Idaho Water Resource Board

← Idaho Water Resource Board

Planning Bureau Staff

	Brian Patton — Planning Bureau Chief brian.patton@idwr.idaho.gov Phone: (208) 287-4837 Mr. Patton is a Licensed Professional Engineer and has been with the Department since 1995. He serves as the Planning Bureau Chief for the Idaho Water Resource Board. In this role, he has direct responsibility for all water projects constructed by the Water Resource Board, and oversees the construction of water projects for which the Board provides financing. He has responsibility for operations at the Board’s Dworshak Hydropower Project. He also provides staff support to the Interim Legislative Natural Resources Committee as it deals with water issues. Mr. Patton graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in Civil Engineering. Prior to working at Water Resources, he worked for the Idaho Transportation Department and in the mining industry. His wife Reneé is a pharmacist and they have three young boys: Brenden, Trent, and Spencer.

	Helen Harrington — Planning Section Manager helen.harrington@idwr.idaho.gov Phone: (208) 287-4848 Helen has worked at Idaho Department of Water Resources for over twenty years, in various administrative, technical, and regulatory programs. She began working in the Planning Bureau in July 2007. She is primarily responsible for water basin planning activities and managing the Planning Section staff. Helen has a B.S. in Geology from Boise State University and a Masters in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho. She is a Registered Professional Geologist in Idaho and California and has completed the Idaho Certified Public Manager Program.

	Morgan Case — Staff Biologist morgan.case@idwr.idaho.gov Phone: (208) 287-4838 Morgan provides support for the Minimum Stream Flow Program, the Water Transaction Program, and Basin planning. She began working for the Planning Bureau in August of 2004. Before that, she was doing Adjudication GIS work for 8 months, under a contract with IWRRI. She has an M.S. in Environmental Science from Minnesota State University, Mankato and a B.S. in Biology from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. She and her husband Tom are hoping to introduce their new son Eddie to the joys of hiking, backpacking, and exploring the less populated places in Idaho.

	Stuart VanGrueningen — EIT stuart.vangreuningen@idwr.idaho.gov Phone: (208) 287-4905 Stuart has been with IDWR since 2004 working in the Energy Division as Ag Project Coordinator prior to coming to Planning. Stuart has a B.S. in Ag Engineering and an A.A.S. in electronics. He is providing engineering support for the Planning Board. Before coming to IDWR, Stuart worked in the irrigation industry and the electronics industry. It was one of those pre mid-life crises that took him from electronics to water. While working in the irrigation field he was involved in several large projects. Some of which included the reduction of agriculture water consumption in the Imperial Valley to provide more water for the City of San Diego and correcting the excessive failure rate of the irrigation machines for a more even application of water for the City of Boise, Twenty Mile Farm. Stuart enjoys the outdoors and enjoys fishing and hunting, even though he never seems to catch or shoot anything.

	Neeley Miller — Water Resource Planner neeley.miller@idwr.idaho.gov Phone: (208) 287-4831 Neeley has been with IDWR since August of 2006 working as a Water Resource Planner. Currently he's working on planning issues associated with the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Management Plan. Prior to joining the Planning Bureau, he worked for the University of Arizona focusing on regional economic issues and resource management problems in the Southwest. Neeley holds a B.B.A from the University of Memphis and an M.A. in Geography and Regional Development from the University of Arizona. As an Idaho native, Neeley grew up hiking and camping throughout the State and has returned home to enjoy Idaho's great outdoors.

	Bill Quinn — Technical Engineer 1 bill.quinn@idwr.idaho.gov Phone: (208) 287-4832 Bill Quinn provides technical support to the planning staff on managed aquifer recharge in the Eastern Snake Plain and other aquifer systems as well as other water storage and management projects. Before locating to Idaho in 2005, Bill served as the Chief Engineer of the Las Vegas Office of the Nevada Division of Water Resources, Water Resource Engineer with the Southern Nevada Water Authority and held positions with environmental consulting firms. During his tenure in Las Vegas, he was directly involved with managed aquifer recharge, water rights and water management policy issues. Bill is a native of Kentucky. He earned a Professional Engineer Degree in geological engineering from Colorado School of Mines and has completed graduate studies in natural resource economics. He is a registered professional engineer in the states of Idaho, Nevada and Colorado. Bill’s professional background includes oil and gas, mining and geotechnical projects. For the past several years, his primary focus has been water resource management and managed aquifer recharge projects. Bill, his wife Janice, and two teenage daughters live in Boise.

	Neal Farmer — Special Projects Coordinator neal.farmer@idwr.idaho.gov Phone: (208) 287-4836 Neal was born, raised and has lived in Idaho for 42 years. He attended BSU, CSI and UofI to complete the degrees of an A.A., A.A.S. in Water Resource Mgmt. and Law, B.S. in Geology and M.S. in Groundwater. He worked for the U.S. Dept. of Interior from 1995 to 2006 in Hagerman, Idaho serving as Research Program Coordinator, Landslide Program Coordinator, Hydrology Program Coordinator and GIS Program Coordinator. His application in natural resource management includes work experiences such as: research anthropogenic perched aquifers triggering landslides, effects from land-use change, groundwater fluorescent dye tracer tests, well drilling construction and design, slope stability associated with reservoir operations, long-term slope creep monitoring, geology of the Hagerman Valley, hydrogeochemistry as large-scale tracers, aquifer recharge from canals, ponds and fields, shear tests of landslide slip plane soils, occurrence and spatial distribution of natural radioactive deposits and fossils which includes the official Idaho State Fossil Horse that has emission levels of approximately 2,500 counts per minute. His recent personal endeavors include restoring a 1955 pickup truck and a 1954 fishing boat. His immediate work details include assistance to aquifer recharge, CREP, and fluorescent dye groundwater tracing. Neal has worked for the department since 2007.

	Sandra Thiel — Water Resource Planner sandra.thiel@idwr.idaho.gov Phone: (208) 287-4881 Sandra has been an employee of IDWR since 1991. She began working for the Planning Bureau in October 2007. Prior to that she was a GIS Analyst. Sandra has BS degrees in Geography and Psychology and an MS in Geography from the University of Idaho.

	Cynthia Bridge Clark — Engineer cynthia.clark@idwr.idaho.gov Phone: (208) 287-4817 Cynthia has been with IDWR since 2000 working in the Water Rights Section and Safety of Dams program before joining the Planning Section. Cynthia is Professional Engineer with a civil engineering degree from the University of Colorado. She joined the Planning Section to work on the Comprehensive Aquifer Management Planning Program and associated technical studies throughout the state.

	Dan Nelson — Staff Hydrologist dan.nelson@idwr.idaho.gov Phone: (208) 287-4918 Dan has been with IDWR since 1996 working in the Water Right and Water Distribution programs before joining the Planning Section. Dan has a degree in Water Resource Management from the College of Southern Idaho. As an Idaho native Dan grew up hunting, fishing, and exploring southern Idaho, and is now exploring the possibilities of the western part of the state.