It has been observed by many that quite often water utilities are trying to replace aging infrastructure from the 20th century or earlier with very similar infrastructure such as central water and wastewater systems. What if this thinking was turned upside down? What if new, innovative, …
Forging Public-Private Agreement as a Water Utility Infrastructure Management Strategy
Phoenix, Arizona's EPCOR Water, and Maricopa Water District announced an innovative agreement on the 17th of November 2015 that will assist in supplying water needs in western metropolitan Phoenix as land uses changes from farming to residential. The partnership is signed for 50 years, allowing …
Infrastructure Asset Management Solution to US Septic System Challenge
Nearly one-fifth of households in the USA are attached to septic tanks. These systems are generally fine when they are properly maintained but problems have become more frequent within these small waste management systems. Raw sewage leaks from septic tanks are causing health risks and …
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Will “Smart Cities Initiative” Spur Cities to Invest in Infrastructure?
The former Obama Administration had noticed a problem in the U.S. - people don't feel inclined to invest in infrastructure. This, coupled with the fact that mass infrastructure and technology upgrades are needed across the country, has led the government to recently launch a new "smart cities" …
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Del Puerto, California May Buy Urban Wastewater As Drought Solution
Farmers in California are struggling to keep their crops irrigated and have turned to a new solution: buying urban wastewater. The Del Puerto Water District in the Central Valley is headed by Anne Hansen, who has definitely jumped on the urban wastewater solution bandwagon. Buying water on the …
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Medford, Oregon Comes Up With Creative Solution for Cooling Treated Wastewater
Medford, Oregon, like many other cities, grappled with the problem of treating sewage without harming fish due to the warm water released into the Rogue River by their wastewater treatment plant. The EPA has rules and regulations about water temperature, but in the past, they were difficult or …
Greater Cincinnati’s Winning Infrastructure a Potential for Optimized Lifecycle Costs
The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) has given recognition to the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati's Oakley Separation Sewer Project in the Water/Wastewater category for exemplary collaboration and integration in the design-build project delivery method. The District …
Challenging Perceptions About Urban Infrastructure Asset Management
After the severe flooding that Phoenix, Arizona faced in September 2014, researchers from Arizona State University have joined together to lead a team of 50 researchers from 15 institutions to change the way we think about urban infrastructure. Currently, problems that are commonly associated …
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Implication of Detroit’s Bioswale on its Infrastructure Asset Management Planning
Detroit, Michigan has had a history of sewage overflow problems. Last August it was hit by a mega-rainstorm that caused extreme flooding and released approximately ten billion gallons of raw sewage into the region's waterways. This and other factors have led to some experimentation in the …
Infrastructure Asset Management and the P3 Program of the US
Initially, mid-2014, the general consensus was that Washington would not be playing a part in P3s (Public-Private Partnerships) for water infrastructure projects anytime soon. Now, in June 2015, with a new federal loan program at his back, President Obama has proposed a budget for 2016 that …
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Chicago is Taking the Waste out of Wastewater for Eco-friendly Use
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago built the largest phosphorus recovery facility in the world at Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, which opened in 2016. Phosphorus and other nutrients are usually lost during wastewater treatment, but executive director David St. …
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Best Infrastructure Asset Management – NE Fixes South Platte River Issue
The South Platte River that flows into Nebraska has been recently high but flooding impact has been limited. Central Platte Natural Resources District (CPNRD) board spent almost $17 million over the last few years to rehabilitate three Dawson County irrigation canals to deal with the excess water …
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