Hydrology and Hydraulics and Bridge Opening Analysis and Design.
Coldwater Engineering is a Helena, Montana-based civil engineering practice specializing in hydrology and hydraulics, railroad engineering, environmental permitting, and survey. Founded around railroad infrastructure, it has completed nearly a thousand Class I railroad projects across 23 states, with long-term master services agreements with Union Pacific Railroad and Kansas City Southern. Core capabilities include bridge opening analysis, scour analysis and countermeasure design, floodplain permitting, streambank stabilization, and wetland delineation.
Terry CowanPresident & CEO
Alexandra McDonaldProject Manager / Permitting Lead
Tom AskinProject Manager
Tyler PhelpsProject Manager
Bridge opening analysis, hydrologic studies, HEC-RAS hydraulic modeling, scour analysis and countermeasure design, floodplain analysis, and CLOMR/LOMR submittals. Emergency and fast-track H&H design available with 24-hour professional engineer dispatch.
Full range of water resources, environmental permitting, survey, and emergency response services for Class I, Class II, and short-line railroad clients. Long-term MSA relationships with major railroads.
Federal, state, and local permitting including Army Corps of Engineers Section 404/401, Nationwide Permits, floodplain development permits, SWPPP and erosion control plans, and state-specific permits across 15+ states.
Topographic, hydraulic, structural, and environmental surveys using conventional methods, RTK GPS, GNSS, and scanning total station. Wetland delineations and biological assessments performed by engineering and scientific staff.
Rail · Bridges · Water Resources · Highways & Roads · Environmental & Remediation · Stormwater & Flood Control
Milwaukee Subdivision, WI · Rail · Client: Union Pacific Railroad
Emergency bridge replacement involving hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, site survey, and floodplain permitting after concrete pipe culvert joint separation and embankment failure. Fast-track design completed from survey to submittal.
Waco Subdivision, TX · Rail · Client: Union Pacific Railroad
Partial and full replacement of two railroad bridges involving H&H design with LiDAR, Atlas 14, and complex floodplain analysis including coincidental occurrence intervals, scour vulnerability, and upstream storage reservoirs.
Montana · Water Resources · Client: Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks
Stabilization of an eroding streambank using bioengineering techniques. Coldwater Engineering provided survey, H&H analysis, contracting documents, and construction oversight for the design team.
Eastern Montana · Highways & Roads · Client: Montana Department of Transportation
Hydraulic engineering support for landslide mitigation along a segment of highway in eastern Montana. Stormwater modeling addressed retention, detention, culvert systems, and open channel flow for a complex hydraulic system.