Stormwater in a Changing World | Engineering & Design

This post is the second installment of five articles highlighting stormwater, its impact on our daily lives, and how engineering expertise is applied to mitigate risk while remaining compliant.

In our previous installment of the stormwater series, we explored the importance of detailed stormwater planning and modeling to prepare communities for intensifying storm impacts. Understanding stormwater behavior in various environments is the first step to creating resilient infrastructure. True engineering brilliance comes in designing and engineering solutions to manage stormwater in ways that mitigate flood risk, limit erosion to the landscape and infrastructure, and protect public waters from contamination.

At Moore Engineering, we’ve spent 60+ years developing stormwater infrastructure to protect the communities we serve. Planning and modeling are critical to revealing problems, but engineering design is what puts a solution into action.

Making an Impact to Reduce Impact

Our mission is to “improve lives by building strong communities.” None of our services at Moore Engineering exemplify our mission more than the stormwater solutions we deliver to communities across the region. Our engineers do everything in their power to design solutions that minimize negative impacts on our environment, infrastructure, and public health.

No one can prevent rainfall, and snowmelt is as natural as the changing seasons. It’s not our goal to stop stormwater. Our objective is to mitigate damage and prevent tragedy in accordance with the models we develop.

“Here at Moore Engineering, we work with our clients and communities to manage stormwater because – that’s really what we do. We don’t truly control it; we just try and manage it to reduce the impacts.”

Erik Gilbertson, Municipal Group leader

The process of engineering a design is highly dependent on the community we’re serving and the problems that our cutting-edge modeling uncovers. In urban areas, designs often include storm sewers,  ponds, or flood walls. Rural projects rely more on drainage ditches, tile, and impoundments to efficiently direct stormwater to the next downstream water source. Regardless, the goal stays the same – direct stormwater to where it does the least damage.

Design & Engineering for a Changing Future

As we discussed in the previous article, climate change is changing our industry, requiring us to adopt new techniques to fight back. “Precipitation events have become more intense and more frequent, and these intense frequent rain events have led to flooding and other concerns around our communities.” Notes Jeff Madejczyk, Environmental Senior Project Manager. “What we need to do going forward is design stormwater improvement projects that address these more intense and frequent flood events… as well as [mitigate] ecological impacts to the receiving waters…”

Many communities we work with also have outdated systems that need improvements to keep up with modern regulations and climate patterns. Our engineers leverage the latest techniques and tools to upgrade aging infrastructure and protect communities of all sizes. With a presence from Williston, ND, to the Twin Cities, our engineers are always close by to provide tailor-made solutions for our clients.

Protecting Communities Through Excellence in Engineering

At Moore Engineering, we approach every stormwater project with leading-edge modeling, designs that stand the test of time, and a highly collaborative team. State-of-the-art modeling informs creative design and engineering solutions tailored to the unique needs of each community.

For over 60 years, cities, counties, and water districts have trusted Moore Engineering to safeguard their communities from stormwater impacts through engineering excellence. As the ecological and regulatory climates change, we remain as committed as ever to improving lives by building storm-ready communities.

“Staying true to our mission means helping build strong communities… with the future in mind. So we’re keeping that resiliency in mind as we’re building our projects and as we’re planning for the future with our clients.”

Amy Denz, Environmental Sector Leader