Riverbend Engineering, LLC. is a small consulting firm with offices in Pagosa Springs Colorado and Albuquerque, New Mexico. We opened our doors in the spring of 1999, initially under the name of Chris Philips Consulting Engineers. The focus of our practice is fluvial systems, be they perennial or ephemeral. We have extensive experience in urban and suburban floodway projects, specializing in soft solutions whenever possible. Our river restoration work has steadily grown since 1999 and has become the primary focus of our business.

Our Approach

• Evaluate the present condition of the river and its departure from its most probable state
• Identify those factors that are impacting the fluvial system, in the river and in the watershed
• Assess the likely evolutionary sequence if left alone, and the approximate timeline for the system to return to a state of equilibrium
• Prioritize the client's goals in the context of right-of-way constraints, water rights issues and the present regulatory environment
• Present the client with alternatives to choose from, with regard to natural stream function, habitat, aesthetics, costs and maintenance.
• Oversee the permitting and construction process to assure the successful completion of the projects goals
• Monitor the outcome, because a successful project will allow the river to adjust over time

With all of our projects we seek to restore the natural balance of the river. To this end we employ the knowledge of river behavior developed through the science of fluvial geomorphology, and we use the analytic tools developed by engineers. This approach is far from the traditional practice of "engineering" rivers.

River Ethic

Healthy rivers (and their ephemeral cousins) are important to our planet in so many ways. Mankind as a whole has not always understood the implications of its actions, particularly with regard to rivers. And yet, most of the benefits we seek from rivers can be had without destroying the river in the process - that is, if we apply the collective knowledge we have gained in the past 40 yrs. The combination of population increases and drought in the American West has made it quite obvious that we must care for our rivers if we are going to survive in this semi-arid environment.