Richard Donat is an integral part of the team developing the new brackish groundwater supply for the city of San Antonio. He began working at SAWS in 2010 during the feasibility phase of the project and has had the opportunity to see the project through construction. SAWS’ desalination plant will come online in late fall of 2016, and after phase II completion will be the largest inland desalination plant in the nation. Donat’s main roles on the project included geological investigations, project controls (costs and schedules), and outreach.  Once the project is completed, he will move into a management analyst role at SAWS for the Construction and Engineering departments where he will utilize his passion for management science. He has a bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of Arkansas, an M.S. in Geology from the University of Tennessee, and an MBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio.