Bonneau Dickson expands expert witness work in sewer and wastewater failures

Berkeley sanitary engineer Bonneau Dickson, PE, is offering forensic engineering and expert witness services in sewer, wastewater, septic and stormwater disputes. His work is aimed at helping lawyers, insurers and property owners sort out system failures, maintenance questions and disclosure issues in litigation.

Why it matters: - Sewer, wastewater, septic and stormwater failures can trigger costly property damage, insurance claims and lawsuits. - Dickson’s work helps legal teams separate design, construction, maintenance and operating issues from ordinary equipment wear. - His analysis can affect whether a claim is resolved through repair, replacement or litigation strategy.

What happened: - Bonneau Dickson, PE, a Berkeley-based sanitary engineer and sole practitioner, is offering forensic engineering and expert witness services for sewer and wastewater system failures. - Dickson has worked independently since 1993. - His engineering career spans more than six decades in the United States and abroad. - Dickson works on cases involving sewer, wastewater, septic and stormwater system failures.

The details: - Dickson’s consulting work includes design on about 300 water, wastewater and stormwater projects. - He served as project manager on roughly 175 of those projects. - His background includes water lines, sewers, pump stations and wells. - Dickson has acted as a forensic technical consultant or expert witness in more than 100 legal matters over more than 25 years. - His casework includes septic tank failures and alleged non-disclosure of septic systems to buyers. - Other matters include sewage backups into buildings, failed pump stations, sewer pipe failures, water distribution failures, and mold and water damage tied to wastewater leaks. - In sewage overflow disputes, Dickson evaluates whether a sewerage authority followed its sewer maintenance plan and whether a departure contributed to a blockage or overflow. - In septic disputes, Dickson examines whether septic problems or the existence of a septic system were disclosed during a property transaction. - Dickson works with attorneys and insurance representatives and can provide written reports, deposition testimony and courtroom testimony. - His consulting engineering work has included wastewater treatment facilities, wastewater pump stations, sewers and potable water facilities. - Dickson holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Sanitary Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. - He also holds a Master of Arts in Sanitary Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University and Harvard Business School. - Dickson is registered as a Civil Engineer in California, the designation under which sanitary engineers are registered in most states. - He is affiliated with the Water Environment Federation, the American Water Works Association and the National Onsite Wastewater Association. - His engineering career included about seven years of international project work in Vietnam, Egypt, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Tunisia and Rwanda. - He also spent an extended period with Harris & Associates, a civil engineering firm in Concord, California. - Dickson advises homeowners that septic tanks that are not pumped about once every five years can allow solids and grease to reach the leach field and clog it. - He also advises property owners to check whether the lowest plumbing-connected floor sits below the elevation of the next upstream manhole, which can raise sewage backup risk. - Many sewerage agencies offer free inspections to evaluate backup risk. - In property transactions, sellers are expected to disclose the existence of a septic system and any known problems with it.

Between the lines: - Dickson’s pitch is built on a mix of long project experience and litigation experience, which can be useful when technical disputes hinge on engineering judgment. - The New England pump station example shows how repeated failures can point to a larger infrastructure problem rather than isolated equipment breakdowns. - The guidance for homeowners suggests that many disputes can be prevented early through maintenance, inspections and disclosure.

What happened: - In one New England case, a city hired Dickson after six wastewater pumps at a pump station failed four months after installation. - Dickson reviewed the pumps, operating conditions and failure pattern. - His findings supported replacing the pumps instead of continuing individual repairs. - The city adopted that recommendation, which reduced repeated repair costs.

What's next: - Dickson will continue serving as an expert witness and forensic consultant in infrastructure and property disputes. - Future cases are likely to center on pump station failures, sewer backups, septic disclosure disputes and wastewater damage claims. - Homeowners and property buyers may continue to rely on inspections and maintenance reviews to reduce liability and repair risk.

The bottom line: - Dickson is positioning his practice as a technical bridge between civil engineering and legal disputes over wastewater and sewer failures.