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Erich T. Hester

Associate Professor
Erich T. Hester
220-D Patton Hall
Blacksburg, VA, USA 24061
Mail Code: (0105)

Program Area : Environmental and Water Resources Engineering
Professional Registration : Professional Engineer (Civil Engineering): Virginia, Washington State
Personal Homepage : http://www.flow.cee.vt.edu/index.html
ehester@vt.edu
(540) 231-9758

A complete CV is available.

Area of Interest

Hydrology, hydraulics, environmental fluid mechanics, groundwater, surface water-groundwater exchange, hyporheic exchange, floodplain exchange
Ecohydrology and ecohydraulics
Ecology and ecological restoration of streams, rivers, and wetlands
Pollutant migration and transformation in aquatic systems
Watershed planning and environmental sustainability of water management
Surface coal mine hydrology

  • A.B. Dartmouth College, Biology, 1992
  • M.S. Stanford University, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1998
  • Ph.D. University of North Carolina, Ecology, 2008
  • Ecological Restoration Engineer, Herrera Environmental Consultants, Seattle WA, 2002-2003
  • Water Resources Engineer, Philip Williams and Associates, San Francisco CA, 2001-2002
  • Project Engineer, LFR, Emeryville CA, 1998-2001
  • Staff Scientist, Ecology and Environment, San Francisco CA, 1993-1995
  • Board of Directors, CUAHSI
  • Associate Editor, Water Resources Research
  • Licensed Professional Engineer: Washington State, Virginia
  • U.S. EPA STAR Graduate Fellowship
  • UNC Kenan Fellowship
  • CEE 3314 : Water Resources Engineering
  • CEE 4334 : Hydraulic Structures
  • CEE 2804 : Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE 5344 : Surface Water-Groundwater Interaction
  • Rana, SM.M., D.L. Boccelli, D.T. Scott, and E.T. Hester. 2019. Parameter uncertainty with flow variation of the one-dimensional solute transport model for small streams using Markov chain Monte Carlo. Journal of Hydrology 575:1145-1154.
  • Hester, E.T., L.A. Eastes, and M.A. Widdowson. 2019. Effect of Surface Water Stage Fluctuation on Mixing-Dependent Hyporheic Denitrification in Riverbed Dunes. Water Resources Research 55(6):4668-4687.
  • Little, J.C., E.T. Hester, S. Elsawah, G.M. Filz, A. Sandu, C.C. Carey, T. Iwanaga, and A.J. Jakeman. 2019. A tiered, system-of-systems modeling framework for resolving complex socio-environmental policy issues. Environmental Modelling and Software 112:82-94.
  • Hester, E.T., K.L. Little, J.D. Buckwalter, C.E. Zipper, and T.J. Burbey. 2019. Variability of subsurface structure and infiltration hydrology among surface coal mine valley fills. Science of the Total Environment 651:2648–2661.
  • Wade, C.M., K.M. Cobourn, G.S. Amacher, and E.T. Hester. 2018. Policy Targeting to reduce economic damages from land subsidence. Water Resources Research 54:4401–4416.
  • Keys, T.A., H. Govenor, C.N. Jones, W.C. Hession, E.T. Hester, and D.T. Scott. 2018. Effects of large wood on floodplain connectivity in a headwater Mid-Atlantic stream. Ecological Engineering 118:134-142.
  • Hester, E.T., K.E. Brooks and D.T. Scott. 2018. Comparing reach scale hyporheic exchange and denitrification induced by instream restoration structures and natural streambed morphology. Ecological Engineering 115:105-121.
  • Greer, B.M., T.J. Burbey, C.E. Zipper, and E.T. Hester. 2017. Electrical resistivity imaging of preferential flow through surface coal mine valley fills with comparison to other landforms. Hydrological Processes 31(12):2244-2260.
  • Hester, E.T., M.B. Cardenas, R. Haggerty, and S.V. Apte. 2017. The importance and challenge of hyporheic mixing. Water Resources Research 53(5):3565-3575.
  • Rana, SM.M., D.T. Scott, and E.T. Hester. 2017. Effects of in-stream structures and channel flow rate variation on transient storage. Journal of Hydrology 548:157-169.
  • Hester, E.T., B. Hammond, and D.T. Scott. 2016. Effects of inset floodplains and hyporheic exchange induced by in-stream structures on nitrate removal in a headwater stream. Ecological Engineering 97:452-464.
  • Clark, E.V., B.M. Greer, C.E. Zipper, and E.T. Hester. 2016. Specific conductance-stage relationships in Appalachian valley fill streams. Environmental Earth Sciences 75:1222.
  • Hester, E.T., C.R. Guth, D.T. Scott, and C.N. Jones. 2016. Vertical surface water-groundwater exchange processes within a short residence time floodplain induced by experimental floods along a headwater stream. Hydrological Processes 30(21):3770–3787.
  • Julian, J., C. Podolak, K. Meitzen, M. Doyle, R. Manners, E. Hester, S. Ensign, and N. Wilgruber. 2016. Bio-hydro-geomorphic connections in stream channels. Chapter in Streams in a Changing Environment (J. Jones and E. Stanley, eds.).
  • Little, J. C., E.T. Hester, and C.C. Carey. 2016. Assessing and enhancing environmental sustainability - A conceptual review. Environmental Science & Technology 50(13):6830-6845.
  • Jones, C.N., D.T. Scott, C.R. Guth, E.T. Hester, and W.C. Hession. 2015. Seasonal variation in floodplain biogeochemical processing in a restored headwater stream. Environmental Science & Technology 49:13190−13198.
  • Evans, D., C.E. Zipper, E.T. Hester, and S. Schoenholtz. 2015. Hydrologic effects of surface coal mining in Appalachia (USA). Journal of the American Water Resources Association 51(5):1436-1452.
  • Menichino, G.T., and E.T. Hester. 2015. The effect of macropores on bi-directional hydrologic exchange between a stream channel and riparian groundwater. Journal of Hydrology 529(3):830-842.
  • Menichino, G.T., D.T. Scott, and E.T. Hester. 2015. Abundance and dimensions of naturally occurring macropores along stream channels and the effects of artificially constructed large macropores on transient storage. Freshwater Science 34(1):125–138. Invited article to special issue.
  • Hester, E.T., K.I. Young, and M.A. Widdowson. 2014. Controls on mixing-dependent denitrification in hyporheic zones induced by riverbed dunes: a steady-state modeling study. Water Resources Research 50(11):9048-9066.
  • Azinheira, D.L., D.T. Scott, W.C. Hession, and E.T. Hester. 2014. Comparison of effects of inset floodplains and hyporheic exchange induced by in-stream structures on solute retention. Water Resources Research 50(7):6168-6190.
  • Menichino, G.T., and E.T. Hester. 2014. Hydraulic and thermal effects of in-stream structure-induced hyporheic exchange across a range of hydraulic conductivities. Water Resources Research 50(6): 4643-4661.
  • Hester, E.T., and E.N. Cranmer. 2014. Variation of hyporheic exchange potential among urban region streams: implications for stream restoration. Environmental & Engineering Geoscience 20(3): 287-304.
  • Menichino, G.T., A.S. Ward, and E.T. Hester. 2014. Macropores as preferential flow paths in meander bends. Hydrological Processes. 28(3): 482-495.
  • Hester, E.T., K.I. Young, and M.A. Widdowson. 2013. Mixing of surface and groundwater induced by riverbed dunes: implications for hyporheic zone definitions and pollutant reactions. Water Resources Research. 49: 5221-5237.
  • Hester, E.T., and J.C. Little. 2013. Measuring environmental sustainability of water in watersheds. Environmental Science & Technology. 47(15): 8083-8090.
  • Hester, E.T., and K.S. Bauman. 2013. Stream and retention pond thermal response to heated summer runoff from urban impervious surfaces. Journal of the American Water Resources Association. 49(2): 328-342.