Kleinschmidt Associates and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) have received 2025 Business Achievement Awards from Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) for separate projects advancing modelling applications in hydropower and dam safety.
Kleinschmidt was recognised in the Information Technology category for its Emergent™ framework, a modelling tool designed to simulate fish movement in complex river systems. The technology integrates behaviour-based science with hydrodynamic modelling to analyse how fish respond to real-world hydraulic conditions.
Developed by Senior Scientist Kevin Nebiolo, the framework is intended to support engineers and resource managers in designing fish passage solutions, refining flow management strategies, and improving ecological performance at hydropower and river infrastructure facilities.
“This recognition underscores how science-driven technology can directly inform better infrastructure decisions,” said Nebiolo. “Emergent™ allows us to model how fish respond to changing flows, giving project teams clearer insight into how to balance energy production with ecological outcomes.”
Separately, EBJ recognized EBMUD and Kleinschmidt in the Project Merit category for their work on Dike 2 at Camanche Reservoir. The project applied probabilistic dam breach modelling to complement traditional deterministic methods used in dam safety assessments.
Dam breach modelling is central to life-safety planning and emergency preparedness. Deterministic approaches typically rely on a single set of input assumptions, which may not fully capture uncertainty. To address this, EBMUD and Kleinschmidt conducted thousands of breach simulations using a Monte Carlo framework to estimate the probability of flooding and downstream consequences.
According to the project team, the analysis indicated that earlier assumptions may have understated potential risks. The findings were used to recalibrate the deterministic model, providing what the team described as a more conservative and technically defensible basis for emergency planning, risk assessment, and regulatory communication.
“At EBMUD, we push beyond standard practice by applying science-based, probabilistic tools to better understand dam safety risks and plan more effectively for emergency preparedness as responsible dam owners and community partners,” said Priyanka Jain, Senior Civil Engineer at EBMUD. “We are honoured by this recognition and proud to see our commitment to innovation reflected in this award”.
“This recognition highlights how advanced analytical methods can meaningfully improve dam safety decision-making,” added Chris Goodell, Principal Consultant at Kleinschmidt. “By explicitly accounting for uncertainty, probabilistic analysis helps owners and regulators better understand risk and make more informed, transparent decisions.”
Each year, EBJ presents Business Achievement Awards to companies across the environmental industry for accomplishments in growth, innovation, technology, project merit, industry leadership, and social contribution.
“In a year of growth but some volatility for the $570bn US environmental industry in 2025, a number of companies distinguished themselves with business model evolution, new practices, technical innovation, M&A, or signature projects that merit the special recognition of an EBJ Business Achievement Award,” commented Grant Ferrier, editor of Environmental Business Journal and chair of the EBJ Business Achievement Award selection committee.
The 2025 EBJ awards will be presented April 1–3, 2026, at the EBJ Business Achievement Awards banquet during Environmental Industry Summit XXIV in San Diego.
