About Us

Northstar Hydro believes infrastructure in harmony with the natural environment is not only aesthetic but more resilient. By first considering the water and how it flows, our design recommendations are strengthened by working with the natural tendencies of fluvial and tidal systems.

Northstar Hydro, a small consulting engineering firm, specializes in hydrologic and hydraulic engineering applications. We limit our project involvement to these specialties and often work as a sub-consultant to large engineering firms.

As a small company, quality, cost, and schedule control are paramount to maintaining a successful business. From our clients to our insurer, quality design services are key to our continued client relationships. Without adequate quality control, repeat business partnerships would not be possible. From project inception to completion, Northstar maintains close contact with project personnel, assuring constant feedback such that project products meet expectations for quality, purpose, and timeliness. Northstar’s specialized expertise meshes seamlessly with our larger clients who provide full-service civil engineering services. At the inception of each project, careful project scoping, and agreement on design checking services insures that Northstar’s project components will meet the needs of both our clients, and the overall project.

Northstar was founded in 1994 as a sole-proprietorship, specializing in surface- and ground-water hydrology. With over 30 years of professional experience, Ms. O’Brien is licensed in geology and engineering, and certified in hydrology and has taught courses in hydrology at Bates College. In 2015 Northstar grew to a two-person operation by adding Ms. Buck with over 15 years of modeling and GIS experience in engineering and geology applications. Located in Winthrop, Maine and Hartland, Vermont, Northstar is certified as a DBE/WBE in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.