Becky Johnson 
Professor of Professional Practice | Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX, UNITED STATES
Professor Johnson focuses on environmental management, complex subsurface investigations, and surface and ground water studies.
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Biography
I have almost 30 years of experience in domestic and international environmental management and am an experienced consultant, trainer and auditor. My expertise is in complex subsurface investigations/remediation, multi-media compliance audits, environmental management systems (EMS), Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), hydrogeology & groundwater resources, and asbestos/lead/lead-in-drinking water. Many of my most recent projects involve sustainability with regard to water and energy usage. I have an in-depth understanding of regulatory programs including EPA, OSHA, CAA, CWA, EPCRA, and RCRA. I am an experienced international speaker, routinely providing lectures and courses on a wide variety of environmental topics.
I am the Coordinator for the Master of Environmental Management, both the undergraduate and graduate internships, and an advisor for undergraduates in the program. I also manages four of the certificates available to students in the program My primary role is to bring real-world expertise into the classroom. I have created 9 different courses that provide students with concrete job skills that get students hired.
My research includes:
Lead Investigator for the NextEra-Oxford-TCU Wind Energy Grant, focusing on the socio-economic impacts of wind energy development.
Principal Investigator for the Tarrant Regional Water District-Dallas Water Utilities Integrated Pipeline Project, focusing on the economics of water supply in north central Texas.
Principal Advisor for Groundwater Degradation and Sustainability of the Erbil Basin Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Principal Advisor for Lead, Cadmium and Zinc contamination in soils at the Tar Creek Superfund site in Oklahoma, focusing on the effectiveness of in-situ remediation.
Principal Advisor for Magnetic Levitation Chiller Analysis for the Greater Southwest Region focusing on energy and water savings at General Services Administration (GSA).
Principal Advisor for Sustainable Landscapes Analysis for the Greater Southwest Region GSA focusing on the potential water savings for site with drought-tolerant landscaping.
Areas of Expertise (5)
Groundwater
Environmental Management Systems
Water Supply
Wind Energy
Hydrogeology
Accomplishments (6)
Tar Creek Superfund Site: Analysis of EPA’s Mandated Soil Amendments (professional)
2018-05-01
Chair for thesis research – Tar Creek Superfund Site (MO, KS, and OK): large subsurface mines for lead and zinc operated from 1914 to 1950s. Ore processing left behind 500 million tons of chat and high concentrations of lead, zinc, and cadmium in the soil and water systems. EPA developed a soil amendment process to bind the metals and prevent uptake by plants, preserving topsoil, keeping the land in productivity, and limiting the potential for human and livestock ingestion.
General Services Administration - Green Proving Ground (professional)
2016-08-01
Partnership between TCU Environmental Sciences and General Services Administration (GSA) Sustainability Group within Green Proving Ground-a leader in sustainable solutions for the built environment. MagLev chiller project: two students researched the energy and water consumption of a new type of magnetic levitation chiller. Results indicate energy savings up to 40%. GSA saved 4,844,563 kWh and $400,267.46, with an estimated water savings of 460,233,485 Liters.
Tarrant Regional Water District – Dallas Water Utilities Project (professional)
2014-07-01
Faculty and student research on the socio-economic implications of constructing a new raw water pipeline for north central Texas. This 2-year, $175,000 research focused on the environmental and economic impacts of construction as well as the economic losses associated with not building the project and failing to secure additional water resources for the region. Completed a major white paper and two international presentations on research results.
Texas Christian University – Oxford – NextEra Energy Initiative (professional)
2014-05-01
Faculty and student research on renewable (wind) energy, with a focus on environmental, social, economic and carbon implications of wind power development. 2008- 2014. Five-year, $3.2 million research initiative. Responsible for 6 years of socio-economic modeling of wind power development in Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Kansas. Published 3 papers and gave 6 major conference presentations on research results.
Groundwater Degradation and Sustainability of the Erbil Basin Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (professional)
2014-05-01
Masters thesis research - Erbil Province in northern Iraq covers an area of 15,074 km2 and is one of the most important agricultural regions in Iraq with intensive irrigated agriculture. Water tables have declined 6 to 10 meters in the last 10 years due to over-pumping. Groundwater usage was determined to be unsustainable and should be reduced by 85% to reach stabilize the water table. These data were presented to the Iraqi government for implementation of new groundwater restrictions.
Groundwater Supply in South Central Texas (professional)
2012-05-01
TCEQ requested assistance with a groundwater (gw) supply for a small municipality in south Texas. My gw hydrology class conducted research for the aquifers present, geology of the region, limitations for gw supply, a cost evaluation for drilling new wells versus trucking in water, and aquifer modeling. TCEQ incorporated our work into a state guidance document for small water supply systems. TCEQ honored us with the ENVIROMENTOR OF THE YEAR award at the annual TCEQ Trade Fair.
Education (2)
Texas Christian University: M.S., Environmental Science - Hydrogeology 1995
University of Texas - Arlington: B.S., Geology 1985
Affiliations (2)
- Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists
- Society of Texas Environmental Professionals (STEP)
Links (1)
Media Appearances (3)
Speaker
Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists online
2019-10-01
Ethics in Geoscience, Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists - created a 1-hour ethics course for TBPG and turned it into a video (.mp4 file) that has been posted to the TBPG website. This video serves as the required 1 hour of annual ethics training for over 5000 P.G.s in the state of Texas.
How Can We Conserve Water For The Future?
TCU Magazine online
2015-09-21
Water is undoubtedly our most precious resource (ask any Californian). But how can we conserve water when thermoelectric power and irrigation remain our largest uses? In terms of indoor use, there is actually quite a lot people can do. Start by repairing leaky faucets and toilets, or better yet, if you don’t already have them, install low-flow showerheads, faucets and toilets.
In Deep Water
TCU Magazine online
2016-09-21
Becky Johnson ripped out the grass in her backyard and replaced it with artificial turf to conserve water. After working for more than two decades as an environmental consultant, she understands the severity of water scarcity.
Event Appearances (3)
Host
City of Fort Worth Environmental Excellence awards Fort Worth
2018-11-07
Speaker
Ethics in Geoscience Presentation for Association of Engineering Geologists Fort Worth
2018-02-01
Speaker
Is North Texas Water Really Safe? Society of Texas Environmental Professionals Meeting Fort Worth
2019-05-14
Research Focus (4)
Wind Energy
Socio-economic impacts of large-scale wind farms.
Tar Creek Superfund Site
Sequestration of lead, zinc, and cadmium in soils.
Water Pipeline Impacts
impacts to water supplies of building or not building new raw water lines.
Sustainability
Integrating social equity, economic security and environmental protection.
Research Grants (1)
Tarrant Regional Water District – Dallas Water Utilities Project
Texas Christian University $175,000
2014-07-01
Faculty and student research on the socio-economic implications of constructing a new raw water pipeline for north central Texas. This 2-year, $175,000 research focused on the environmental and economic impacts of construction as well as the economic losses associated with not building the project and failing to secure additional water resources for the region. Completed a major white paper and two international presentations on research results.
Articles (2)
The predominance of economic development in the support for large-scale wind farms in the U.S. Great Plains
Renewable and Sustainable Energy ReviewsMichael C. Slattery, Becky L. Johnson, Jeffrey A. Swofford, Martin J. Pasqualetti
2012 Wind energy is one of the fastest growing sources of power generation in the world. While general public and political support for wind energy is often high, siting wind farms frequently raises concerns in local communities, and individual projects often fail because of effective public opposition. This paper presents the results of a postal and online survey questionnaire that explores public perceptions of wind energy in two of the most important states for wind development, Texas and Iowa...
State and local economic impacts from wind energy projects: Texas case study
Energy PolicyMichael C. Slattery, Eric Lantz, Becky L. Johnson
2011 This paper uses the Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) model to estimate economic impacts from 1398 MW of wind power development in four counties in west Texas. Project-specific impacts are estimated at the local level (i.e., within a 100-mile radius around the wind farms) and at the state level. The primary economic policy question addressed is how investment in wind energy affects the state and local communities where the wind farms are built...
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