Klamath River Renewal Project Wins 2026 Grand Conceptor Award from ACEC
On May 7, 2026, the Klamath River Renewal Project received the nation’s top engineering award for ingenuity: the 2026 Grand Conceptor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). The award recognized both the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) – WPLG’s client and the owner of the now-removed dams – and McMillen, Inc., the Boise-based engineering firm that served as KRRC’s representative. Mort McMillen and Richard Roos-Collins, Principal of WPLG, accepted the award on behalf of the project team.
ACEC’s 32-member panel of experts evaluates projects based on originality, innovation, and their social and economic value. As the world’s largest dam removal and river restoration effort. the Klamath River Renewal Project distinguished itself in each of these areas. The award advances the project to international competition sponsored by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers.