Danny Lee Fread (July 17, 1939 - February 5, 2009) was an American hydraulic engineer and Senior Research Hydrologist, best known for his computer-based mathematical simulation programs for rainfall and runoff to forecast the flow of flooding rivers and dam failures.
[2] After completing his undergraduate degree, Danny Fread worked six years for Texaco, where he was promoted to Senior Engineer, specializing in the design of gravity and pressurized piping systems.
[5] His studies focused on hydraulics / hydrology / mathematics, and his research was centered on unsteady flow and numerical / experimental simulation of breached dams.
His 1973 ASCE paper presented a conceptual model to alleviate flood damages due to overtopping failures of small earthfill dams.
Dr. Fread taught numerous training workshops; authored 50 and co-authored 42 professional scientific papers; and contributed chapters to four books including the Handbook of Hydrology.