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Muller established our River Recreation Studio in 2025 to help communities unlock the full potential of their rivers. Guided by Rick McLaughlin’s renowned body of work and supported by Muller’s multidisciplinary engineering team, the studio blends recreation, restoration, and infrastructure to create lasting public assets.
Muller River Recreation Studio designs for far more than flow and function. Its work blends fluid dynamics, ecological restoration, community access, and economic vitality — from Olympic venues and surf features to ADA-accessible riverfront corridors. Every project is a blueprint for safety, sustainability, and revitalization.
With rivers as catalysts, Muller River Recreation Studio helps communities reconnect to the water — not just for recreation but for a more promising and inspired future.
River Recreation
Services
- Visioning and Planning
- Design Services
- Multi-Use and Purpose Engineering
- Analysis
- Construction Services
- Operations & Maintenance
What Sets Us Apart
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Unmatched Performance
High-performing river features create better experiences on the water. Our innovative designs support diverse skill levels, from family-friendly to advanced, delivering adaptable performance across a wide range of flows — drawing on decades of leadership in river recreation engineering.
Re-creating Rivers. Reimagining Communities
Our designs create dynamic public spaces — river parks, urban play zones, nature trails, waterfront corridors, and world-class whitewater — that transform communities into vibrant destinations, driving economic growth and tourism.
Proven Safety. Reliable Results.
True safety and reliability are the result of custom, river-specific design. By prioritizing lifecycle performance over shortcuts, we create durable river features that operate consistently across varying flows — reducing operational risk and long-term maintenance needs.
Our Services
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River Parks and Surf
Our river parks and surf features combine world-class recreation with reliable engineering — creating dynamic destinations that serve beginners, experts, and entire communities.
- Whitewater, surf, and kayak features across skill levels
- Adjustable wave shaping and hydraulic modeling
- Integrated access, adventure sports, and river amenities
- Swiftwater rescue training and community engagement
Recirculating Waves and Whitewater Courses
Our recirculating systems deliver controlled, high-performance whitewater experiences — designed for safety, efficiency, and long-term operational success.
- Deep-water waves and whitewater course design
- Fully integrated pumping, recirculation, and wave systems
- Operations planning and site alternatives analysis
- Rescue training, access planning, and park integration
Diversions, Intakes and Hydropower
We engineer complex river infrastructure that safely delivers water, energy, and recreation — aligning operational performance with environmental and public use goals.
- Diversions, intakes, dams, and hydropower systems
- Integrated recreation, bypass channels, and flow studies
- Dam safety, hazard mitigation, and fish passage solutions
- Hydraulic modeling, structural design, and controls planning
Urban Waterways
We design urban rivers that balance safety, ecology, and recreation — transforming working waterways into accessible public assets that perform across changing conditions.
- Nature-like river stabilization and low-hazard fish passage
- Multipurpose infrastructure with integrated recreation and safety
- Blueways, water trails, and ADA-accessible corridors
- Flood analysis, hydrology, and waterway safety criteria
Meet Rick Mclaughlin
Rick McLaughlin is a pioneering force in river recreation design, with more than four decades of experience shaping some of the most iconic river parks and whitewater venues in the world. As Principal Engineer of Muller River Recreation Studio, Rick brings unmatched technical expertise, river intuition, and a legacy of innovation that continues to set the standard for safety, performance, and reliability in river design.
- Principal engineer with 40+ years in river recreation
- Innovator behind industry-defining wave and park designs
- Trusted leader in safe, high-performing river systems
Rick Mclaughlin’s Previous Work
Turn Your River Into A Community Asset
Whether you’re exploring a new whitewater feature or reimagining a neglected river, our team brings proven experience, safety-first engineering, and long-term performance to every project.
Our Team
Our team brings decades of specialized river recreation, hydraulic, and infrastructure expertise —
combining technical precision with real-world experience on the water.
Chris Kroeger
Senior Project Manager
For nearly three decades, Chris has delivered specialized expertise in recreational feature design and waterway engineering, including 26 years with Muller. A key contributor to project management and technical execution, he leads innovative, value-driven solutions across stormwater, stream restoration, hydraulic analysis, and award-winning urban stream infrastructure projects.
Dylan Andrews
Project Engineer, Surfer
With hands-on experience in commercial and residential land development, Dylan supports civil engineering projects involving grading, drainage, detention, utilities, erosion control, and permitting. As an avid surfer and water-sports enthusiast, he brings a practical, user-focused perspective to water-related design, emphasizing constructible, compliant, and efficient solutions.
Taylor Hogan
Physical & Computational Hydraulic Modeling Expert
Specializing in hydraulic modeling and stream restoration, Taylor brings eight years of experience in floodplain analysis and sediment transport. He supports complex hydraulic challenges through 1D and 2D computer modeling and physical modeling, drawing on prior experience as Hydraulic Lab Manager at the Colorado State University Hydraulics Laboratory, where he developed and tested whitewater feature models for final design refinement.
John Anderson
Whitewater Recreation Expert, Former US Whitewater Team Competitor
With more than three decades focused on whitewater recreation design, John has worked with over 30 communities on river recreation, dam modification, and restoration projects. A former U.S. Whitewater Team competitor, his design expertise is informed by extensive experience studying and navigating artificial whitewater courses worldwide.
Jim McLaughlin
Whitewater Mechanical Systems & Structural Expert
Bringing deep technical expertise to river and water infrastructure projects, Jim supports mechanical, structural, and controls engineering with more than 43 years of experience. His background includes water and wastewater facilities, hydroelectric design, patented treatment processes, and construction oversight for complex, award-winning systems.
Join The River Recreation Team
Build the Future of River Recreation
We’re seeking forward-thinking engineers and designers who want to restore ecosystems, reimagine recreation, and create places where people and water thrive together.
River Recreation News
From emerging trends to project milestones, explore the latest news shaping river recreation and whitewater design — and how Muller River Recreation Studio is helping communities activate their rivers.
“Rick understands rivers in a way few engineers do. Combined with Muller’s infrastructure and restoration expertise, the River Recreation Studio delivers disciplined engineering and innovative design — creating features that perform across changing flows and stand the test of time. From an operator’s perspective, that combination of creativity and technical rigor is exactly what communities need to build river parks that truly last.”
Paul Primus, Chief Wave Technician, Boise Park