Elin Betanzo, PE

Elin Betanzo is the founder of Safe Water Engineering LLC, a small consulting firm working to improve access to safe drinking water through engineering and policy consulting.

In August of 2015, Elin played a critical role in uncovering the Flint Water Crisis by encouraging Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a Flint pediatrician, to conduct a study that discovered elevated lead levels in children living in Flint, Michigan. Elin continues to work on lead and drinking water policy at federal, state, and local levels.

Elin has nearly 20 years of experience working on drinking water science, engineering, and policy issues. She worked for the Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water writing and implementing national drinking water regulations, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission where she led water system master planning and hydraulic modeling, and for the Northeast-Midwest Institute leading their Safe Drinking Water Research and Policy Program.

Elin holds a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and a Water Quality Management Certificate from Virginia Tech. She also has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Carnegie Mellon University. Elin is a Professional Engineer and a certified water system operator.