Peter Kulchawik

Officially, Peter Kulchawik is a civil engineer in Balance’s Truckee office—but ask him what he does for a living over a pint, and he’ll tell you he fixes rivers with cutting-edge engineering materials (dead trees, boulders, and the occasional beaver dam analog), corrects FEMA maps when they lie, and keeps a watchful eye on nearby streams… just to make sure the water keeps going downhill. As just an engineer, Peter would have been ill-suited to work on these types of projects, but fortunately, he countered his engineering education with training in geomorphology, hydrology, stream ecology, and leaky wader repair. This interdisciplinary background has given him a diverse knowledge base to work on a variety of stream, wetland, and meadow restoration projects. It has also resulted in a healthy mix of office- and field-based work. Apart from restoration work, Peter leads technical studies and data collection efforts. Complex hydraulic models and GIS analyses are among his favorite types of challenges. His colleagues also look to him for assistance with sediment transport modeling, fish passage studies, and stormwater analyses. When he’s not behind his desk or in the field, Peter can be found rock climbing high above Truckee with his wife, Michelle, or perfecting his pizza recipe with his “assistants,” Cassidy the dog and Pluto the cat.