History

Harper & Associates Engineering, Inc. was founded in 1979 by William B. Harper in response to the need for quality consulting services in the tank and reservoir coating and rehabilitation industry.  Prior to 1979, quality control inspection of reservoir coating projects was virtually nonexistent.  HAE was the first firm to perform full time coating inspection in California.  The success of quality control inspection has led to improved coating performance in the industry resulting in an extended life for coating systems.

Mr. Harper was a registered professional corrosion engineer (CR786) with 50 years of experience in the water and wastewater industry.  Mr. Harper passed away in November 2012, but his legacy will be his contribution to the water and wastewater industry.  Mr. Harper’s specialty area was barrier protection for steel and concrete water reservoirs and wastewater and reclaimed water facilities.  Mr. Harper was a 50 year member of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA).  As a 50 year member of AWWA, Mr. Harper served in many roles, including Chairman of the AWWA D102 Revision Task Force from 1978 to 1999, member of the Board of Directors of the California/Nevada AWWA Section, and Chairman of the Tanks, Reservoirs, and Structures Maintenance and the Corrosion Control Committees.  Mr. Harper received many awards and honors throughout his career, but the most significant was the Fuller Award, the highest honor given by AWWA.

In 1995, Mr. Harper’s grandson, Andre Harper, and his wife, Krista Harper, joined the firm and in 1998 took over the day to day management of the firm.  William Harper continued as President and Principal Engineer.  Since joining the firm in 1995, the firm has doubled in size.  The growth is due in part to adding services, such as evaluation of reservoirs by diving method, design of new reservoirs, and construction management.  HAE is continuing to grow each year as a result of our exceptional engineering staff and continued expansion into new areas of engineering within the water and wastewater industry.