Biography
Chauncey is a hydrologist with an emphasis on water quality and its interactions with physical and ecological processes. He retired in 2023 after 32 years with U.S. Geological Survey’s Oregon Water Science Center in Portland, where he worked on lake and river systems throughout the Cascades, particularly in the Willamette, Umpqua, and Klamath basins, as well as various other systems around the Western USA. He worked on the water quality aspects of a wide range of issues such as eutrophication (both in lakes and flowing waters), pesticide occurrence and toxicity, amphibian declines (including fracking, and chytrid fungus), wildfires, and dam removal (Marmot, Condit, and Klamath). As much as the technical aspects of these problems, he appreciated working with the diverse groups of other scientists, stakeholders, management agencies, and the public involved in these issues. Chauncey earned a BA in chemistry from Lewis and Clark College in Portland and an MSE in Environmental Engineering, doing research on lake restoration, at the University of Washington. Growing up, he was always on or around water, and enjoys rafting, canoeing, skiing, camping, and recently added sailing to his list of pursuits. Chauncey increasingly finds himself taking big picture approaches to environmental issues and hopes that being part of OLA will provide opportunities to help various groups understand the issues around lake and watershed management.
