Raymond Layton, Ecotoxicologist was one of Waterborne's first clients while at DuPont. Waterborne continued to work with DuPont until the company spun off its agriculture chemical products line to new companies, Corteva and FMC. Ray remembers his first Waterborne encounter:

"In the later 1990’s we were suddenly required to do a series of aquatic monitoring studies for a rice fungicide. At that point the EPA and USDA had some runoff models (PRZM, GLEAMS) and an aquatic model (EXAMS) but none of these were appropriate for modeling rice paddies or any downstream movement. 

Marty and Pat came to the rescue in helping design a series of nine aquatic monitoring studies, gathering usage and cropping data across the watersheds where rice was grown, creating GIS maps of the watersheds, and then creating, calibrating, and validating the RICEWQ and RIVWQ models to help support our discussions with the USEPA. 

And this started a long and fruitful relationship that expanded out to other products, crops, ground and surface water, and multiple geographic locations around the world."

Julie Eble began working with Waterborne while at DuPont and continued the relationship as she progressed through her career. She eventually founded her own firm and co-sponsored industry events with Waterborne. Julie remembers her first Waterborne encounter:

"I first met Marty on a field study project while I was working for DuPont as a scientist in their new Ecotox Group. Science doesn't always work the way we want it to; things go awry and we have to remain alert and on top of things to make the science work and to ensure we end up with accurate data. Marty really impressed me on this project. I had just come back from Africa and it was about the time The Lion King was out and popular. Marty embodied the 'hakuna matata' approach to our work. Whenever a problem occurred, he'd say, 'hakuna matata' and solved it. It became our project's theme.

That first encounter really sold me on Waterborne scientists. I knew I could trust them. I could trust that they would do everything they agreed to do. They have always been very honest and straightforward and maintained a good humor. We bonded within the client relationship, and I continued working with them when I opened my own business. We collaborated and even co-sponsored events.

I always say about Waterborne, they, 'do the right thing because it's the right thing to do.'"

A Message From Our CEO:

Waterborne Celebrates 30 Years of Excellence and Looks to the Future

by Paul Barboza, CEO

It was 30 years ago this May that Waterborne was launched with five employees sitting at folding tables in folding chairs. Within a year, that small environmental startup was coordinating a national groundwater monitoring study, managing several field-level groundwater and surface water runoff monitoring studies, and having our enhancements to the Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM) accepted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) in Athens, Georgia. Word about the little Virginia firm spread like wildfire and new staff, clients, and offices quickly followed suit.

Today, Waterborne has long since left the folding tables behind in favor of new technologies and cutting-edge science. We offer an array of environmental services, some with a nod to our roots, like field studies and support to environmental risk assessments for pesticides, personal care products, and veterinary medicines, and some that are the future today, such as ecological modeling and predictability tools. We have expanded our geographic reach far beyond North America, supporting clients across the globe from our offices located in Virginia, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, and Massachusetts.

I’m proud that throughout our growth and expansion, Waterborne has maintained the unified vision that has allowed us to achieve so much over the last 30 years. That vision, which centers on our collective commitments to environmental stewardship, advancing technology, ethical behavior, and team support, has attracted quality people to our firm as team members, partners, and clients... Read the full message >>