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FEMA name and U.S. Department of Homeland Security seal on the exterior of a federal office building.

What FEMA Accepts on a LOMR, and Where the Time Actually Goes

Summary: On a National Flood Insurance Program submittal, the schedule is set by review cycles and engine-version compliance, not by how fast the model solves. FEMA accepts named…

NOAA Atlas 14 precipitation frequency map showing 24-hour, 100-year rainfall depths across the contiguous United States.

Rainfall Data in Transition: NOAA Atlas 14 to Atlas 15

Locating Wetlands for Better Model Development and Planning

As hydrologic engineers, we would be remiss not to use all information available to us in the course of understanding water flow within a drainage basin. Increasingly, geospatial…

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What FEMA Accepts on a LOMR, and Where the Time Actually Goes

Summary: On a National Flood Insurance Program submittal, the schedule is set by review cycles and engine-version compliance, not by how fast the model solves. FEMA accepts named versions of programs such as HEC-RAS, and generally expects a Letter of Map Revision to run revised conditions on the effective study’s version. Most…

Rainfall Data in Transition: NOAA Atlas 14 to Atlas 15

Summary: NOAA Atlas 14 remains NOAA’s current precipitation-frequency standard and authoritative source for the areas it covers, while Atlas 15 will gradually replace it with updated, seamless, nonstationary estimates nationwide. Preliminary CONUS data are expected in September 2026 for peer review, with CONUS publication in 2027 (estimates outside the contiguous United States…

Locating Wetlands for Better Model Development and Planning

As hydrologic engineers, we would be remiss not to use all information available to us in the course of understanding water flow within a drainage basin. Increasingly, geospatial data, high-resolution terrain models, and machine learning are available to engineers for a variety of purposes, including the development of hydrologic models. The Wetland…

The 3D Elevation Data Program is a Game-Changer

For decades, engineers have relied on a patchwork of data consisting of field surveys, orthographic photos, and other sources to piece together baseline topographic data for infrastructure design and other purposes. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has long been aware that 3D elevation data for the entire United States would bring…

Experiments in Flood Risk Assessment

As cities grapple with flood preparedness, a strategy known as “stochastic storm transposition” (SST) is increasingly viewed as a tool useful for flood risk assessment. Today, the method is principally used by U.S. federal agencies managing large critical infrastructure. The methodology makes use of high-resolution gridded radar data of recent storm events…

Findings from the World Meteorological Organization’s newly released Global Climate Report (2025)

If only the most alarming trends we are witnessing lately—warming oceans, heat waves in the Arctic and record high temperatures elsewhere—could be credited to normal fluctuations. But the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) makes clear in the latest Global Climate Report (GCR), released in March 2026, that the extreme values of several key…

Hydrologic monitoring instruments installed in a river to collect flow and water level data

Flood Frequency Analysis Through Time

Flood frequency analysis (FFA) is a core element of water resource engineering and critical for floodplain management, infrastructure design, risk assessment and more. Over the last 35 years, methodologies to perform FFA have evolved significantly, adapting to changing environmental conditions, new data sources, improved computational capabilities, statistical innovations, and a better understanding…

Field assessment of wetland water depth during a Waters of the United States (WOTUS) evaluation

A New Definition of WOTUS Surfaces

With passage of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972, the U.S. finally had a landmark environmental protection law on the books to protect “navigable waters” or “waters of the United States, including the territorial seas” (WOTUS). But the reach of a federal law depends on its supporting legal framework. In…

The Work Is Here

The funding and the work are here, but not the folks to do it Few periods in recent history have so clearly required the talents and skills of engineers and related professionals. Aging infrastructure is in every city and county across the U.S. Lately the call to act and repair this infrastructure…

How Small Companies Punch Above Their Weight

If only it wasn’t so obvious. But it is. I’m talking about the companies out there that have the cash flow, the willing investors, the big budgets and the equally big client listings. These companies know how to beat the drums and blow the whistles. They know how to make you sit…