Stephan Dreyer

Stephan Dreyer is Director and Hydraulic Modelling & Software Lead at Delta Hydro Engineers (Pty) Ltd, where he leads infrastructure-focused flood and stormwater work and heads the practice’s software development. His modelling covers 1D/2D river and stormwater hydraulics, dam-break analysis, culvert and structure design, and stormwater management plans prepared for South African municipal review.

He supports project teams where conveyance capacity, tailwater and backwater effects, erosion risk, and consequence mapping directly influence design decisions. Typical work includes model build and QA, structure performance assessment (culverts, bridges, and outfalls), exceedance routing and major-system checks, and translating modelling outputs into buildable drawings and maintainable asset strategies.

Stephan also leads the software side of the business, including QGIS plugin development and the GIS-integrated tooling that keeps Delta Hydro’s modelling workflows repeatable and traceable for review and design teams. He builds the plugins, automation, and data pipelines that turn one-off analyses into reusable, review-ready processes—the same capability the practice offers clients through its custom software work.

Earlier in his career, Stephan built international project experience across the Middle East, Australia, the United Kingdom, and several African countries—including serving as hydraulics and hydrology modelling coordinator on a 300 km rail programme, coordinating a nine-person modelling team across five countries. His technical specialisations span 2D hydraulic modelling, hydraulic structures, erosion protection, and mine closure, rehabilitation, and geomorphic landform design. He was named SANCOLD Best Young Presenter (2018) and Stellenbosch University’s top civil engineering master’s graduate for the same year, and has co-authored two peer-reviewed publications on hydraulic structures.

With around 10 years of civil engineering experience and an MEng (cum laude) in Civil Engineering, he works across mining, transport, property, and public-sector programmes where conveyance capacity, erosion, and consequence mapping are central to design decisions.