Water is a complex and precious natural resource with a mind of its own. At times, it sustains life; at others, it creates hazards that threaten life. There are moments when there is too much water, and others when there is not enough. Water can erode the soil and wash away structures, but it can also deposit sediment and debris. Water resources is an engineering discipline that addresses the challenges associated with water: its quantity, character, and quality.
Hydrology is the engineering discipline that calculates the amount of runoff in streams, channels, and pipes based on the characteristics of precipitation events. Hydraulics is the engineering discipline that analyzes the character of flow occurring in streams, channels, pipes, reservoirs, spillways, and other hydraulic structures. Givler Engineering is skilled in performing comprehensive hydrologic and hydraulic studies to assess and manage:
Mathematical and computer models are sometimes insufficient to describe complex flow problems adequately. In such cases, we design, construct, and operate scale replicas of dams, reservoirs, and pipe systems to study various hydraulic conditions, including:
Givler Engineering uses computer modeling to simulate and analyze various aspects of water resource systems.
Our hydrologic models simulate watersheds and reservoirs to calculate:
Givler Engineering’s hydraulic models simulate flow through streams, channels, pipes, spillways, and other structures to determine:
Our water resources engineers are experts at navigating the complexity of dam design, maintenance, and repair and the regulatory demands that accompany dam ownership. These services include:
If you are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of a dam, you need to be aware of your state’s dam hazard classification system and how changes in development downstream of a dam can affect its status and your liability. A dam’s hazard classification is not based on the likelihood of failure but on the potential for downstream loss of life, destruction of property, and environmental damage should it fail.
The agency overseeing dam safety may reclassify a low-hazard dam as a significant or high-hazard dam based on new downstream development, such as residential subdivisions, commercial sites, or highways. Although these changes may be outside your control, you will still be subject to the more stringent safety and regulatory requirements that significant- and high-hazard dams must meet. This may require substantial upgrades such as spillway enlargements, EAP development, and increased maintenance costs.
We’ll use our decades of experience and expertise to help you understand these classifications and their obligations and meet the associated technical and financial challenges.
In this pursuit, we can:
We are a civil engineering firm with an extensive background in water management, flood control, and dam services. Whether you need solutions to technical challenges or assistance addressing the financial or regulatory aspects of the situation, Givler can help. Reach out today to discover how we can put our legacy of excellence to work for you.
