Walt Kuhn has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has worked as a hydraulic engineer in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the past 25 years specializing in hydrographic data collection, geomorphic analysis, and hydraulic and sediment transport modeling. He has worked on Santa Clara Pueblo since 2013 developing post wildfire models for use in flood inundation mapping, sediment and debris flow analysis and developing restoration plans. On restoration projects he works as part of a team of engineers and ecologists to help bring a multi-discipline approach to the analysis.
The presentation describes the effects of the 2011 Las Conchas fire on the Santa Clara Creek watershed and the resulting geomorphic changes to the creek from post fire rain events. Post wildfire the flows in the creek and the sediment transport, including debris flows, significantly increased. The increased flow and sediment overwhelmed existing infrastructure requiring significant dredging of material and construction of new infrastructure. The benefits and liabilities of this new infrastructure are discussed along with the timing of the mitigation work.
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