Chris Bowles, PhD, PE is a registered civil engineer (CA P.E. C76898) specializing in hydraulics, hydrology, geomorphology, water resources, water quality and environmental restoration. He has over seventeen years of project management experience on a wide variety of large multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder projects such as floodplain restoration, sediment studies, watershed hydrology, water quality, river and wetland restoration in California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, and Florida, and oversees, including projects in the UK and Central America. Thirteen of these years have been spent in practice in the US. His technical expertise spans the range of hydraulic and hydrologic modeling (HEC software and a wide variety of 1D, 2D and 3D hydraulic models), geomorphology, GIS and field data collection (topographic and bathymetric surveying, water quality monitoring, flow gauging and sediment transport measurements). Prior to specializing in environmental hydrology, Dr. Bowles worked initially as a land surveyor and latterly as a site construction supervisor. Dr. Bowles has a doctorate in computational fluid dynamics in the application of fluvial hydraulics and has constructed numerous 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional hydrodynamic models over his 17 years of experience in environmental engineering.



Chris Campbell, MS has more than ten years of engineering and project management experience with an emphasis in ecohydraulics and ecohydrology. He specializes in hydrodynamics, physical hydrology, sediment transport, geomorphology, water resources, and ecosystem restoration. His technical expertise routinely involves the application of GIS and computational models (e.g., 1D, 2D, and 3D), both public (e.g., HEC software) and proprietary (e.g., MIKE software), to inform a range of water resource and environmental assessment and restoration projects within riverine, estuarine, and wetland environments. Mr. Campbell also conducts field studies (e.g., topographic and bathymetric surveying, water quality monitoring, climate monitoring, flow gauging, sediment characterization, and sediment transport sampling) and uses the data to characterize site conditions and to develop, calibrate, and validate computational models. He is an expert in hydrology, hydraulics and sediment transport and has constructed numerous such models over the last ten years. Mr. Chris Campbell is currently studying part-time for a doctorate in Civil Engineering at the University of Idaho with a special emphasis on vernal pool hydrology. As part of that research, he is using three years of monitoring data at two restoration sites to calibrate and validate a shallow vadose zone model using HYDRUS 3D. The model will then be used to evaluate the potential hydroregime effects of constructed pools on natural pools and develop hydrologic criteria to inform habitat conservation and enhancement design.



Christopher Hammersmark, PhD, PE is a registered civil engineer (CA P.E. C66595) specializing in hydraulics, hydrology, geomorphology, water quality, ecology, and ecosystem rehabilitation/restoration. He has over 11 years of experience on a diverse array of projects including sediment and water quality studies, river and floodplain restoration, flood inundation and water supply investigations. The environmental settings for these projects range from natural to urban, from the tidally influenced Bay-Delta through lowland alluvial rivers to headwater streams and adjacent meadows and forests. Dr. Hammersmark’s technical experience includes numerical hydraulic and hydrologic modeling (e.g., HEC, USGS, USBR and DHI models), habitat suitability modeling, terrain modeling, GIS and a variety of types of field investigations including sediment characterization and sediment transport measurements, water quality sampling, flow gauging, groundwater sampling, water table measurement habitat characterization and mapping, vegetation sampling, topographic and bathymetric surveys, soil infiltration and compaction monitoring. Dr. Hammersmark's dissertation research involved developing an integrated surface water-groundwater model to establish a water budget for a wetland system, providing spatial and temporal estimates of storage and flux though the surface-subsurface system. Drawing from his diverse academic and consulting background, Dr. Hammersmark seeks innovative and sustainable process-based solutions to complex multi-objective water resource and ecosystem restoration challenges, while operating within the specific constraints of each project. He is committed to the conservation, preservation and rehabilitation of aquatic, wetland and terrestrial ecosystems.



Ali Abrishamchi, PhD has more than six years of research and engineering experience on different topics in water resources such as developing and performing two-dimensional hydrodynamic models to assess the tidal marsh and tidal aquatic habitat restoration, modeling highway stormwater runoff pollution wash-off and build up, and predicting the unsteady hydrodynamic forces by performing two- and three-dimensional time-dependent computational fluid dynamics simulations.



April Sawyer, BS has four years of experience in aquatic biology, fluvial geomorphology, hydraulic and hydrodynamic modeling. Her previous experience includes working on a large-scale hydroelectric relicensing project. In doing so, she was highly involved in the instream flow analysis, including developing habitat suitability criteria, implementing 1D and 2D models for project application and analyzing model results to assist in the flow regime decision-making process, and drafting sections of technical reports. Additionally, she has performed extensive field work including topographic surveying, streambed substrate assessments and biological population sampling for fish and amphibians, among other tasks. Ms. Sawyer has extensive experience working on 2D hydrodynamic modeling projects. Her 2D hydrodynamic project experience ranges across varying scales and project goals, from modeling urban floodway enhancement through multi-use detention basins to modeling the flood attenuation and habitat benefits of levee and agricultural berm setbacks and breaching on rivers and stream reaches ranging from 1 to 40 miles longitudinal length. Additionally, Ms. Sawyer has 2D hydrodynamic project experience related to tidal wetland and estuary restoration through levee breaching, designed channel geometry optimization for tidal prism conveyance and velocity optimization for channel self-maintenance. April has also been involved in two research projects for publication involving extensive 2D hydrodynamic modeling, including construction constraints on designed channel features for stream restoration, and the importance of velocity and transport capacity reversals at high flows to maintaining channel morphology in gravel-bed rivers.



Ben Taber, BS has an extensive background in Civil Engineering with practical experience in hydraulics, hydrology, hydrodynamics, geomorphology, flood management, water quality, and sediment transport. His technical expertise includes Civil 3D, Land Desktop, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, and ArcGIS. In addition, Ben is well trained in field data collection practices and techniques, including use of ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) discharge and velocity measurements, multiple sediment sampling events consisting of bed load, suspended sediment and grab sampling, bathymetric surveying, and total station channel surveying.



Hamish Moir, PhD has nearly twenty years experience working in the water resource industry in the UK and the US, particularly in the areas of salmonid physical habitat characterisation, catchment management and river restoration. He has extensive training in the fields of fluvial geomorphology-instream ecology interactions and river engineering, both in research and consultancy capacities. The three years he spent working in the USA provided valuable training in river restoration strategies, hydrodynamic modelling and state-of-the-art surveying methodologies. Hamish has considerable experience in project management, initially in the delivery of large academic research projects and, since joining cbec, leading many consultancy assignments. In his previous post as a senior research scientist with the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Catchment Management Group he led an international workshop on ‘Defining Hydromorphological Condition and Links to Ecology’ (March, 2009) that was attended by leading scientists from around the world. Dr. Moir has been active in promoting more sustainable approaches to river restoration, managing a pilot project on the Tarland Burn, Aberdeenshire and recently co-authoring a high profile paper on the new concept of ‘process-based restoration’. He has also been project manager on many consultancy projects involving fisheries, river management and restoration. Recently he has worked on large catchment restoration projects on the River Naver, Sutherland and the Eddleston Water, Scottish Borders, both balancing the requirements of sustainable flood management and improved ecological function. Hamish has led two projects concerning the assessment of barriers to salmonid fish passage; (1) a project commissioned by the River and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS) to undertake an engineering assessment of four weir dams on the Aberdeenshire River Don and River Allan to assess the ease and safety of fish passage and other physical impacts through a combination of field surveys, consultation and expert judgement, (2) a project commissioned by the Galloway Fisheries Trust (GFT) to assess options for weir removal and modification on the River Cree in Newton Stewart to improve fish passage and reinstate more natural geomorphic river processes. The RAFTS project is shortly to enter its third phase while the GFT one has completed one phase of structural modifications with the second phase at the design stage.



John Stofleth, MS has more than seven years of experience in hydraulic engineering, fluvial geomorphology and watershed ecology. John has worked on a myriad of projects that included the development of one- and two-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport models. Additionally, he has performed extensive watershed scale hydrologic and geomorphic assessments. He is adept at evaluating and implementing projects that require complex hydraulic and geomorphic solutions. John has also been involved in several research projects that embody new trends in the field of stream restoration including the effects of dam removal on channel morphology, the analysis of large wood as a tool in stream restoration, and the importance of hyporheic exchange in overall stream integrity. His multidisciplinary background and experience involving projects with multiple components of the river system make him an invaluable member of the cbec team.



Lilly Allen, BS has more than 3 years of environmental experience in the water resources industry including computational fluid dynamic modeling, and field work. She has helped with a variety of environmental models to help assess environmental impacts from urbanization with a focus on erodibility and susceptibility to erosion. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in geology and a passion for using science to protect the outdoors. She has worked on projects with a variety of governmental organization and is capable of devoting herself to a task until its completion. Lilly assisted with numerous projects in the United Kingdom. She provided technical support for channel restoration along River Naver and Eddleston. She has compared historic cross sections to current cross sections for River Derwent.



Melanie Carr, PE, MS Melanie Carr has ten years of engineering experience related to wetlands, water quality, modeling, and wastewater and stormwater facilities planning. Melanie graduated with honors from Cornell University, and obtained a master’s degree from U.C. Davis in engineering biological systems pertaining to wetland wastewater treatment systems. Her recent project management experience consists of Placer County Low Impact Development Guidebook and Triangle Rock Products Stable Channel Design. Selected experience highlights include development of pre-design of City of Davis Water Pollution Control Plant wetlands and performing field survey and developing hydrology for the Rose Creek Watershed Assessment. She has performed stormwater planning and facilities assessment for the Sacramento County Airport System Sacramento International Airport, City of Yuba City, City of Elk Grove, and Foraker Ranch. She conducted wastewater facilities planning for counties of San Joaquin, Sutter, and Del Norte, and the cities of Davis, Lodi, and St. Helena, as well as stormwater facilities planning for Yuba City, Foraker Ranch, and Triangle Rock Products. This planning included developing hydrologic, nutrient, and metals management for treated effluent storage and land application systems. Melanie’s permitting experience consists of obtaining NPDES permit adoption for the Department of General Services (DGS) Central Heating and Cooling Facility, San Joaquin County Service Area 31 (Flag City) and the Cities of Galt, Atwater, and Lodi.



Poyom Riles, MS has four years of experience in hydraulic engineering, hydromodification planning, low impact development practices, flood management, fluvial geomorphology, sediment transport, and water quality studies. He is highly proficient in the use of HEC-RAS for long term 1D low flow models in hydromodification planning, and water quality analysis. He has experience developing a guidebook for LID practices in Placer County as well as experience in green roof design and construction. He also has experience conducting geomorphic assessments and has been involved in research on geomorphic characteristics of the Santa Clara Valley.



Rusty Barker, MS has more than 3 years of experience working in the hydrologic sciences and water resource management field. He has recently graduated from University of California, Davis with an M.S. in hydrologic science where he completed his thesis building, running, and validating large scale, two-dimensional models of the Lower Yuba River. In addition, he has had extensive experience in the field collecting data, performing surveys, and being an effective team member and leader. Jesse brings his multidisciplinary background of hydrology and civil engineering along with a strong work ethic to the cbec team.



Sam Diaz, PE has twelve years of experience that covers a wide range of civil engineering projects. With cbec, he has been involved in hydromodification studies related to land development, reservoir sedimentation studies, river floodplain connectivity and levee setback studies, and salmonid habitat restoration. He is well versed in designing, creating and preparing construction documents, project permitting, and construction monitoring and surveying. Mr. Diaz is familiar with a variety of hydrologic and hydraulic modeling software packages. He is experienced in performing hydraulic analyses to evaluate natural and man-made channel flow, as well as to inform the design of both gravity and pressurized piping systems. He has worked on projects related to land development, water and wastewater treatment and infrastructure, water resources management and planning, and hydroelectric generation in the past.



Tarick Abu-Aly, MS Tarick Abu-Aly has more than 2 years of experience in fluvial hydrodynamic modeling, water quality modeling, remote sensing data analysis, watershed hydrology, and hydrogeology. Tarick is new to our team, but before joining cbec, he worked on several projects that included 2D hydrodynamic modeling, salmonid habitat suitability assessment, and sediment transport modeling on the Lower Yuba River. His research and experience have been invaluable tools in the ongoing ecological management and geomorphic assessment of the extensively impacted Lower Yuba River. He is adept at providing innovative solutions to complex hydraulic and geomorphic problems that require a detailed understanding of the underlying physical processes. Tarick has also been involved in several research projects that are on the cutting edge of river restoration research including: the effects of vegetation on meter-scale 2D hydrodynamic models, sediment transport estimation using DEM differencing, and spatially-distributed floodplain friction parameterization using LiDAR. His experience integrating all aspects of the river system to form environmentally sustainable solutions make him an invaluable addition to the cbec team.