WRCS, Inc.

                       WRCS Expert Witness Services

 

 

Fields of Expertise in Water Resources Engineering:

  • Watershed Hydrology
    • Storm Events
    • Historic Floods
    • Dam and Reservoir Operations
    • Meteorologic Storm Frequency Analysis
    • Hydrologic Flood Frequency Analysis

  • Hydraulic Systems Analysis
    • Floodplains
    • Storm Drains
    • Irrigation and Drainage
    • Street and Highway
  • Forensic Modeling and Re-Creations
    • Urban Storm Drain Floods
    • Stream and River Flooding
    • Reservoir Operations
    • Drownings Occurances
    • Vehicular Accidents / Highway Drainage
       
  • Design, Operation and Maintenance Standards
    • Flood Control Systems
    • Channel and Levee
    • Dam and Reservoir
    • Highway Drainage

 Diplomate Water Resources Engineer

AIH

Please see our Representative Cases listing for examples of litigation in which we have been retained as
Expert Witness Hydrologist or Water Resources Engineer.

Mr. Van Bruggen, President of WRCS, has over 40 years of engineering experience specializing in the use of systems engineering and modeling techniques to define and evaluate surface water resource systems and alternative flood control measures. He has performed hundreds of studies of surface water hydrologic and hydraulic systems, meteorology, sedimentation, debris production, and the management and statistical analysis of hydrographic data. For over 35 years now, Mr. Van Bruggen has made use of his extensive experience in water resources engineering by serving as an Expert Witness in the field.

He is a Diplomate Water Resources Engineer and a member of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineering (AAWRE). Each year AAWRE hosts special Engineering Ethics and Expert Witness sessions as part of ASCE's annual Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Congress. Mr. Van Bruggen has instructed the Expert Witness sessions at the 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2017 EWRI Congresses as well as at the Floodplain Management Association's 2019 and 2020 Annual Conferences. The workshop sessions explore the role of the expert witness in litigation support and trial testimony, as well as various methods of being a more effective expert, both in dealing with client lawyers and providing more effective and memorable testimony to the judge and jury at trial.

                                                                                Rick Van Bruggen Introductory Video on His Career as an Expert Witness
  

Mr. Van Bruggen has been the San Francisco Chapter President and a State Board Member of the Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA) and has considerable experience testifying as an expert witness, having testified in over one-hundred cases to date, representing both the defense and the plaintiffs at an approximate 50% split. His testimony has ranged from the causes of, and solutions for, real property flooding, channel erosion and sedimentation, to the evaluation of historic flood events, reservoir operations, storm water system designs and drowning occurrences. You can see Mr. Van Bruggen's Curriculum Vitae here

Picture Picture

Animated Comparison of 100-Year Flood Depths Under Pre-Project vs. Post-Project Construction of Freeway Interchange