From the Colorado River to post-wildfire hydrology, CSU experts available to talk all things water
Contact for reporters:
Allison Sylte
(720)-849-1907
[email protected]
Without water, there is no life, and climate change makes studying this finite resource more important than ever.
With major cities on the brink of running out of water and the Colorado River continuing to present perplexing policy challenges across the West, Colorado State University scientists are finding cutting-edge solutions to the world’s water problems, be it inside the Water TAP Lab on the Spur campus or along the streambeds that wind through the state’s burn scars.
March 22 is World Water Day, and the entire month is Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Month. Below are the names of just some of the CSU experts studying issues related to water. To arrange an interview, contact a member of the CSU Communications team at [email protected].
Colorado Water Center
John Tracy, director
Tracy joined the Colorado Water Center in July 2022, and previously served as the director of the Texas Water Resources Institute.
Tracy has spent most of his career at land-grant institutions, addressing water, land and environmental resources management issues, working with a diverse range of agencies and stakeholders. He has served in leadership positions at water institutes in Texas, Idaho and Nevada, as well as on the boards of the American Water Resources Association and the National Institutes for Water Resources.
Tracy holds a Ph.D. in engineering and master’s in civil engineering, both from the University of California at Davis, and a bachelor’s in civil engineering from CSU.
Jennifer Gimbel, senior water policy scholar
Gimbel is currently focused on Colorado River issues, with an emphasis on the Upper Basin. She has experience in law and policy on national and state water issues, and was the principal deputy assistant secretary for water and science at the Department of the Interior, overseeing the U.S. Geological Survey and Bureau of Reclamation. As a water lawyer, she worked for attorney general offices in Wyoming and Colorado. She has over 30 years of experience on water issues.
Jessica Thrasher, Colorado Water Center diversity, equity and inclusion program leader
Thrasher works to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the water field. She leads the center’s Water Fellows program with the goal of elevating college students from historically marginalized backgrounds in the water sector. The program is designed to prepare students for careers in the water field and connect them to opportunities. Thrasher also is focused on engagement of underserved communities in water planning and policy discussions and finding solutions to increase water security in communities. She is an expert in conservation techniques such as rain barrels, rain gardens and green infrastructure.
Patty Rettig, head archivist for the Water Resources Archive
Rettig has built an archive that holds over 100 distinct collections documenting Colorado’s water heritage by engaging with the water community across the state. This involves working with people throughout the university as well as with state and federal agencies, ditch companies, businesses and individuals, and has been with the Water Resources Archive since its beginning in 2001. She works with stakeholders across the state to preserve historical documents related to Colorado’s water resources.
Walter Scott Jr. College of Engineering
Mazdak Arabi, director of the One Water Solutions Institute and professor of civil and environmental engineering
Arabi’s research, education and engagement activities focus on the development of scientific approaches and analysis tools that enable integrated water resource management in a changing world. His primary expertise includes hydrologic assessment, watershed modeling, water quality control and system identification and optimization.
In leading the One Water Solutions Institute, he hopes to further the mission of solving real-world challenges through cutting-edge research and innovation.
Becky Bolinger, assistant state climatologist
Bolinger is Colorado’s assistant state climatologist. In that role, she monitors Colorado climate, communicates climate information to the public, gives historical perspective to weather events, and responds to media and data requests.
Bolinger has led many of the Colorado Climate Center’s drought efforts, representing the CCC at stakeholder meetings.
Bolinger first came to CSU in 2009 as a graduate student in the Department of Atmospheric Science, where she studied the hydroclimate of the western U.S., and particularly the Upper Colorado River Basin. During her time as a graduate student, she also worked closely with the CCC on drought assessment and early warning.
Frances Davenport, assistant professor, civil and environmental engineering
Davenport’s research looks into questions related to the global climate and hydrologic cycles, extreme climate events, water resources, and climate change impacts on human and natural systems.
Her recent projects have included analyzing the causes of increasing extreme precipitation in the U.S. Midwest, understanding the consequences of less snow in the western U.S., and quantifying the economic damages associated with climate change.
Neil Grigg, professor of civil and environmental engineering
Grigg’s research involves water management and institutions, water rights, water supplies, state water planning, water law, policy and regulation, infrastructure development and water security.
He has also researched public works and utility management.
Ryan Morrison, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering
Morrison’s research focuses on environmental flows and riverscape modifications, specifically how to sustainably integrate ecological and human needs in water resource management.
His work emphasizes the impacts of river management on aquatic ecosystems while exploring new methods for mitigating management effects. Prior to joining CSU, he was a research engineer for the U.S. Geological Survey.
Peter Nelson, associate professor, civil and environmental engineering
Nelson’s research delves into post-wildfire hydrology and soil transformation in burn scars, as well as the effects of dams on river morphology and habitat. He serves on the SEDHYD Sedimentation Committee and on the National Reservoir Sedimentation and Sustainability Team.
Matt Ross, assistant professor of watershed science
Ross, who serves as the faculty director of CSU’s Geospatial Centroid and the Radical Open Science Syndicate, uses data science techniques to understand how human activities impact our water resources.
Employing remote sensing, intensive fieldwork and advanced data analytics, Ross’ work focuses on post-fire water quality, algae blooms and the impact of land use on aquatic ecosystems. His research aims to understand and predict water quality dynamics, assess climate vulnerability in water resources and inform effective water resource management strategies.
Sybil Sharvelle, professor of civil and environmental engineering
Sharvelle’s research interests include water reuse (graywater and reclaimed water), integrated urban water management and waste conversion to energy.
She is the technical director of the Water TAP Lab at CSU Spur, which allows scientists to test new filtration devices on six potential water sources.
Tiezheng Tong, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering
Tong’s research involves using membrane technologies to purify water that is especially challenging to transform into clean, safe water. He also evaluates how to use data-driven approaches to promote water sustainability.
Warner College of Natural Resources
Steven Fassnacht, professor of snow hydrology
Fassnacht’s research examines how snow and related properties vary over space and time, and what that means for water resources, especially during flood and drought. This also relates to the quality of that water to ensure all people have adequate access to this invaluable resource.
Stephanie Kampf, professor of ecosystem science and sustainability
Kampf, a member of the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at CSU, is working to understand how headwater streams function across the diverse landscape of the West, including high mountains, forests, deserts and cities.
Ellen Wohl, professor of geology
Wohl received a bachelor’s degree in geology from Arizona State University and a Ph.D. in geosciences from the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on physical processes and forms in river channels and floodplains, and how these interact with biogeochemistry and ecological and human communities. She has conducted field work in rivers within the Colorado River watershed in Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. This research has examined channel and floodplain geometry, the role of large wood in channels and floodplains, and records of prehistoric floods.
College of Liberal Arts
Stephen Mumme, professor of political science
Mumme specializes in comparative environmental politics and policy, with an emphasis on the Mexican government and U.S.-Mexico relations. Since he joined CSU in 1983, much of his work has centered on water and environmental management along the U.S.-Mexico border.
College of Health and Human Sciences
Jeff Biegert, professor of fermentation science and technology
Biegert teaches brewing classes and is CSU’s brewmaster for two on-campus breweries. He’s a longtime New Belgium Brewing employee focusing on process improvement, research and development, troubleshooting, process modeling and work to design, improve and control complex processes.
Charlie Hoxmeier, professor of fermentation science and technology
Hoxmeier, who earned a Ph.D. in microbiology from CSU, teaches brewing and leads the brewing team at Gilded Goat Brewing Company. He also works in an advisory capacity for two private biological science companies in Colorado.