| Year |
Career Achievement Award Winner |
| 2023 |
No award given |
| 2022 |
 Parviz Nader-Tehrani – In recognition of your significant contribution to the development and application of models such as the Delta Simulation Model (DSM2), which is used for hydrodynamic and water quality modeling of the Delta. Your modeling expertise was instrumental in numerous studies, including real-time operations and planning of Delta water management. CWEMF also appreciates your communication and interpretive expertise, which informed the discussion among stakeholders on the possible effects of operational or structural State Water Project changes in the Delta. CWEMF recognizes your efforts in mentoring new modelers while keeping up with new development challenges in your 30-year career. Award Presentation  , Recipient’s Presentation: Evolution of Computing (As Seen Through My Eyes) . |
| 2021 |
No award given |
| 2020 |
No award given |
| 2019 |
 Jobaid Kabir – In recognition of your significant and sustained contributions for more than three decades to the California modeling community by leading and promoting development of publicly available modeling tools, including CalSim 2 and CalSim 3, and real-time water management programs. CWEMF also recognizes your longstanding support of Annual Meetings as a Bureau of Reclamation representative, session moderator, and presenter, and for encouraging and advocating the use of modeling tools in supporting water and environmental management decisions at various roles and capacities, including academia, consulting, and as an agency official. |
| 2018 |
 Francis Chung – In recognition of your significant and sustained contributions to the California modeling community by leading and promoting development of publicly available modeling tools including WRIMS/CalSim, IWFM/C2VSim, DSM2, and Bay-Delta SCHISM. Your leadership has been instrumental in maintaining these models that are now widely accepted by the modeling community to inform water management, research and planning in California. CWEMF also recognizes your longstanding support of the Forum and for encouraging and advocating the use of modeling tools in supporting water and environmental management decisions.
Award Presentation |
| 2017 |
 William Fleenor – In recognition of significant contributions to the California modeling community. You have made a consequential commitment to advancing knowledge of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta hydrodynamics and water quality to inform and improve water management. CWEMF also recognizes you for your ability to successfully navigate the interface between the technical modeling and scientific realm with the management and policy world facilitated through your effective communication and interpersonal skills.
Award Presentation |
| 2016 |
No award given |
| 2015 |
 Don Smith – In recognition of significant contributions to the California modeling community over the past 47 years which are numerous and varied; from the Link-Node Model of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to development of the HEC-5Q for simulation of the temperature and water quality in river-reservoir systems, Mr. Smith is a pioneer in the development and application of numerical models to surface water systems. Award Presentation Recipient’s Presentation: Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins Water Temperature and EC Modeling with HEC5Q |
| 2014 |
No award given |
| 2013 |
 Sushil Arora – In recognition of significant contributions during more than 30 years in the water resources field with the CA Dept. of Water Resources. Dr. Arora’s leadership was instrumental in the development, maintenance, and application of water resources system planning and management models for the State Water Project and Central Valley Project, including SWP-CVP Reservoir System Operation Models CalSim and CalLite and the Surface-Groundwater Model IWFM. Dr. Arora also contributed to California water management through leadership in staff training and public workshops while successfully collaborating with state and federal water agencies, water contractors, and consultants. Award Presentation Recipient’s Presentation: “Drought: It’s Not Just Hydrology” |
| 2012 |
No award given |
| 2011 |
 Miguel Marino – In recognition of significant contributions during his 38 years in the water resources field, including his tenure as a full professor of Civil Engineering at U.C. Davis, and his seven years as Distinguished Professor. Dr. Marino’s contributions in the areas of academic research, peer-reviewed journal articles, and water resources modeling and management, have provided California water managers and decision makers with key physical and geophysical information for various statewide hydrologic studies, including conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater, optimization of water quality systems, evaluation of land subsidence conditions, reservoirs and systems optimization, and the latest research on systems optimization using ant colony and honey bee mating evolutionary algorithms. Award Presentation Recipient’s Acceptance Speech |
| 2010 |
 Richard Denton – In recognition of significant contributions during his 28 years in the water resources field and in promoting computer modeling to analyze California’s water-related problems. Dr. Denton’s modeling and management contributions have provided California water managers and decision makers with key physical and biological information for various Delta-related studies including the Los Vaqueros Reservoir Project, the Bay-Delta Hearings, and the CALFED Bay-Delta Program. Award Presentation Recipient’s Presentation: “Bay-Delta Experiences” |
| 2009 |
 Ray Hoagland – In recognition of significant contributions during his 24 years as Chief of the California Department of Water Resources’ Economic Analysis Section where he directed the development and application of economic models including LCPSIM, a water system reliability model for metropolitan areas, and CVPM, an agriculture production model. The models have provided key information in support of numerous studies, including the California Water Plan and CALFED Surface Storage Program. Award Presentation
Award Recipient’s Presentation: “A Tale of Two Models” |
| 2008 |
 Lloyd Peterson – In recognition of significant contributions during his 32 years in the water resources field and in his perseverance in fostering collaboration between the California Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in the development, application, and improvement of CalSim-II, in refining the San Joaquin River water quality simulation in CalSim-II, and in promoting open modeling practices and, thereby, improving public acceptance of CalSim-II. Award Presentation |
| 2007 |
 Darryl W. Davis – In recognition of significant contributions during his 41 years in the water resources field, including 36 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center and the last 16 as its Director. As Director, he directed the development and dissemination of the Hydrologic Engineering Center’s state-of-the-art public domain models for water resources planning in California and the rest of the nation. Award Presentation |
| 2006 |
 George Barnes, Jr. – In recognition of significant contributions during his 35 years in the water resources field, including 11 years as Chief of the California Department of Water Resources’ Modeling Support Branch where he directed the development and application of statewide operations, hydrodynamic and water quality models. The models have provided key information in support of numerous studies, including the California Water Plan, Bay-Delta Hearings and CALFED Alternatives. Award Presentation |
| 2005 |
 Maury Roos – In recognition of significant contributions during his 47 years in the water resources field, including 15 years as Chief State Hydrologist, and in developing the original joint hydrology that included the formulation of the Consumptive Use and Depletion Analysis Models. The models have provided the foundational hydrology for the Coordinated Operations Agreement and water resources planning for four decades. |
| 2004 |
 Lyle Hoag – In recognition of significant contributions during his 50 years in the water resources field and in promoting computer modeling to analyze California’s water-related problems including the founding of the Bay-Delta Modeling Forum, which is the predecessor to the CWEMF. |
