No-rise certification
- Where
- County, state
- Problem
- Culvert replacement inside a regulatory floodway.
- Method
- HEC-RAS 1D, existing vs proposed.
- Outcome
- One line, e.g. certified zero rise, permit issued.
Flood & stormwater engineering · Texas + Florida
Water follows the math.We do the math first.
Floodplain, drainage and stormwater engineering for developers, civil teams and cities. Modeled, sealed and defended by the engineer who runs the model.
STA 0+00Who we work with
Every project asksone question first.
Water decides whether a site is buildable, whether a permit clears review and why a street floods. Pick the question you’re holding.
Developers, builders, owners
Can I build here?
Flood zone screening, drainage constraints and permitting risk, answered before you or your client close on the land.
Development support Civil firms & plannersWill it pass review?
Hydrologic and hydraulic analysis and sealed deliverables formatted to drop straight into your permit set.
Your H&H team Cities & public worksWhy does this street flood?
Complaint investigations, capacity studies, drainage master plans and grant exhibits, without adding staff.
Municipal support AttorneysDid the development cause it?
Independent hydrologic and hydraulic review, documented clearly enough for people who aren’t engineers.
Expert reviewSTA 0+00The disciplines
Four disciplines.One water problem.
Open any of them for the work, the deliverables and the tools behind them.
Floodplain EngineeringCLOMR · LOMR · No-rise · Floodway
Hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, FEMA map revisions and regulatory compliance for projects in and around Special Flood Hazard Areas. From the first screening to the letter from FEMA.
Explore floodplain engineeringHEC-RAS · HEC-HMS · ArcGIS
FEMA floodplain analysisFlood zone limits and base flood elevations to FEMA standards.
CLOMRs & LOMRsMap revision packages, prepared and submitted.
No-rise certificationsSealed analysis showing zero rise from floodway work.
Floodway & storageEncroachment reviews and compensating storage.
Stormwater & DrainageStudies · Ponds · Culverts
Drainage studies, stormwater management reports, detention and retention pond design, and culvert and channel hydraulics, from early feasibility through final permit.
Explore stormwater & drainageHEC-HMS · TR-55 · Rational method · HEC-RAS
Hydrologic analysisPeak flows and runoff volumes for design storms.
Stormwater reportsPre and post development, documented for permits.
Pond designDetention and retention sizing and routing.
Culverts & channelsCapacity, tailwater and downstream impact.
Development SupportFeasibility · Due diligence · Entitlement
Early engineering on floodplain and drainage constraints, so there are no late surprises in permitting. The sooner the water is understood, the more it saves.
Explore development supportScreening · Assessment · Agency coordination
Feasibility & due diligenceFlood zone and drainage risk before you invest.
Site floodplain assessmentZones, BFEs and floodway limits on your parcel.
Entitlement supportStudies for rezoning and entitlement submittals.
Agency coordinationResolving review comments to approval.
Municipal SupportMaster plans · Complaints · Grants
An on-call floodplain and stormwater engineer for cities, counties and public works departments that don’t carry one on staff.
Explore municipal supportCapacity analysis · CIP planning · FEMA mitigation grants
Floodplain managementMap revisions, ordinance and NFIP support.
Drainage master planningWatershed studies and prioritized capital plans.
Flooding complaintsField assessment, analysis and documented findings.
Grant exhibitsTechnical support for FEMA mitigation funding.
STA 0+00The 1% storm
The “100-year flood”isn’t once a century.
It’s a flood with a 1% chance of happening in any given year. Pick a storm and watch the water find its level.
26%The chance a 1% flood (100-year) happens at least once over a 30-year mortgage.
Illustrative section · not a modelLooking downstream
Pick a storm
Chance in any year1%
Floodplain width0 ft
Finished floor+1.0 ft
Depths are examples for teaching. Real answers come from a model of your site.
STA 0+00How a project moves
Five sheets.One answer.
- 01Screen
Flood zones, soils, outfalls and the rules that apply, on day one.
- 02Model
Rainfall to runoff to water surface, in HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS.
- 03Design
Ponds, pipes and grading that make the numbers work.
- 04Document
A sealed report written for the reviewer who has to approve it.
- 05Defend
Every review comment answered until the permit clears.
ProjectExample site · illustrative
SheetC-01
DatumNAVD88
StageScreen
STA 0+00Where we work
Two states.Two different water problems.
Licensed in Texas and Florida, based in Daytona Beach. The physics is the same. The water, the rules and the reviewers are not.
Texas
Rain that arrives all at once.
Intense rainfall, fast-rising creeks and flash flooding. NOAA’s Atlas 14 raised design rainfall across much of the state in 2018, and Atlas 15 preliminary estimates are now out for peer review.
- Rainfall-runoff modeling
- Channel & culvert hydraulics
- Detention design
- CLOMR / LOMR
Florida
Flat ground, high water.
Low relief, high groundwater, tides and nutrient rules. Five water management districts, and a statewide stormwater rule that took effect June 28, 2024.
- ERP stormwater design
- Pond routing
- Tailwater & tides
- No-rise & floodway
Portrait of the engineerEnvironmental portrait at a real creek or culvert · session scheduled before launch
STA 0+00The engineer
You talk to the engineer who runs the model.
Creel was built on a simple idea: clients are better served by a firm that goes deep in one discipline than one that spreads thin across many. No account managers and no hand-offs. The person on the phone builds the model, seals the report and answers the reviewer.
Technical rigorAnalysis built to hold up to regulatory and peer review.
Direct communicationNo intermediaries between you and your engineer.
Regulatory fluencyFEMA, NFIP and state and local stormwater rules.
Project focusA limited workload, so every project gets real attention.
Engineer of recordName, PE · pending
STA 0+00Project files
The work,one sheet at a time.
Every file answers four things: where, what the problem was, how it was modeled and how it ended.
Detention for a subdivision
- Where
- County, state
- Problem
- New development can’t raise downstream peak flow.
- Method
- HEC-HMS routing, pond sized to match.
- Outcome
- One line, e.g. peak held to pre-development.
Street flooding complaint
- Where
- City, state
- Problem
- Repeat flooding at one intersection.
- Method
- Field visit, storm drain capacity analysis.
- Outcome
- One line, e.g. the retrofit that went into the CIP.
STA 0+00Flood zone check
Is your sitein the floodplain?
Type an address for a quick screening against FEMA’s flood maps. It’s a starting point, not a determination. When it matters, get a real answer from a licensed engineer.
Flood zoneAE
Base flood elev.9 ft
FloodwayNo
Example Type an address to check it against FEMA’s flood maps.Zone AE is a special flood hazard area with a published base flood elevation. Building here usually needs a floodplain development permit, and lenders require flood insurance on federally backed mortgages.Get a real answer from a PE →
STA 0+00Field notes
Written bythe engineer.
Plain-English notes on the rules and rainfall that move projects in Texas and Florida.
Rainfall · Texas & Florida
NOAA Atlas 15 is coming
Preliminary estimates go to peer review in September 2026, with publication planned for 2027. What it means for design storms.
FEMA · Map revisions
CLOMR vs LOMR, in plain English
What each letter is, when you need it and what to send your engineer.
Risk · Property owners
The 100-year flood has a 26% chance
Over a 30-year mortgage. The one number every property owner should understand.
STA 0+00Questions
Straightanswers.
What’s the difference between a CLOMR and a LOMR?
A CLOMR (Conditional Letter of Map Revision) is FEMA’s comment on a proposed project, before it’s built, on whether it would meet mapping requirements. A LOMR (Letter of Map Revision) officially changes the flood map after the project is built, based on as-built information. Many projects need both.
When is a no-rise certification required?
When development is proposed in a regulatory floodway. Federal floodplain rules require an engineering analysis showing the project won’t increase flood heights during the base flood (44 CFR 60.3(d)(3)). Local ordinances can be stricter.
Can you work as our H&H subconsultant?
Yes. Creel handles the hydrologic and hydraulic analysis while your team runs grading, utilities and layout. Deliverables are formatted to drop straight into your permit package.
What should I send to get started?
The site location or parcel, any survey or topo you have, your site plan and your deadline. Partial information is fine. The first conversation sorts out what’s actually needed.
How quickly will I hear back?
Within one business day, directly from the engineer.
Do you require a retainer or a package?
No. All work is scoped to the project. No packages and no retainers.
STA 0+00Start a project
Send the site.We’ll tell you where the water goes.
Emailmcreel@creelengineering.com
Phone919-757-2886
OfficeDaytona Beach, Florida
LicensedTexas · Florida
ReplyWithin one business day