Meet The Board - David S. Smith

Vice President, WEST Consultants, Inc.

Dave is a recent addition to the Board of Directors representing the private sector for the southern region. He is a licensed professional civil engineer in California and Hawaii, a Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers, and a Certified Floodplain Manager with 27 years of engineering experience. Dave is a vice president of WEST Consultants, Inc., managing the San Diego office. He specializes in H&H studies (hydrology/ hydraulics), one- and two-dimensional and unsteady flow hydraulic modeling, hydrologic modeling, FEMA floodplain mapping and letters of map change, sediment transport modeling, and bridge scour evaluations including scour countermeasure selection and sizing. Dave also has experience with other related topics such as dam breach modeling, levee certification, flood forecasting, sediment yield analysis, alluvial fan evaluations, and others. Current projects at WEST Consultants, Inc. include bridge scour evaluations for over 200 bridges for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and calibration for 14 creeks/rivers in Petaluma, CA, and evaluating scour countermeasures for the Colorado River Aqueduct in the Coachella Valley vicinity.

Dave is particularly interested in aspects of floodplain management that he has encountered frequently in project work: alluvial fans, 1D and 2D floodplain analysis and mapping, erosion and scour evaluations. His specialty and passion is finding practical solutions to complex engineering problems. He has been attending and presenting at FMA conferences for most of his 27 years in engineering and is excited to be serving on the Board of Directors.