About Us

Barnes, Ferland and Associates, Inc. (BFA Environmental) is an environmental/utility engineering, hydrogeological consulting and surveying and mapping firm that specializes in natural resource management, permitting and design solutions. Services include solid and hazardous waste management; hydrogeological and wellfield development; environmental and contamination assessment; disaster debris management; water resources management and permitting, water, wastewater and reuse master planning.  BFA also provides our clients with comprehensive services related to the utility coordination, survey, subsurface exploration, protection and utility relocation of existing utilities located within State, County and City rights-of-way subject to roadway widening and improvements.

BFA is a certified minority/disadvantaged business with more than 10 state and local government agencies.  BFA is DBE certified with FDOT in Florida, DBE certified with Louisiana DOTD, and HUB Certified with SWUC in North Carolina, and a graduate of the SBA 8(a) program.  We are committed to providing reliable, responsive, cost-effective and high quality environmental services to both our large and small clients.

BFA is a Florida firm with its main headquarters in Orlando, Florida and satellite offices in West Palm Beach and Miami, Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana and Rutherfordton, North Carolina.  BFA has two principals who have worked together since the firm’s inception in 1994.  Patrick A. Barnes, P.G., is Founder/CEO with 30 years experience; John D. Watson, P.H., Vice President with 32 years experience; and Willie E. Thomas, P.E., President with 21 years experience.   BFA currently has a professional staff of (18) engineers, hydrogeologists, designers, environmental scientists, surveyors, and three (3) administrative personnel.

Much of our success is due to the quality and experience of our staff.  The Principals of our company maintain a “hands-on” approach and staff projects with highly experienced and trained individuals.  BFA’s Professional Engineers, Geologists and Surveyors have a comprehensive understanding of current and pending regulations and new technologies.  We believe that it is our responsibility to provide common sense, practical solutions, which best serve our client’s interest and are responsive to regulatory requirements.   We offer professional technical and management services in the fields below.

Our Team has engineered, managed, and built some of the most complex projects of the modern era in some of the most diverse and challenging environments around the country. Fundamental to everything we do is an unrelenting focus on delivering the highest levels of quality, safety, sustainability, performance, and value to our community.

BFA Environmental’s national success is inextricably linked to society’s progress. Increasingly, our projects face some of the toughest sustainability challenges—such as rising urbanization, water security, access to reliable energy, extreme weather, and global workforce development. We regard sustainability as our responsibility to enhance the positive effects of our projects where possible and avoid or mitigate the potentially negative ones. We believe that we are not just delivering a physical asset to our communities but also creating an enabling environment that will benefit them in the long term.