In Memoriam: Bernard V. Jones

Bernard V. Jones, P.E., died in Denver on 24 December 2003. He was 69. Jones graduated from Regis College and worked for the Bureau of Reclamation from 1957 to 1991. He was involved in some of the early developmental studies on the underwater lining of irrigation canals. This effort eventually led to the successful installation on the Coachella Canal in California in the early 1990s. The Coachella project involved the underwater placement of a PVC geomembrane and protective concrete lining.
Jones was associated with the studies on developing the Bureau’s materials and construction specifications for buried PVC canal linings. These specifications served as industry standards for a number of years. He was also the principal investigator on the use of geomembranes in roofing applications. Jones worked closely with other government agencies and the private sector in these endeavors. In addition he was an expert on concrete joint sealant materials and water stops.
He retired in 1991 as a supervisory materials engineer. He was a big supporter of the use of geosynthetic materials in hydrotechnical construction. – Bill Morrison, Materials Engineer (retired), Denver, Colorado.