Our Team

Paul A. Zappi, P.E.

Senior Engineer

Paul Zappi’s career began with a simple belief that every community needs water that is safe and protected.  This belief has evolved into a passion to apply his expertise toward efficient and long-lasting water utility systems.  

Paul has spent much of his career planning, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining municipal wastewater systems of all sizes, <1 Mgd to 200 Mgd.  His work blends engineering rigor with real-world operational insight, helping utilities build and operate systems that perform reliably and adapt to changing conditions.

Paul has served as water utility engineer with Lafayette Utilities and Houston, Austin, and Beaumont Water.  As a consultant, he has supported municipal utilities, petrochemical facilities, and railroads.  His time as a research engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers grounded his work in data, innovation, and field-tested solutions.  Paul’s experience as an Alderman and Mayor Pro Tem provided a better understanding of how infrastructure decisions affect communities.

Areas of Expertise

• Wastewater treatment plant planning and design (headworks through activated sludge & filtration)
• Wastewater treatment plant process engineering (performance monitoring, optimization, pilot testing, SOPs, costs reduction, etc.)
• Solids management (WW sludge/biosolids & dredged material)
• Wastewater systems odor control (chemical dosing, ventilation, & air treatment)
• Process unit cleaning (tanks, channels, wet wells, etc.)

Achievements

• November 15, 2024 was declared “Paul Zappi Day” by Houston Mayor John Whitmire for over 15 years of service to Houston Water
• 2021 medal recipient from City of Houston for Winter Storm Uri recovery
• 2020 medal recipient from City of Houston for work as a COVID 19 Pandemic Responder (wastewater/RNA tracking)
• 2017 US Army Corps of Engineers – Southwestern Division Pacesetter medal and The Modern Group/Tiger Industrial/Dragon trophy for work restoring water supply to the City of Beaumont, TX during Hurricane Harvey recovery

Professional Memberships

• Water Environment Federation
• Clean Water Professionals of Louisiana
• Water Environment Association of Texas

Personal Life

• Husband to Paula since 2006

• Father of four children

• Cajun by heritage, Texan by marriage

• Hay farmer