Post Hurricane Helene: Assessing 170 miles of the New River with the High Definition Stream Survey
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Post Hurricane Helene: Assessing 170 miles of the New River with the High-Definition Stream Survey
Brett Connell | Co-founder of Trutta Environmental Solutions
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 1 hour
Type of Course: Webinar – On Demand
This webinar will introduce the High Definition Stream Survey (HDSS) as a practical watershed scale tool for erosion control, restoration planning, and post storm assessment. Using the recent 160 mile survey of the New River following Hurricane Helene as the primary example, the session will show how continuous, meter resolution data provides a clear picture of debris fields, infrastructure impacts, floodplain connectivity, and geomorphic conditions. Participants will learn how HDSS consolidates what would typically require multiple studies into a single coordinated survey. The presentation will also highlight lessons from more than 2,000 miles of HDSS work across the United States and how these methods support defensible, cost effective decision making. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how HDSS can improve watershed planning, reduce redundant field efforts, and guide restoration investments that deliver long lasting results.
The purpose of this presentation is to show how the High Definition Stream Survey (HDSS) can serve as an effective watershed scale assessment tool for erosion control professionals and natural resource managers. Post storm evaluations often rely on limited site data and inconsistent methods that make it difficult to prioritize actions across an entire river system. The New River project, completed after Hurricane Helene, demonstrates how continuous, meter resolution data can fill this gap by documenting debris, infrastructure impacts, floodplain connectivity, and geomorphic conditions in a single coordinated effort. This presentation highlights the industry’s need for more efficient and defensible approaches to watershed assessment, especially as severe storms place increasing pressure on agencies to deliver rapid, transparent decisions. Many organizations are seeking ways to reduce redundant field efforts, improve cross agency coordination, and support long term restoration planning. By sharing lessons from more than 2,000 surveyed stream miles and using the New River example, this session will show how HDSS can strengthen erosion control strategies, improve watershed planning, and support cost effective recovery across multiple water resource objectives.
Gordon Keller
Geotechnical Engineer, GENESEE GEOTECHNICAL
Genesee Geotechnical
Mr. Keller is a licensed Civil and Geotechnical Engineer in California. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from UCLA in 1968, and then a MS in Geotechnical Engineering from University of California, Berkeley in 1972. He has worked with the U.S. Forest Service for over 40 years and is currently retired, but continues working as a private engineering consultant. Professional experience has included extensive work with low-volume roads, slope stability, retaining structures, drainage, materials source development, bridges, dams, environmental mitigations for roads, wildlife crossings for roads, and road climate resilience or climate change adaptation.
Recent professional experience has included conducting over 50 Low-Volume Roads Engineering Best Practices lectures and training courses (one to five days long) worldwide over the past 15 years. Training and project experiences have included storm damage repair work in Central America after Hurricane Mitch and in the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Georges. Roads Natural Hazard Vulnerabiluty Reduction training has been conducted in most countries of Central America for OAS. Rural roads design and environmental analysis training courses have been presented throughout Central America, Mexico, South America, Haiti, Africa, Australia, China, India, Nepal, and the Western Pacific, working for World Bank, IADB, International Road Federation, US Agency for International Development, Pan-American Highway Institute, Rainforest Alliance, TNC, Brazilian Forest Service, Mexican Transportation Institute, VicForests, India National Institute of Technology, Universities, and other groups or partners of the USDA, Forest Service Office of International Programs.
He is involved in activities with the Transportation Research Board Low-Volume and Rural Roads Committee, International Erosion Control Association (IECA), Americal Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), International Roads Federation, and US Forest Service Office of International Programs, and a variety of other agencies and Universities.
He has published numerous papers on various aspects of Geotechnical and Geologic Engineering, as well as manuals on Minimum Impact Low-Volume Roads Engineering Best Practices, Storm Damage Risk Reduction, and Climate Resilient Low-Volume Roads.
This event is worth one (1) Professional Development Hours.
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