👋 Meet Steve Acquafredda, a Principal Engineer for Glendale's Water Services Department! Steve helps safeguard the city's water supply through infrastructure improvements. Steve oversees construction to ensure clean water for Glendale residents. He's even been awarded Engineer of the Year by the Arizona Water Association.
Thanks for all you do, Steve! #GlendaleGovLove#GetToKnowGlendale
I started with Glendale Water in 1984 ... I had the privilege of being the City's Water Superintendent for the expansion of the Cholla WTP, and the design and start-up of the Pyramid Peak CAP Plant ... what a great experience to go onto bigger and better things!
Power through partnerships: check out how HRWC is partnering with the Clinton River Watershed Council and the Friends of the Rouge to expand ways to protect water throughout SE Michigan via the Rain Catchers Collective. More in Ric Lawson's new blog
Having worked on Class EA’s for about 10 years, as an environmental planner, and understanding infrastructure, I found this article to be a bit humorous.
The pipe likely burst due to a combination of age and lack of money. Like many municipalities, staff reported the aging infrastructure to Council, which deferred a decision to save money. Or something like that.
The humorous part is that Council knows this, or should and collectively have pushed this off for many years. Then the pipe burst and now requires emergency repairs. The money is available for emergencies, yet not for needed repairs…
I would love to read your thoughts on this, below.
https://lnkd.in/g7BTGSqg
Utility and management districts, one is called the TexAmerican Center, but it's just a utility district with a special name. Along with compliance for stormwater facilities is covered in today's blog. https://lnkd.in/g5FzYYEi
ICYMI — August 2, 2023: The Minneapolis park system’s 55 miles of parkways and 13 lakes are not just iconic features – they also play a critical role as infrastructure. The parkways connect parks, lakes and creeks – the “backbone” of the park system – as well as neighborhoods throughout the city. The lakes are green infrastructure that provides important quality-of-life and environmental benefits for people, plants and wildlife.
Yet for decades, dedicated funding for this infrastructure has been inadequate (for parkways) or non-existent (for stormwater management on parkland that impacts the lakes). After several years of deteriorating conditions, this infrastructure is at a critical point.
Without adequate dedicated funding, the parkways are projected to become largely unusable in about 15 years. Without dedicated funding for stormwater management on parkland, lake water quality will decline due to impacts of polluted stormwater, which will in turn impact public use of the lakes.
MPRB Commissioners approved resolutions on April 12, 2023, requesting the City of Minneapolis increase parkway funding and provide dedicated, sustainable funding to support the MPRB’s management of MPRB-owned stormwater infrastructure on park properties. Commissioner Meg Forney tells us more. https://lnkd.in/dq5BNtKB
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#rotary#rotaryclub#community#minneapolis#infrastructure
This week, the Planning Commission reviewed Pasadena's draft Capital Improvement Program. Our recommendations focused on stepping up street repair; capturing more stormwater to recharge our groundwater reserves for drought; and shifting from contentious battles over neighborhood traffic calming measures to a citywide discussion of how to better balance safety and mobility. We also voted against certifying a study to widen a road and add parking in the Lower Arroyo and using natural areas for basketball and pickleball courts in the Central Arroyo -- instead recommended using existing underutilized paved areas for the courts.
https://lnkd.in/g57v5EfB
Check out our article on SSA's easy-to-install, low-cost culvert baffle that helps fish get to the other side from our October issue.
In August, the Biden administration announced nearly $200 million in federal infrastructure grants to improve culverts that prevent fish from migrating upstream. Washington State will receive $58 million of those funds—more than any other state—on top of the $3 billion that the state has already authorized for those improvements. Removing those thousands of barriers can be time consuming and costly. But SSA Environmental, based in Vancouver, Washington, has a simple fix: a flexible culvert baffle and other easy-to-install solutions. In this interview, owner Shane Scott talks about how the company is helping utilities and transportation agencies manage and prioritize their culvert solutions.
https://bit.ly/3RFqcBB
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#InfrastructureGrants#FishMigration#CulvertImprovements#EnvironmentalSolutions#SSAEnvironmental#CulvertManagement#TransportationAgency#CulvertInnovation
#StormwaterManagement#MetropolitanWaterReclamationDistrict#VillageOfNorthRiverside#Chicago
"The village of North Riverside will convert all of its parking lots at the Village Commons campus from asphalt to permeable pavers this summer after the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago selected the village’s project for its 2023 Green Infrastructure Partnership Program.
The MWRD is contributing roughly $1.6 million of the $2.16 million required to perform the work, with the village responsible for $545,000 of the cost.
According to Village Engineer John Fitzgerald, “The intent is to reduce storm water runoff by storing, infiltrating and evaporating storm water within the permeable paver system.”
When it’s complete, the areas paved with the permeable surface will be able to divert a combined 200,000 gallons of water from the village’s sewer system by detaining it in a roughly 17-inch rock base topped by bricks.
“The purpose is to reduce flow into the village’s system to reduce basement backups, street flooding and overflow into the Des Plaines River,” Fitzgerald said.
It’s the first major green infrastructure project for North Riverside.
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The areas to be repaved at the Village Commons campus include both the small front lot and large rear parking lot, the large parking lot in front of the police department as well as a smaller police-only parking lot closer to the building, a strip of 15 asphalt parking spaces for fire department use and a dozen spaces near the public works building.
In all, the village and MWRD are partnering to repave about 71,000 square feet of impervious parking lot, about 1.6 acres, with permeable pavers, roughly 17 percent of the main campus area.
“It’s as if we’re taking out the asphalt and putting grass in there – that’s the impact,” Fitzgerald said.
The plan is to seek bids and award a construction contract by the end of May, said Fitzgerald, with work beginning in June. If all goes according to schedule, the work could be wrapped up by the end of August.
Construction will be phased so that there will be access to parking at all times, said Fitzgerald, who estimated that the rear Village Commons lot would be the first to break ground.
“The beauty is that the Village Commons [campus] is all connected, so parking shouldn’t be a problem,” he said.
The asphalt parking lots will be excavated to a depth of about 20 inches and backfilled with three distinct stone layers, along with an under-drain system set higher up in the stone base.
While permeable paving is more expensive than asphalt pavement, it has benefits beyond diverting storm water runoff from the sewer system. Asphalt parking lots typically need repaving every 15-20 years, while paver lots may not need repaving for double that amount of time."
Civil Engineer | Stormwater Expert | Industry Educator
This marks the third successful bid in which Riverside, IL gained funding from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The MWRD will be reimbursing the town for just under 60% of the cost as part of their Green Infrastructure Partnership program.
Last year, Riverside partnered with the MWRD to replace 1.6 acres of impervious parking at their campus: https://buff.ly/489axPt#stormwatermangement#civilengineer
Nebraska Takes First Step on Perkins County Canal Project 😱
Nebraska has begun acquiring land in Colorado for the construction of the Perkins County Canal. This project aims to transport water from the South Platte River in Colorado to farms in western Nebraska during specific seasonal periods, as permitted by a long-standing interstate agreement.
Let's break it down:
Land Deal Begins: Nebraska snagged 90 acres near Julesburg, CO, marking the first purchase for the canal's construction.
Interstate Agreement in Play: Remember that century-old pact allowing Nebraska to tap the South Platte? It's still the driving force, with water transfers permitted during specific off-season months.
Colorado Keeps Watch: While acknowledging Nebraska's right to build, Colorado remains vigilant. They're keen on ensuring everything stays within the agreement's framework.
Environmental Spotlight: Sustainability is front and center, and environmental impact studies are underway.
Economic Pulse Check: Economists are crunching the numbers to assess the project's impact on both states' agricultural sectors.
Are you an expert on this topic? Drop a comment below. The Water Report is seeking article authors!
#perkinscountycanal#watermanagement#nebraskacolorado
Texas Town to Run Out of Water in Six Years
Just 30 miles north of Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in Texas. Georgetown. A new report says that by 2030 they’ll need to find a new source of water. The thing is, that’s six years away. To have new water by the time they’ll need it, this little community need to develop a new water source today. Now. Water projects take time. Identifying sources, acquiring rights, getting permitted, design and build. Time. It’s all about time. Oh wait. There’s funding, too. What Georgetown needs is a partner that knows how to identify sources and funding, how to design and build, how to keep a project on time and budget. That’s Anser Advisory, now part of Accenture. Our expertise in water is decades deep. Our team includes Texas-grown experts, too. We know water. We know Texas.
Texas 2036Texas AWWATexas Water Development BoardTexas Water Utilities Association
Hello Steve, is Craig Johnson still around there? Please let him know Rob Knighten says hello. Please have him send email [email protected]. Thanks