Water Resource Design
Freese and Nichols’ expertise in water resources covers the complete project life cycle – from planning, design and construction management to operation, maintenance and regulatory compliance for heavy civil infrastructure such as dams and reservoirs, levees, canals and flood protection systems. Our team integrates multiple engineering disciplines to fully support your needs, including geotechnical, structural, hydrology and hydraulics, civil design, coastal, mechanical, electrical and emergency management.
Start a Water Resource Design Project![image description](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/01-Lake-Delton-Dam-Repair-1.jpg.webp)
Specific Services
Planning and Analysis
- Water supply and flood control feasibility assessments
- Geological and geotechnical investigations
- Seepage, settlement and foundation modeling
- Hydrologic modeling, including flood and PMF studies
- Hydraulic modeling, including breach analyses and inundation mapping
- Risk management and risk-based decision making
- Gate and reservoir operation plans
Design Services
- Dams: earthen, concrete gravity, slab-and-buttress, masonry
- Levees: embankments, floodwalls, closure sections, interior drainage
- Embankments: foundation remediation, seepage, stability
- Spillways: uncontrolled, gates and hoists, labyrinth and piano key, outlet works
- Rivers and canals: water control structures, drop structures, armoring
- Specialty services: dewatering systems, terminal storage reservoirs, anchoring, reservoir dredging, dam decommissioning
- Instrumentation and monitoring programs
Regulatory Compliance
- Dam and levee safety inspections
- Emergency action plans and tabletop exercises
- Operation and maintenance plans
- Comprehensive facility reviews
- Potential Failure Modes Analysis (PFMA)
- State and federal dam safety agency coordination
- Environmental permitting
Project Gallery
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NTDMKT001-Bois-dArc-Spillway-11-578x435.jpg)
Bois d’Arc Lake Dam and Reservoir
North Texas Municipal Water District
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/07-Dry-Comal-Creek-FRS-578x435.jpg)
Dry Comal Creek Flood Retarding Structure
Comal County, Texas
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/03-Knight-Flume-Replacement-578x435.jpg.webp)
Knight Flume Replacement Design
Gulf Coast Water Authority, Texas
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/05-Lake-Brazos-Labyrinth-Weir-1-578x435.jpg.webp)
Lake Brazos Labyrinth Weir
City of Waco, Texas
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/01-Lake-Delton-Dam-Repair-1-578x435.jpg)
Lake Delton Dam Repair
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
![Lake Ralph Hall Dam](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/09-Lake-Ralph-Hall-Dam-1-578x435.jpg.webp)
Lake Ralph Hall and Leon Hurse Dam
Upper Trinity Regional Water District, Texas
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/12-Dam-7-Final-Design-1-578x435.jpg.webp)
Upper Brushy Creek Dam 7
Upper Brushy Creek Water Control and Improvement District, Texas
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/06-Toledo-Bend-Dam-Gate-Rehab-1-578x435.jpg.webp)
Toledo Bend Dam Gate Rehabilitation
Toledo Bend Project Joint Operation, Texas and Louisiana
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/11-Lewis-Creek-Spillway-1-578x435.jpg.webp)
Lewis Creek Dam Spillway Improvements
Entergy Corporation
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/LIB17119-IMG_0501-2-578x435.jpg)
Liberty County Levee Repairs
Liberty County Water Control Improvement District No. 5, Texas
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DJI_0108-578x435.jpg)
Clear Creek Spillway Replacement
City of Duncan, Oklahoma
![](https://www.freese.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Plum-Creek-YUN00432-578x435.jpg)
Plum Creek Watershed Flood Retarding Structure No. 6 Rehabilitation
Natural Resources Conservation Service