John Chandler
PSE

Brian Stevens
US Bureau of Reclamation

DESCRIPTION

Water is the fuel for hydropower, is critical for the environment and irrigation, and impacts every aspects of our lives and economy.  Any changes to the water supply due to shifts in hydrology or other causes can have extensive impacts.  This session is focused on practical examples of adapting to hydrologic changes.  We also touch on related topics such as decarbonization and hydropower’s value in this transition, climate change, and sustainability because water is a central aspect of these topics.  We are working hard to be pragmatic and avoid being political.

This Panel is within the Technical, Dam Safety, and Engineering Track at the conference. 
 
This is a general interest topic relevant to anyone working in the Northwest.  

Moderator:
Mark Jones, Advisory Services Principal Consultant, HDR

Panelists:  

• Patty Dillon, Principal Hydrologist, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants
• John Chandler, Water Resources Technical Lead, Puget Sound Energy
• Brian Stevens, Supervisory Civil Engineer, US Bureau of Reclamation

Speaker Bios:

• Mark Jones is a registered professional engineer in the state of Oregon and has over 40 years of experience in the hydro and utility industry. He currently works for HDR as an Advisory Services Principal Consultant. He previously worked for the Bonneville Power Administration as their Generating Assets Manager, and for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Dam Safety Branch before that.
• Patty Dillon has spent the past 25 years with Northwest Hydraulic Consultants working on interesting water resources challenges. She loves the balance hydrology requires between natural systems and engineering solutions and the opportunities to work in cool places with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Her favorite part of hydrologic modeling and water resources problem-solving is figuring out the "why" of a complex system - which is often key to the "how" to unlock a solution.
• John Chandler is the technical lead of water resources for Puget Sound Energy. He manages the water at the Baker Project in Washington State. John also supports dam safety, the Trade Floor, operational compliance, and decarbonization efforts. He is the NWHA chair of the Technical and Operations Committee. John got his master's in water resources and environmental engineering from the University of Maine at Orono in 2008 and P.E. in 2012.
• Brian Steven- I grew up in Logan, Utah, and now live in southern Idaho. After completing a master's degree in Civil Engineering in 2008 from Utah State University I began working for an engineering firm in Tennessee doing riverine modeling. In 2016 I moved back closer to extended family and began working with the Bureau of Reclamation in Idaho. While at Reclamation I've analyzed, planned and supervised reservoir operations with many excellent colleagues at Reclamation and other agencies, often to meet competing objectives. My wife and I have 5 children.