We Are Loureiro: Cole Kiczenski
November 27th, 2023
Cole Kiczenski remembers a quote he once read that stuck with him:
The magic you are looking for is found in the work you are avoiding.
To Cole, this means stepping outside of your comfort zone.
“It’s a reminder that if you face challenges head on, life will be even more rewarding.”
Like many of Loureiro’s team, Cole has a love for nature and science. When it was time for college he attended the University of Missouri-Columbia with the goal of blending his passions into a career. He graduated with a degree in Natural Resources Science and Management and shortly afterward met with Reginald Gardener, Loureiro’s Field Operations Manager in Missouri, and quickly found a home working in environmental remediation.
Cole started at Loureiro in February 2022 and works with a tight-knit group. The Missouri team, working within the St. Louis metro area, is focused on the operations of power plants throughout the state, engaged in what Cole calls “pump and treat” — treating ground water for contamination at power plants throughout the region. As a result of burning coal for many years, there are ash pits that remain, a by-product of this process.
“Within the fly ash there are a lot of heavy metals,” says Cole. “That’s where groundwater contamination comes from. We pump the water out and treat it for heavy metals like boron and arsenic. Once the metals have been removed we reinject the water back into the ground, and that helps contain the problem and keep it from spreading.”
In order to deal with the contamination, Cole and the Missouri team have a series of 28 extraction wells set between the ash pits and a river, and these wells act as a barrier to keep the heavy metals from getting into the water.
It’s here where Cole finds the rewarding aspects of his work.
“I’m able to participate in an environmental problem and help keep it contained,” Cole says. “Protecting the environment has always been something I’ve felt strongly about.”
Much of what the Missouri team is engaged with isn’t much different than a science experiment – a try, try, and try again mentality. In order to get to the best solution, Cole notes that the team works together to find solutions, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard.
“Recently we encountered an issue where the pH was high in the extraction water, and we had to figure out a way of lowering it,” Cole recalls. “Our solution involved making a column, fitting acid tabs inside of it, and dropping the column below the well pump. We hadn’t seen the drop in pH yet, and I had the idea to drill some holes in the bottom of the column to help the water flow better and more freely towards the acid tabs. It was something I thought of, we implemented it, and now we’ll see if it works.”
Outside of work, you can find Cole in the garage. He’s a self-professed gearhead with a passion for classic Jeeps, including buying, selling, and rebuilding old Wagoneers from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
