Staff
Senior Engineer + Fluvial Geomorphologist
Katie Jagt, PE, CFM
Katie is a senior engineer and fluvial geomorphologist with 16 years of experience working in the river restoration and flood management fields and is the founder of Watershed Science and Design. Katie has a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to do post-graduate research at TU Delft in The Netherlands on the intersection of flood management and river restoration. Katie understands how human actions and interventions can influence a river system—and vice versa—and is immersed in helping communities navigate the inter-connectedness and inter-dependencies of the physical and social landscape within watersheds.
Katie specializes in risk-based flood planning and river restoration projects, fluvial hazard zone mapping and mitigation, hydraulics and hydrology, sediment transport, floodplain reconnections and riparian function studies. Katie has spent years in the design, analysis, and implementation of “multi-benefit” projects that provide water quality, safety, and environmental value to river systems and their communities. She has also developed and published risk-based analysis methods for quantifying the ecologic or agricultural benefits/impacts of large-scale river and reservoir re-operations projects. Katie was the deputy program manager for the State of Colorado’s 2013 Emergency Watershed Protection flood recovery efforts and is a lead author of the State of Colorado’s Fluvial Hazard Zone Delineation Protocol.
Licenses + Certifications
Professional Engineer: Colorado and California
Certified Floodplain Manager
FAA Commercial Drone Pilot
Awards
Outstanding Project American Public Works Association (APWA) CO Chapter (2019): Colorado Emergency Watershed Protection Program
Engineering Excellence Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers (2018) : Colorado Emergency Watershed Protection Program
National Presidential Award for Innovation Council of State Community Development Agencies (2017): State of Colorado: Watershed Resilience Pilot Program
Climb to Safety award for excellence in flood recovery Colorado FRRC (2016): 2013 Colorado Flood Recovery
Best Infrastructure Investments with Co-Benefits NY Rising Governor’s Award (2014): Tropical Storm Irene Flood Recovery in Jay and Keene, NY
Select Publications and Presentations
Blazewicz, M., Jagt, K., and J. Sholtes. (2020). Colorado Fluvial Hazard Zone Delineation Protocol. Version 1.0. Colorado Water Conservation Board. Denver, CO. 212p.
Blazewicz, M., Jagt, K., and J. Sickles. (2020). Colorado Disaster Recovery Lessons Learned. Colorado Water Conservation Board. Denver, CO. 125p.
Matella, M. and K. Jagt. (2013). "Integrative Method for Quantifying Floodplain Habitat." J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage. ,10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000401 , 06014003.
K.Jagt, E.Corwin, and L. Neary, "Evaluating the Effects of Vortex Rock Weir Stability on Physical Complexity: Penitencia and Wildcat Creeks" (December 1, 2007). Water Resources Center Archives. Restoration of Rivers and Streams. http://repositories.cdlib.org/wrca/restoration/corwin
T. Abbe, C. Brummer, K. Jagt, “Quantifying the Effects of Flow Diversion and Channel Geometry on Aquatic Habitat and Implications for Mitigation and Adaptive Management Strategies,” Presentation, AWRA Adaptive Management of Water Resources Conference, Missoula Montana, Summer 2006.