Rivers and floodplain are among the most biologically diverse and important habitats while also providing an important public service by storing flood-waters, delivering soil and nutrients to farmlands, and filtering contaminants. Rivers and floodplains are also commonly important transportation corridors for local and regional economies. Historically, humans have worked to confine, channelize, and constrict rivers and floodplains but recent understanding on the importance of these areas have led to efforts to restore these areas and better allow for natural processes to occur once more. NSD is at the forefront of these efforts and is adept at utilizing the most current data, analysis tools, and techniques to implement sustainable river and floodplain projects. Our process to river and floodplain engineering begins with understanding the baseline flood, erosion, and habitat conditions and then using that understanding to evaluate the potential benefits and impacts of project actions. Project actions commonly considered include bridge/culvert replacements, levee setbacks, wetland creation, bank protection, instream and floodplain habitat restoration. Our staff members specialize in open-channel hydraulics, sediment transport, geomorphology, hydrology, wetland and riparian ecology, and engineering fundamentals that are core capabilities for successful river engineering.
