State Departments of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and other entities such as the NCHRP (National Cooperative Highway Research Program) regularly sponsor research in Hydrology, Hydraulics, and Stormwater. The types of research most likely to be competitive, and ultimately funded, are in the realm of Applied Research. In this presentation, I will highlight the distinctions between Basic and Applied research in transportation hydraulics, and briefly describe some past and present research projects sponsored by CDOT, the National Academies, and FHWA, and how those efforts were able to immediately be implemented in standard and best design or construction practices. I will also describe the differences between Research Needs Statements (RNS) and Synthesis research efforts, and how both are assimilated into the DOT/FHWA practitioner space in design and construction activities. To close, I will briefly highlight our ongoing research into post-wildfire basin flows (including soil characteristics and precipitation triggers) and the elements of that research that will be implementable for future practitioners.