Alicia Candelaria
Staff Environmental Scientist
Hired
- 2018
Location
- Kennewick, WA
Expertise
Alicia is an environmental scientist who studies how contamination moves through soil and groundwater in the environment, an area of study known as fate and transport. She primarily works on environmental remediation projects and specializes in groundwater movement through the vadose zone (the area between ground level and the water table).
From a young age Alicia appreciated the outdoors and natural ecosystems. In college she decided to turn her interest into a career and quickly discovered a passion for protecting people from environmental hazards.
“I don’t want my family or others to be put in a position where they are afraid to take a shower, drink from their faucets, or not have beautiful natural places and animals to go see,” Alicia says.
Much of Alicia’s experience is with large federal remediation projects, so she understands how to work within state and federal regulatory frameworks. Her expertise in groundwater fate and transport, statistics, and site characterization make her a valuable part of our environmental and water resource projects.
Even in her free time, Alicia remains dedicated to environmental and humanitarian causes. She volunteers for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, wilderness preservation groups, food banks and cancer research foundations. When she’s not volunteering, you might find Alicia spending time with her family, hiking or road-tripping to beautiful places, eating tasty food, or escaping into a good book.