We are a small, highly specialized water resources firm that combines cutting-edge water analysis techniques with the deep, practical experience of our company founder, Kelly DiNatale. We view helping our clients as not just a technical challenge but also a creative one. Our team is well-balanced; we offer real-world experience combined with contemporary planning, modeling, and water accounting skills.
Kelly DiNatale, PE
Founder • Senior Advisor
kelly@dinatalewater.com
Mr. DiNatale is a well-regarded water resource expert in the western United States. He brings over 35 years of experience in municipal government water systems and water resources consulting, including with the City of Westminster, Colorado, CDM Consulting Engineers and the City of Boulder Water Resources Advisory Board. He founded DiNatale Water Consultants in 2009 where he and his staff assist clients ranging from municipal governments, water authorities and special districts, irrigation companies and districts, federal and state agencies, industrial users and private water rights owners with full-spectrum water resources consulting services. Specialty areas of his practice include water supply, basin planning and permitting, water demand forecasting, water rights analysis, in-stream flow evaluation, water quality and utility operations and financing.
Matt Bliss, PE
President
matt@dinatalewater.com
Mr. Bliss joined DiNatale Water Consultants in 2013 after working for over seven years in consulting. His expertise is in water supply planning, water rights and permitting issues. Mr. Bliss has been qualified as an expert in Colorado water court and has provided expert testimony in change of use cases in the South Platte River basin. He employs a variety of tools to provide reliable and creative solutions for his clients, such as of surface and ground water modeling platforms, including StateMOD and StateCU, RiverWare, MODSIM and MODFLOW as well as custom-built advanced spreadsheet models. A former math teacher, Mr. Bliss holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Colorado State University and a Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of Colorado. Mr. Bliss is fluent in Spanish and German, enjoys travel and a variety of four-season outdoor activities.
Arista Shippy, PE
Vice President
arista@dinatalewater.com
Ms. Shippy was the first staff member of DiNatale Water Consultants, joining the firm in 2011. Ms. Shippy has expertise in RiverWare, StateMOD and advanced Excel models of reservoir and water supply system operations. She recently played an integral part in the development of the Rio Grande Basin Implementation Plan, one of nine basin plans that are part of the Colorado State Water Plan. Ms. Shippy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science from the University of Oregon and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado.
Ms. Shippy participated in three volunteer trips to Nepal with Engineers Without Borders. The lessons Ms. Shippy has learned from participating in engineering projects abroad are apparent in her innovative work, her flexibility and ability to stay calm under pressure, and her eagerness to take on any challenge, be it large or small.
Stephen Buechner, PE, MS
Water Resources Engineer
Mr. Buechner began working with DiNatale Water Consultants in 2019 after nine years of experience in water resource engineering. His experience includes assisting with water supply master planning, water rights issues, and Colorado water law compliance for a wide variety of clients. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado at Denver. Stephen has extensive experience in water right evaluation and analysis, groundwater modeling, historical consumptive use analyses, assisting clients with water rights administration, developing substitute water supply plans, and plans for augmentation for water court applications. Additionally, Stephen is an experienced user of software platforms including Microsoft Excel, MODFLOW, AWAS, IDSCU and ArcGIS, which help him in assisting clients with their compliance to the State of Colorado’s water laws. Stephen also serves on the board for the Colorado chapter of the American Water Resources Association and has been a member of the education committee for over 8 years. Stephen is a Colorado native that loves working and playing along the Colorado Front Range where he and his family currently reside.
Chris Newton
Hydrogeologist
Mr. Newton joined DiNatale Water Consultants in 2015, returning to his home state of Colorado. Mr. Newton completed his Bachelor’s degree in geology at the University of Colorado and did post-baccalaureate coursework in fields of geology and environmental science at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. He has experience with many different modeling and GIS platforms and strives to make information more easily interpretable. Fascinated by mountains, Mr. Newton enjoys exploring around the Front Range in his spare time.
Becca Evans, PE
Water Resources Engineer
Becca Evans joined DiNatale Water Consultants in 2017. Becca brings experience in engineering, water rights, and model development. She has a Bachelor of Science in geological engineering from Olivet Nazarene University and a Master of Science degree in hydrologic sciences from Boise State University. Becca has researched snowpack trends in relation to reservoir management and water allocation in the West to create a model that forecasts key dates for water allocation based on snowpack.
Ms. Evans enjoys competitive track racing in addition to rock climbing and swing dancing.
Katie Melander
Water Resources Engineer
Ms. Melander has worked for over 10 years in water resources engineering. Her experience includes water operations, water supply planning and projections, evaluating potential impacts of climate change on water supply, and participated as a stakeholder in the Upper Colorado Wild and Scenic Alternative Management Plan. She has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Soil and Water, as well as a Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Water Resources from Colorado State University. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking in the foothills!
Bryan Bei
Water Resources Engineer
Since joining the team in 2022, Mr. Bei has primarily worked on GIS mapping, reservoir water quality management, water supply system operations, and water accounting at DiNatale Water. He has experience in various modeling and software programs including River2D, QGIS, ArcGIS, HEC-RAS, MODFLOW, EPANET, Excel, HEC-HMS, SMS, WMS, and the EPA WTP Model. In addition to experience in water treatment plant operation, project management, construction inspection, and fisheries monitoring in the Western United States, Mr. Bei has experience working on water supply projects abroad in Zambia and the Peruvian Amazon with World Vision and Engineers Without Borders respectively. Mr. Bei has a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering, a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering specializing in Water Resources Management and Treatment, and a Certificate in Engineering for Developing Communities from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Marcia Rojas
Water Resources Engineer
M. Rojas joined DiNatale Water Consultants in 2023, after three years of experience in water resource engineering in Idaho. Her experience includes water resources, river-reservoir operations and policy modeling, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, hydrogeneration modeling, and fish passage and stream restoration design. She received her B.S. degree in General Engineering from Smith College and completed her M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. M. Rojas is an experienced user of various modeling and software programs including RiverWare, ArcGIS, QGIS, HEC-RAS 1/2D, Microsoft Excel, HEC-HMS, and HEC-SSP. M. Rojas is fluent in Spanish and German and enjoys spending time in Colorado’s outdoors with her dog.