Speaker Bio

Dr. Stone is an Associate Professor and Regents Lecturer in the Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering and Director of the Resilience Institute at the University of New Mexico. His research is focused on the areas of ecohydrology, environmental flows, resilience of headwater systems, and climate change impacts. His research sites include the Colorado and Rio Grande watersheds as well as research in the Himalayan and Andean mountain ranges. Dr. Stone earned his PhD and MS degrees from Washington State University and his BS from the University of Nebraska. He is also a registered Professional Engineer.

Engineering with Nature to Support Integrated Stormwater Management in the Southwest

Traditional water engineering and flood risk reduction projects tend to work against nature rather than with it. Levees, dams, and other hydraulic structures tend to reduce water and sediment connectivity and interrupt processes that support ecosystem services. The principles of engineering with nature were first innovated in the Netherlands and are now more widely used throughout the world including the US Gulf Coast and East Coast. However, these principles have been applied more widely to coastal settings with few examples inland within watershed and river settings. This presentation will focus on describing the principles of engineering with nature and providing examples from the Netherlands and will conclude with some concepts that might be applied in the American Southwest.