Where others just see a flow of water, Geosyntec’s Jai Panthail sees a complicated interplay of dynamics, and if those factors can be correctly modeled, a chance to benefit the community. There may be no better example of this than Jai’s recent work on the Los Angeles River. “The LA River has the potential to provide large communities in the Los Angeles area better access to open space.”
A Project Professional in the firm’s Los Angeles office, Jai is a water resources specialist with expertise in hydraulic and hydrologic modeling using a variety of computational tools. He was a part of the Geosyntec team that worked with Los Angeles County to update the LA River Master Plan, which will reimagine the river system for the benefit of its neighboring communities.
How to Turn a Concrete Channel Back into a Thriving Urban Habitat
You may be more familiar with the LA River than you think: its cement-lined form has been the backdrop of many an epic Hollywood chase.
But it didn’t always look that way; up until the 1940s, the river meandered along a natural, vegetated path, and periodically overflowed its banks, leading to several devastating flooding events. In response, the United States Army Corps of Engineers designed the concrete flood-mitigation channel that has become a visual icon of LA.
However, when Jai looks at the river today, he sees opportunities to reimagine the river to benefit the communities around it.
Understanding Complex, Interconnected Systems to Fuel Resilient Community Spaces
“I’m a computational modeler by nature, so I like getting into the tools, building a model and running it, seeing the results, and then adjusting the model to best replicate reality. We can then test various modifications to the river or floodplain using the model, while maintaining the flood-control aspect of the system.” says Jai. “I also like having an end goal for my modeling, ideally a direct benefit for communities surrounding the river or floodplain.”
The LA River Master Plan is a long-term planning document that provides guidance, consistency, and a unifying framework for all projects along the 51-mile-long LA River. The plan looks at the whole of the river as one interconnected system. As part of Geosyntec’s work with the county, Jai modeled different segments of the river to explore possibilities for community benefit, such as to restore native vegetation, build riverside parks and bike paths, establish zones for kayaking, and create birdwatching areas.
Opening access to people and animals while maintaining the flood-control successes of the Army Corps’ design means using the latest in hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, a field that Jai has been devoted to his whole career.
Growing up in India, Jai was into computers and coding from the time he was a young boy. But when he arrived at university, he found that civil engineering, and specifically water resources and environmental engineering, appealed to him over computer science because of the community connection. “Everything you do directly impacts something tangible,” says Jai. “It’s not too abstract.”
Emergency Plans That Safeguard Residents from Fire and Water
For Jai, getting to work on the LA River, which he lived near at the time, was the perfect synergy of his career and passion. He’s finding similar satisfaction and connection from his current work modeling the potential mud and debris flows that can occur after wildfires. Jai has worked on multiple projects in LA and Orange County and is currently the modeling lead for a project in Washington State.
“When heavy rain occurs in an area that has had a recent fire, there is the potential for these fast-moving masses of soil, rock, water, and organic matter.”
Fire not only takes away the vegetation on a mountainside, but it also changes the chemistry of the soil itself, making it less resilient to heavy rainfall. Jai is helping to create hazard maps and emergency plans for those who could be in the path of such dangerous events. As we’ve seen in early 2025, the steep hills around Los Angeles and up and down the West Coast are in ever-increasing danger, first from fire, and then from debris flows that could follow close behind.
Integrating Innovative Modeling with Current Data to Make Real Change
One of the challenges of modeling, whether addressing rivers or rainfall, is keeping current in this rapidly evolving field. “There is a new research article seemingly every week, so one of the challenges is to get our hands on the most up-to-the-minute science and data so that our models can be as accurate as possible.”
Communication is key, as is getting out in the field to make sure the landscape you are modeling is portrayed accurately. “Even with the most up-to-date mapping tools, things are changing in the field all the time. There may be a new bridge in a certain spot, or more vegetation in a channel than you modeled for. You want to make sure you’re working from the most current data, which often means putting on your boots and getting out there.”
Whether it’s to increase public access to open spaces, or to help protect communities from natural hazards, Jai is proud that the work he does with Geosyntec brings real benefits to those around him.
“I enjoy the math aspect and the problem solving, but for me, knowing who it impacts and what the eventual benefits are excites me even more.”
More Information
Learn more about Jai: Jai Panthail | LinkedIn
About the Author
Kevin Emerson is a Marketing Specialist at Geosyntec. He thrills in translating the passion and expertise of practitioners to the written word.
