Richard J Huizinga, P.E.
Richard (Rick) Huizinga is interested in applying concepts of hydrodynamics and geomorphology to help solve real-world problems such as erosion hazards (scour) near bridges and erosion and deposition in rivers and lakes.
Rick is a project hydrologist at the Central Midwest Water Science Center in Rolla, Missouri. Rick received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in civil engineering (focused on Hydrology and Hydraulics) from the Missouri University of Science and Technology (M S&T, formerly UMR). Since joining the USGS in 1991, Rick has devoted his career to studying surface water hydraulics and specializes in bridge scour and applications of multibeam echosounders and motion-compensated and tripod-based lidar technology for geomorphic assessment and change detection. He has participated in applied research focusing on predicting and measuring scour at bridge piers using hydraulic models and field methods. Rick is a recognized expert in the use of multibeam echosounder technology for assessment of bridge scour during floods as well as bathymetric surveying of inland alluvial rivers and streams and lakes.
Professional Experience
1991-present, Hydrologist for U.S. Geological Survey
Education and Certifications
Registered Professional Engineer in Missouri and Kansas
M.S. Civil Engineering (Hydrology/Hydraulics), Missouri S&T, 1993, Rolla, Missouri. Thesis: “An analysis of the two-dimension flow in a vertically rotating flume”
B.S. Civil Engineering, Missouri S&T, 1991, Rolla, Missouri
Affiliations and Memberships*
1991-present, American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA
Science and Products
Use of High-Resolution Topo-Bathymetry to Assess Shoreline Topography and Future Development of a Slackwater Harbor near Dardanelle, Arkansas, October 2021
Bathymetric and supporting data for various water supply lakes in northwestern Missouri, 2019 and 2020
Bathymetry and Velocity Data from Surveys at Highway Bridges crossing the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, in August 2019, August 2020, and October 2020
Bathymetric and Velocimetric Data from Surveys at Highway Bridges crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers on the Periphery of Missouri, June 2009 through August 2018
Bathymetric and Velocimetric Data from Surveys at Highway Bridges crossing the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, March 2010 through May 2017
Bathymetric and Velocimetric Data from Surveys at Highway Bridges crossing the Missouri River between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, July 2011 through May 2017
Bathymetric and supporting data for Beaver Lake near Rogers, Arkansas, 2018
Bathymetric Data at Highway Bridges crossing the Lower Gasconade River after the May 2017 Flood in Central Missouri
Erosion Monitoring along the Coosa River, Alabama, using Terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (T-LiDAR) Technology, 2014-2017
Bathymetric and supporting data for Sugar Creek Lake near Moberly, Missouri 2018
Bathymetric data for Clearwater Lake near Piedmont, Missouri, 2017
Bathymetric and Velocimetric Surveys at Highway Bridges Crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near St. Louis, Missouri, May 2327, 2016
Hydrographic surveys of rivers and lakes using a multibeam echosounder mapping system
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near St. Louis, Missouri, May 23–27, 2016
Bridge scour countermeasure assessments at select bridges in the United States, 2014–16
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri River near Kansas City, Missouri, June 2–4, 2015
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers on the periphery of Missouri, June 2014
An initial abstraction and constant loss model, and methods for estimating unit hydrographs, peak streamflows, and flood volumes for urban basins in Missouri
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri River between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, April-May, 2013
Monitoring of levees, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure during the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River Basin
Bathymetric surveys and area/capacity tables of water-supply reservoirs for the city of Cameron, Missouri, July 2013
Results of repeat bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at the Amelia Earhart Bridge on U.S. Highway 59 over the Missouri River at Atchison, Kansas, 2009-2013
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri River in and into Missouri during summer flooding, July-August 2011
Bathymetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near St. Louis, Missouri, 2010
Science and Products
- Data
Filter Total Items: 25
Use of High-Resolution Topo-Bathymetry to Assess Shoreline Topography and Future Development of a Slackwater Harbor near Dardanelle, Arkansas, October 2021
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Little Rock District (SWL) Civil Works program has a mission to maintain cohesion between physical and naturally developed environments. Evaluation of shoreline stability and adjacent development of a harbor along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System at River Mile 202.6 is essential in establishing a baseline for potential impacts and future monitBathymetric and supporting data for various water supply lakes in northwestern Missouri, 2019 and 2020
Water supply lakes are the primary source of water for many communities in northern and western Missouri. Therefore, accurate and up-to-date estimates of lake capacity are important for managing and predicting adequate water supply. Many of the water supply lakes in Missouri were previously surveyed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the early 2000s (Richards, 2013) and in 2013 (Huizinga, 2014); hoBathymetry and Velocity Data from Surveys at Highway Bridges crossing the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, in August 2019, August 2020, and October 2020
These data are high-resolution bathymetry (riverbed elevation) and depth-averaged velocities in ASCII format, generated from hydrographic and velocimetric surveys near highway bridge structures over the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, in August 2019, as well as special surveys at two of the sites in August and October 2020 before and after installation of scour countermeasures. HydrograpBathymetric and Velocimetric Data from Surveys at Highway Bridges crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers on the Periphery of Missouri, June 2009 through August 2018
These data are high-resolution bathymetry (riverbed elevation) and depth-averaged velocities in ASCII format, generated from hydrographic and velocimetric surveys near highway bridge structures over the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers on the periphery of Missouri, for dates ranging from 2008 to 2018. Hydrographic data were collected using a high-resolution multibeam echosounder mapping system (MBMBathymetric and Velocimetric Data from Surveys at Highway Bridges crossing the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, March 2010 through May 2017
These data are high-resolution bathymetry (riverbed elevation) and depth-averaged velocities in ASCII format, generated from hydrographic and velocimetric surveys near highway bridge structures over the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, for dates ranging from 2010 to 2017. Hydrographic data were collected using a high-resolution multibeam echosounder mapping system (MBMS), which consists ofBathymetric and Velocimetric Data from Surveys at Highway Bridges crossing the Missouri River between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, July 2011 through May 2017
These data are high-resolution bathymetry (riverbed elevation) and depth-averaged velocities in ASCII format, generated from hydrographic and velocimetric surveys near highway bridge structures over the Missouri River between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, for dates ranging from 2010 to 2017. Hydrographic data were collected using a high-resolution multibeam echosounder mapping system (MBMS)Bathymetric and supporting data for Beaver Lake near Rogers, Arkansas, 2018
Beaver Lake was constructed in 1966 on the White River in the northwest corner of Arkansas for flood control, hydroelectric power, public water supply, and recreation. The surface area of Beaver Lake is about 27,900 acres and approximately 449 miles of shoreline are at the conservation pool level (1,120 feet above the North American Vertical Datum of 1988). Sedimentation in reservoirs can result iBathymetric Data at Highway Bridges crossing the Lower Gasconade River after the May 2017 Flood in Central Missouri
These data are high-resolution bathymetry (riverbed elevation) in ASCII format, generated from hydrographic surveys near six highway bridge structures over the Gasconade River in central Missouri. These sites were surveyed in June 2017 to help identify possible effects from extreme flooding on May 1-2, 2017. At the five downstream sites, hydrographic data were collected using a high-resolution mulErosion Monitoring along the Coosa River, Alabama, using Terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (T-LiDAR) Technology, 2014-2017
These datasets contain XYZ locations and other attributes of points from topographic bank surveys at six sites downstream from three dams on the Coosa River in Alabama, from October 2014 through July 2017. At the four sites downstream from H. Neely Henry and Walter Bouldin Dams, topographic data were collected using a motion-compensated LiDAR (MC-LiDAR) system mounted on a marine survey vessel equBathymetric and supporting data for Sugar Creek Lake near Moberly, Missouri 2018
Sugar Creek Lake is located approximately 4 miles northwest of Moberly, Missouri, in Randolph County, and has a full-pool surface area of approximately 330 acres. The lake primarily is used for recreation and drinking-water supply for the town of Moberly, Missouri. An earthen dam approximately 38-feet high and 1,125-feet long was constructed across the Sugar Creek valley in 1922. The elevation ofBathymetric data for Clearwater Lake near Piedmont, Missouri, 2017
Clearwater Lake, on the Black River near Piedmont in Reynolds County, Missouri, was constructed in 1948 and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood-risk reduction, recreation, and fish and wildlife habitat. The lake area is about 1,800 acres with about 34 miles of shoreline at the conservation pool elevation of 498 feet. Periodically, many lakes operated by the U.S. Army Corps ofBathymetric and Velocimetric Surveys at Highway Bridges Crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near St. Louis, Missouri, May 2327, 2016
These data are high-resolution bathymetry (riverbed elevation) and depth-averaged velocities in ASCII format, generated from hydrographic and velocimetric surveys near highway bridge structures over the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near St. Louis, Missouri, for dates ranging from 2008 to 2016. Hydrographic data were collected using a high-resolution multibeam echosounder mapping system (MBMS), - Maps
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 36
Hydrographic surveys of rivers and lakes using a multibeam echosounder mapping system
A multibeam echosounder is a type of sound navigation and ranging device that uses sound waves to “see” through even murky waters. Unlike a single beam echosounder (also known as a depth sounder or fathometer) that releases a single sound pulse in a single, narrow beam and “listens” for the return echo, a multibeam system emits a multidirectional radial beam to obtain information within a fan-shapAuthorsRichard J. Huizinga, David C. HeimannBathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near St. Louis, Missouri, May 23–27, 2016
Bathymetric and velocimetric data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, near 13 bridges at 8 highway crossings of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in the greater St. Louis, Missouri, area from May 23 to 27, 2016. A multibeam echosounder mapping system was used to obtain channel-bed elevations for river reaches ranging from 1AuthorsRichard J. HuizingaBridge scour countermeasure assessments at select bridges in the United States, 2014–16
In 2009, the Federal Highway Administration published Hydraulic Engineering Circular No. 23 (HEC-23) to provide specific design and implementation guidelines for bridge scour and stream instability countermeasures. However, the effectiveness of countermeasures implemented over the past decade following those guidelines has not been evaluated. Therefore, in 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey, in coopAuthorsTaylor J. Dudunake, Richard J. Huizinga, Ryan L. FosnessBathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri River near Kansas City, Missouri, June 2–4, 2015
Bathymetric and velocimetric data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, near 8 bridges at 7 highway crossings of the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, from June 2 to 4, 2015. A multibeam echosounder mapping system was used to obtain channel-bed elevations for river reaches ranging from 1,640 to 1,660 feet longitudinallyAuthorsRichard J. HuizingaBathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers on the periphery of Missouri, June 2014
Bathymetric and velocimetric data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, in the vicinity of 8 bridges at 7 highway crossings of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers on the periphery of Missouri from June 3 to 11, 2014. A multibeam echosounder mapping system was used to obtain channel-bed elevations for river reaches ranging fromAuthorsRichard J. HuizingaAn initial abstraction and constant loss model, and methods for estimating unit hydrographs, peak streamflows, and flood volumes for urban basins in Missouri
Streamflow data, basin characteristics, and rainfall data from 39 streamflow-gaging stations for urban areas in and adjacent to Missouri were used by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Metropolitan Sewer District of St. Louis to develop an initial abstraction and constant loss model (a time-distributed basin-loss model) and a gamma unit hydrograph (GUH) for urban areas in Missouri.AuthorsRichard J. HuizingaBathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri River between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri, April-May, 2013
Bathymetric and velocimetric data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, in the vicinity of 10 bridges at 9 highway crossings of the Missouri River between Lexington and Washington, Missouri, from April 22 through May 2, 2013. A multibeam echosounder mapping system was used to obtain channel-bed elevations for river reaches rangAuthorsRichard J. HuizingaMonitoring of levees, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure during the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River Basin
During the 2011 Mississippi River Basin flood, the U.S. Geological Survey evaluated aspects of critical river infrastructure at the request of and in support of local, State, and Federal Agencies. Geotechnical and hydrographic data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey at numerous locations were able to provide needed information about 2011 flood effects to those managing the critical infrastrucAuthorsBrenda K. Densmore, Bethany L. Burton, Benjamin J. Dietsch, James C. Cannia, Richard J. HuizingaBathymetric surveys and area/capacity tables of water-supply reservoirs for the city of Cameron, Missouri, July 2013
Years of sediment accumulation and dry conditions in recent years have led to the decline of water levels and capacities for many water-supply reservoirs in Missouri, and have caused renewed interest in modernizing outdated area/capacity tables for these reservoirs. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, surveyed the bathymetry of the four watAuthorsRichard J. HuizingaResults of repeat bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at the Amelia Earhart Bridge on U.S. Highway 59 over the Missouri River at Atchison, Kansas, 2009-2013
Bathymetric and velocimetric data were collected six times by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Transportation, in the vicinity of Amelia Earhart Bridge on U.S. Highway 59 over the Missouri River at Atchison, Kansas. A multibeam echosounder mapping system and an acoustic Doppler current meter were used to obtain channel-bed elevations and depth-averaged velocAuthorsRichard J. HuizingaBathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri River in and into Missouri during summer flooding, July-August 2011
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kansas and Missouri Departments of Transportation, in the vicinity of 36 bridges at 27 highway crossings of the Missouri River between Brownville, Nebraska and St. Louis, Missouri, from July 13 through August 3, 2011, during a summer flood. A multibeam echo sounder mapping system was used toAuthorsRichard J. HuizingaBathymetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near St. Louis, Missouri, 2010
Bathymetric surveys were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in the vicinity of 12 bridges at 7 highway crossings near St. Louis, Missouri, in October 2010. A multibeam echo sounder mapping system was used to obtain channel-bed elevations for river reaches ranging from 3,280 to 4,590 feet lonAuthorsRichard J. Huizinga
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government