Donald Hey Tribute

We are deeply saddened that our founder, Dr. Donald Hey, passed away July 24, 2022.  Donald Hey was trained as a civil engineer but obtained his PhD. in water resources systems analysis from Northwestern University.  He used this training and his boundless energy and vision to influence virtually every aspect of water resources management today.  He founded Hey and Associates, Inc. in 1976.  He developed the technical foundation for stormwater management in Illinois including current stormwater management regulations.  He developed an updated sophisticated accounting approach to record the use of Lake Michigan water by Illinois.  Also, Donald was an early advocate of using natural and constructed habitats for stormwater management, which we now collectively refer to as “green infrastructure.” One of his most well-known insights was the role of beavers in the formation of wetlands before European arrival.  His study and insights about the ability to restore and create wetlands and the benefits they provide led to the formation of Wetland Research Inc. and the construction of the renown Des Plaines River Wetlands Demonstration Project in Wadsworth, Illinois.  That project documented that wetlands could be restored and even built from scratch and also helped define the water resource and habitat benefits they provide.  He developed one of the first wetland mitigation banks in Illinois under the management of Wetland Research, Inc.  He sold the firm to past and current management and left formal consulting in 1997.  He wanted to continue to pursue his passion for wetlands restoration and formed The Wetlands Initiative which went on to complete many notable projects particularly the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin, Illinois.  Donald’s more recent pursuits included an endless promotion of the emerging market of nutrient farming/trading and the use of natural habitats for carbon sequestration. In addition, he was an adjunct professor at Northwestern. There is scarcely a single aspect of water resources management in Illinois that does not in some way owe a debt to his efforts.  We will miss him dearly.

Donald’s Celebration of Life will be held on September 29th at the Evanston Ecology Center.