Freese and Nichols Expands Dams Services in Central Plains With Addition of Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner, one of Oklahoma’s leading experts in hydrology and dam management, has joined Freese and Nichols as a Water Resources Engineer.
Chris, who served as the State Conservation Engineer for 16 years until his retirement last May, is rejoining the workforce to focus on improving dam safety in our local communities and clients. He is based in our Tulsa office.
“Chris is going to be a great asset to our team,” said Victor Vasquez, Freese and Nichols’ Water Resources Design Group Manager, “He not only brings his expertise from a lengthy career, but he brings hands-on experience in both Oklahoma and Texas. We have a lot to learn from Chris.”
Chris spent most of his career working for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. He began his career working in West and South Texas to ensure proper irrigation and erosion control practices. In 1998 he was given the opportunity to move to Stillwater, Oklahoma, and transitioned from working in the Texas desert to the Oklahoma wetlands.
“All my time driving around Western and Southern Texas didn’t prepare me for being a wetland engineer, but it turned out to be my calling,” Chris said.
Chris’ 37 years of engineering experience includes:
- Providing statewide leadership for all engineering activities in Oklahoma and technical supervision of field engineers and Civil Engineering Technicians
- Managing 2,107 small watershed dams (most of any state in the country), including 266 High Hazard Dams
- Working closely with Conservation Partners and State Dam Safety officials to prioritize rehabilitation needs and to determine costs and funding strategies
- Providing national guidance for watershed operations policy and for development of national tools