Abstract:

The Bureau of Reclamation has developed and managed water resources in the Western United States for more than a century. Providing water to arid regions of our country led to innovative designs and solutions for dams, spillways, and other hydraulic structures which have helped set standards for water resource development throughout the world. Reclamation’s Hydraulics Laboratory (which actually got its start in Fort Collins) played a pivotal role in developing solutions for flow past high head dams, hydropower production, and water delivery systems. Now these aging facilities face modern day challenges due to new extremes in hydrologic events, environmental issues, and ever-evolving operational demands. The Hydraulics Laboratory continues to play a key role in helping ensure these facilities continue to provide water and hydropower while meeting modern day challenges safely and effectively. This presentation will feature recent examples of innovative solutions developed in Reclamation’s Hydraulics Laboratory that have helped address challenges with increased spillway capacity, cavitation damage, downstream fish passage, new hydro/hydrokinetic development within existing systems, and others.

Bio:

Josh Mortensen has worked as a hydraulic engineer for Reclamation’s Hydraulics Laboratory for over 14 years. He has led hydraulic investigations on hydropower and pumping plant operations, canal systems, penstock and tunnel outlets, large gates and valves, spillways, fish passage facilities, and sediment exclusion at diversions. He has helped provide solutions for issues such as cavitation, air entrainment, hydrodynamic loading, and flow-induced vibrations. His experience includes using physical hydraulic modeling, field testing, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). He earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from BYU-Idaho, a M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Utah State University, and is a Professional Engineer registered in the State of Colorado.

Water Seminar Homepage