Dan has been a Civil Engineer with the WY-MT WSC since 2018.
Dan recently completed his Master’s degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in ecohydraulics and stream restoration. His graduate project was developed in conjunction with the Montana Department of Transportation and the USGS to examine the use of Large Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) to determine hydraulic forces and flow measurements on bridges around Montana. Currently, he is helping to develop flood frequency analyses for Montana and Wyoming, along with continuing the LSPIV research and data collection from gages around the state. He has worked many years as a biologist, including a year spent in South Africa on a leopard conservation project and with endangered species around the western United States. For his undergraduate thesis at Western Colorado University, Dan worked on modeling the effects of climate change on Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly colonies and changes in their spatial distributions over multiple years.
Education and Certifications
Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Montana State University (2020)
Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Western Colorado University (2011)
Science and Products
Evaluating the use of video cameras to estimate bridge scour potential at four bridges in southwestern Montana
Regional regression equations based on channel-width characteristics to estimate peak-flow frequencies at ungaged sites in Montana using peak-flow frequency data through water year 2011
Peak-Flow Frequency Analysis for Selected Montana Streamgages
Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages on tributaries of the Bighorn, Tongue, and Lower Yellowstone Rivers, based on data through water year 2021
Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in and near the Milk River Basin, Montana, based on data through water year 2018, part 2
Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in and near Teton County, Montana, based on data through water year 2019
Science and Products
- Publications
Evaluating the use of video cameras to estimate bridge scour potential at four bridges in southwestern Montana
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation, installed cameras and large-scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) recording equipment at four sites where the U.S. Geological Survey and Montana Department of Transportation are monitoring bridge scour using other methods. Determination of stream velocities is an important component of hydraulic engineerinRegional regression equations based on channel-width characteristics to estimate peak-flow frequencies at ungaged sites in Montana using peak-flow frequency data through water year 2011
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation, developed regression equations based on channel width to estimate peak-flow frequencies at ungaged sites in Montana. The equations are based on peak-flow data at streamgages through September 2011 (end of water year 2011), and channel widths measured in the field and from aerial photographs.Active-channel wid - Science
Peak-Flow Frequency Analysis for Selected Montana Streamgages
Peak-flow frequency information is needed for flood-plain mapping, design of highway infrastructure, and many other purposes across Montana. The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center has an ongoing project working to update peak-flow frequency estimates at USGS streamgages across the state. - Data
Peak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages on tributaries of the Bighorn, Tongue, and Lower Yellowstone Rivers, based on data through water year 2021
The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected USPeak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in and near the Milk River Basin, Montana, based on data through water year 2018, part 2
The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY–MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected stPeak-flow frequency analyses for selected streamgages in and near Teton County, Montana, based on data through water year 2019
The USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY-MT WSC) completed a report (Sando and McCarthy, 2018) documenting methods for peak-flow frequency analysis following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 66.7-, 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) for selected st