pre‑Certification, has earned a National Recognition Award in the 2026 American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Engineering Excellence Awards. This national recognition builds on the project’s earlier honor from ACEC of Metropolitan Washington, elevating Castlewood from a regional award winner to a project recognized nationwide for engineering excellence, innovation, and impact.
Located on a 31‑acre operational Dominion Energy facility in Richmond, Virginia, the Castlewood project addressed longstanding stormwater management challenges, environmental noncompliance, and deteriorating infrastructure within an active industrial yard. Nitsch Engineering served as prime civil engineer, leading site design, stormwater planning, permitting, and resilience integration while coordinating closely with Dominion Energy to maintain full operational continuity throughout construction.
Key elements of the project included a large underground detention system, advanced stormwater treatment technologies, and restoration of Grindall Creek (in collaboration with Blueline Environmental for the stream restoration). A custom outlet control structure was designed to enable safe, repeatable stormwater sampling, supporting long‑term monitoring and regulatory compliance. Delivery required navigating mid‑design FEMA floodplain revisions and complex permitting requirements, with construction consolidated into three strategic phases to minimize disruption to operations.
Completed in 2025, Castlewood established a national precedent for sustainable design in utility and industrial environments, demonstrating that projects with critical operational demands can also meet rigorous sustainability and resilience standards.
“National recognition underscores the significance of this project—not only for Dominion Energy, but for the engineering profession,” said Matthew T. Brassard, PE, Vice President and Mid‑Atlantic Regional Manager at Nitsch Engineering. “Castlewood demonstrates how innovative engineering can solve complex operational challenges while protecting natural systems and surrounding communities.”
By transforming a deteriorating, noncompliant industrial facility into a nationally recognized model of resilient infrastructure, the Castlewood project shows how innovative engineering can protect communities, support essential services, and raise expectations for industrial sites across the country.