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Kleinschmidt Associates: Hydro Engineering Consulting Specialists
The Deschutes Valley Water District’s Opal Springs Fish Passage Project in Crooked River, Oregon. Kleinschmidt acted as the owner’s representative for regulatory and engineering matters and represented the client in raising outside funding for construction.
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Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
10 | HYDRO LEADER | September 2020
Kelly Larimer: I’m currently the vice president and director of science, regulatory, and modeling and GIS technologies at Kleinschmidt Associates. I’m from the West Coast, primarily Washington State. I went to Central Washington University and earned a master of science degree in resources and environmental management. I’ve worked in the Columbia River basin for the majority of my career, conducting riverine studies with Central Washington University and the University of Montana and projects with tribal, county, and state governments. In addition, I worked for 6½ years with the Grant Public Utility District as the lands and recreation resources manager, focusing on hydroelectric license compliance activities. Then I joined Kleinschmidt Associates, where I’ve worked for the past 6½ years. My position involves the oversight of the company’s regulatory, environmental, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, and civil and restoration engineering groups, as well as our GIS and hydroleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KLEINSCHMIDT.
leinschmidt Associates is one of a few engineering consulting firms in North America that specializes in hydropower, and it has been doing so for more than 50 years. Its expertise is in engineering, regulatory, and environmental solutions that help lower costs, shorten schedules, and enhance long-term regulatory relationships. In particular, Kleinschmidt works on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licensing efforts for some of the largest pumped storage hydroelectric installations in the country, including the proposed Banks Lake Pumped Storage Project, which is planned to be built near Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State. In this interview, Kelly Larimer, Kleinschmidt’s vice president and director of science, regulatory, and modeling and GIS technologies, tells Hydro Leader about the firm’s specialized focus and current work.
