areas of from 10 to 10,000 square miles for which records were not available or were unreliable--
this included a great number of basins in the United States.
In 1940, Snyder moved to Washington, D.C. to become an associate hydrologic engineer for
the U.S. Weather Bureau. He was responsible for flood forecasting in 75 river districts. Gail
Hathaway, chief of the reservoir and hydrology section in the Office of the Chief of Engineers,
persuaded Snyder to come to the Corps in 1942, and Snyder remained with the Corps of
Engineers for the next 24 years. In 1944-45, Snyder worked in Europe supervising flood
forecasting procedures for the Rhine River, He received the War Department's "Exceptional
Civilian Service" award for his overseas contributions. When he returned to the United States,
he rejoined the Office of the Chief of Engineers and eventually rose to become the assistant chief
of the hydraulics and hydrology branch. Snyder worked closely with Hathaway and others on
questions dealing with spillway capacity. He also served as a special engineering consultant on
the St. Lawrence Seaway project.
After retirement in 1966, Snyder became an international consultant, working on projects in
Mexico, Columbia, Greece, Jamaica, Canada, Pakistan, India, Sudan, and the United States,
among others. In 1989, Snyder received the Outstanding Civil Engineering Alumni Award from
the Ohio State University Civil Engineering Alumni Association. Snyder married the former
Elizabeth Bruton of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in 1938. They have three children.
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