How HDR Is Implementing Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations
W
ater supply and flood prevention are constant concerns for the managers of dams and reservoirs, particularly in the American West. Reservoirs must maintain enough empty space to handle sudden storm flows while at the same time holding on to as much precious water as they can. In the past, problems like this were addressed with relatively simple, inflexible capacity requirements based on an analysis of historical behavior. Today, however, advances in hydrometeorological forecasting and big data analysis allow reservoir managers to operate on a far more flexible scale. HDR Engineering is helping its clients across the United States integrate forecast-informed decision support techniques into their operations in order to make them more efficient and flexible. In this interview, David Ford, a water management and hydrologic engineering expert at HDR, and Mike McMahon, HDR’s senior hydrometeorologist, speak with Municipal Water Leader Managing Editor Joshua Dill about recent developments in the field of forecast-informed management. Joshua Dill: Please tell us about your backgrounds and how you came to be in your current positions.
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Mike McMahon: I am the senior hydrometeorologist at HDR Engineering. I have been a hydrometeorologist for the last 34 years. I worked in operations for the first 20 years with Lockheed and Boeing as an atmospheric scientist and researcher. Next, 12 years ago, I came to HDR and started working in hydrometeorology, which means that I focus on the part of the water cycle that is precipitation. You could say I do the front end of what David does once that water hits the ground. That involves the use of advanced analytics as part of operational/planning analysis and forecasting. I am the climate change and resiliency lead for the company as well. Currently, my work is split about 50/50 between hydrometeorology on the one hand and climate change and resiliency work on the other. I lived in California for 45 years prior to moving to Denver, where I have lived for the last 13 years. I absolutely love what I do. Joshua Dill: Dr. Ford, does your work in hydrology focus on the behavior of lakes and rivers?
PHOTO COURTESY OF HDR.
David Ford: I am a registered civil engineer in California with a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin; my field of specialty is hydrologic engineering. I apply hydrologic science to answer the water management questions HDR clients have. I started out my career working for the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; I worked at an Army Corps research lab called the Hydrologic Engineering Center for 10 years. I then left and formed a consultancy, David Ford Consulting Engineers. We were in business for 28 years and were acquired in August 2018 by HDR. I have been based in Sacramento, California, for more than 40 years.
