Rewilding a Floodplain in Carmel, California
Joseph Zhang, PE
Ben Snyder, PE
SWCA Environmental Consultants
Fort Collins, CO
McBain Associates and SWCA Environmental Consultants performed restoration design and hydraulic modeling on the Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project on the Carmel River, located at the Palo Corona Regional Park, California. The goals of this project include rewilding a former golf course to a fully functional river ecosystem with greatly increased floodplain connectivity and improving riparian and salmonid habitat. The existing Carmel River is approximately 15 feet below adjacent floodplain surfaces. A process-based restoration approach was adopted for the design, which will allow for future channel and floodplain dynamism. The project will create roughly 25 acres of winter and spring juvenile salmonid-rearing habitat and will reconnect nearly 40 acres of floodplain to the Carmel River. Our presentation will provide an overview of the design approach and engineering analyses, as well as provide insight into the stakeholder engagement process.
About Joseph Zhang, PE
Joseph Zhang works as an Associate Project Restoration Engineer in SWCA’s Ecological Restoration Engineering Group. He develops and improves engineering design of stream, wetland, and shoreline projects, assesses stream functions, and brings sustainable ecosystems on project sites. Through seven years of professional experience in civil and environmental engineering projects in various states, Mr. Zhang has developed skills in multi-criteria decision analysis, stream restoration design, wetland water budget analysis, and 2D hydrology/hydraulic modeling. He has been the design engineer and deputy project manager for projects ranging from small stream restoration to large mitigation banking development. Additionally, he leads groups to achieve goals at work and coaches new professionals to succeed in their fields. When not working, Mr. Zhang enjoys spending time gardening, hiking and snowboarding.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuzhangcsu/
About Ben Snyder, PE
Ben Snyder leads SWCA’s ecosystem restoration engineering program in the Western United States and Pacific Islands. He has dedicated his distinguished career to leading interdisciplinary teams in resolving complex habitat restoration challenges. The combination of his expertise in engineering design with local knowledge ecosystem processes and regulatory environments has proven to be a formidable asset to many restoration projects. Mr. Snyder spent a significant portion of his career at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District, where he was twice honored as being named District Engineer of the Year. He has been instrumental in founding engineering business lines at environmental consulting companies and leading interdisciplinary teams. He brings a process-based approach to restoration design, built on a solid foundation of an understanding of the local flow regime and how it will sustain complex habitat mosaics in the face of a changing climate.