Conference Papers

Low Impact Development (LID) strategies and concepts intended to minimize stormwater runoff from impervious surface have been developed for decades within the Puget Sound basin and across the continent, but many LID strategies are more applicable to parcel-based projects or more appropriate for less dense development. Additionally, stormwater retrofits can be expensive as stand-alone projects and may not deliver additional benefits to the community without collaboration and partnership with transportation agencies or facilities. This photo-rich presentation will focus on sustainable drainage strategies for redevelopment in urban rights-of-way, with a focus on multi-disciplinary collaboration for additional community benefits. In addition to treating and detaining or infiltrating stormwater, implementing SUDS as part of right-of-way improvement projects offers the ability to offer additional enhancements such as increased tree canopy, flood reduction, traffic calming, and visual interest or placemaking that increase infrastructure's sustainability. Many of these functions contribute to resiliency from phenomena including heavy precipitation, drought, and extreme heat events. The presentation will include photographs, plan excerpts, and cross-sections of completed projects, with an explanation of critical decisions for both planning and design. Completed Puget Sound projects to be showcased include the Harrington Green Street Connection in Renton, WA and Mercer Street, Delridge Natural Drainage Systems (NDS), and the Central Waterfront redevelopment in Seattle. The project will use annotated photographs and graphics to suggest specific dimensions and design considerations for critical right-of-way components including curbside parking, the step-out zone, flexible amenity zone, and planter width. Finally, this presentation will suggest additional facility types and technologies including tree trenches or tree wells that could be developed and advanced to increase the opportunities for implementing SUDS. Specific challenges including constructibility and maintainability will be detailed.

Since 1998, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) has innovated with retrofits of public right-of-way to improve stormwater using natural drainage systems (NDS). Based on lessons learned from prior projects and to address regulatory commitments, SPU launched the NDS Partnering program in 2017 to develop retrofits in the three major creek watersheds within the City: Longfellow Creek, Thornton Creek and Piper's Creek, see Figure 1. Due to topography, historical development patterns and standards and economic considerations much of this part of the city consists of informally developed right-of-way without curb or formal drainage infrastructure. This presentation will share the program goals, a summary of the site selection process and more importantly lessons learned in addressing the challenges and opportunities of partnering to retrofit underdeveloped urban right-of-way. The Plan to Protect Seattle's Waterways is a comprehensive strategy that embodies SPU's commitments that were documented in the July 2013 Consent Decree to address combined sewer overflows. It meets Seattle's federal commitments to create a Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) that will make water quality improvements to Seattle's receiving waters, e.g., Puget Sound, Lake Washington, and the urban creeks that feed them. The final Plan received final approval in August 2015. Within the Plan to Protect Seattle's Waterways, SPU recommended the Integrated Plan (IP) alternative, which addresses water pollution from both combined sewer overflows and stormwater-only runoff into waterways. As part of the IP, SPU is committed to deliver high-value stormwater-only projects/programs ahead of a set of smaller-volume combined sewer overflow (CSO) projects for a greater overall water quality benefit. NDS Partnering is one of the three stormwater-only projects/programs recommended in the IP for pollutant reductions. In addition, the NDS Partnering program fits within SPU's Strategic Business Plan Focus Area No. 1, 'Better Protecting Your Health and Environment.' The mission of the NDS Partnering Program is to achieve the water quality goals identified in the City's Plan to Protect Seattle's Waterways. The NDS Partnering program emphasizes working with sister agencies, concurrent SPU programs and community partners to deliver high-value neighborhood improvements, including bioretention systems that will capture and treat stormwater before it drains to creeks feeding Puget Sound and Lake Washington. The purpose of the partnering in the NDS program is to develop shared projects within Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) programs and between SPU and other City agencies, such as Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), to offer multiple benefits to neighborhoods and ecosystems, including: greener, more attractive neighborhoods, lower risk of flooding, additional natural habitat for native plants and animal species, healthier creek ecosystems, calmer traffic patterns, and more street trees. For SPU, the NDS projects provide water quality treatment for street runoff that drains to urban creeks by retrofitting the roadsides with NDS (also referred to as bioretention cells) and addressing localized flooding issues. The City of Seattle has a long history in developing retrofits of right-of-way in urban creek basins beginning with the SEA Streets project in 1998. This presentation will focus on the current NDS program consisting of the Longfellow Creek Basin (due to be complete with construction in 2023), South Thornton Basin (due to begin construction in Spring 2023) and North Thornton and Pipers Creek Basins (under development and design). This program leverages innovations developed under some of the most recently constructed retrofit projects including the Delridge, Ballard (Phases 1 and 2) and Venema NDS projects to enhance the viability of green infrastructure in challenging site constraints and soils. These innovations include the use of weirs, underdrains, structural soil cells and underground injection control (UIC) wells. Working in underdeveloped or informally-drained right-of-way presents opportunities to address infrastructure gaps that will benefit the local community, specifically providing traffic calming, improving pedestrian access, and correcting nuisance drainage. This presentation will share the approach and response to community outreach to communicate impacts and receive feedback on tradeoffs on design of improvements. Additionally, the co-location of improvements with partner agencies presents opportunities to reduce overall project cost for the City balanced with increased coordination needs. Key issues addressed by the project include how to negotiate space constraints to co-locate new sidewalks with bioretention facilities in existing right-of-way. Another key issue commonly expressed by the community is minimizing impacts to automobile access and parking where historical use is informal and haphazard and existing driveways do not conform to code. Public investment in infrastructure presents the opportunity to improve community spaces and services. In addition to considering equity and deep connection with the community through the design process, the program also has had opportunities to incorporate art and create community spaces. This presentation will include examples where the projects have included a range of scale of art from small touches to enhance the individual elements of the green infrastructure to more significant efforts to incorporate public art in new pocket community spaces that are co-located and funded with the NDS projects. The project also specifically targets addressing local drainage issues where informal drainage is inadequate to collect and convey runoff from the neighborhood streets creating nuisance flooding. While addressing these local drainage issues is a significant benefit for the neighboring property owners, SPU was also challenged to incorporate NDS and drainage improvements in a manner to avoid conveying the additional runoff to create or aggravate existing issues downstream. The program addressed these challenges by evaluating the downstream system capacity, maximizing stormwater retention within the project and providing compensatory storage where required to minimized downstream impacts. In summary, this presentation will provide the opportunity to share lessons learned at a unique point in time that represents past, present and future of a program that is delivering green infrastructure improvements to over 60 blocks of neighborhood streets in the City of Seattle's urban creek watersheds. This program and presentation deliver unique and innovative techniques to balance the needs of the right-of-way to improve the quality of stormwater runoff. SPU strives for continual program improvement and delivering community-centered projects that achieve improved service with reduced costs.

The Village of Wilmette is a northern suburb of Chicago and is located adjacent to Lake Michigan. There is a major watershed divide within the Village; one watershed drains east to Lake Michigan and the other west to the North Branch of the Chicago River. Runoff in the western watershed is collected by regional trunk line storm sewers that outfall to a large stormwater pumping station at the River. The historic storm sewer conveyance system is undersized compared to modern standards and the western portion of the Village regularly experiences widespread urban (non-riverine) flooding. The Village developed a Stormwater Management Plan from 2013-2015 to assess the significant flooding experienced in the western portion of the Village, analyzing several improvement options. Primary alternatives included several miles of large diameter storm sewer to increase conveyance capacity to the River, and three localized neighborhood underground stormwater storage basins, among others. After years of study, public participation, an independent value-engineering review and deliberation, the Village Board decided to move forward with the neighborhood storage option. The overall program was divided into 4 construction projects totaling nearly $64M. The project included a combined 40+ acre-ft of underground stormwater storage at three prominent parks with sports fields (one of them shared with two adjacent schools) within the Village and nearly five miles of large diameter storm sewers in dense residential neighborhoods with mature trees. In addition to the complex engineering, the project required significant coordination with residents, the park district, and the school district. The presentation will discuss the project, beginning in 2013, through completion of the final phase of construction in November 2022; including the public engagement, Park District Intergovernmental Agreement, scheduling, safety-sensitive construction and other unique features of what was the largest capital project in the Village's history.

Speakers: Karen Counes Program and Construction Management Practice Leader CDM SMITH Jenn Harrison Regional Team Leader, Program and Construction Management CDM SMITH Julie Lucas Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition Programs CDM SMITH Sara Varvarigos, Transportation Planner and Reboot/Re-entry Graduate CDM SMITH Category: Diversity & Inclusion - Presentation title: Reboot Re-entry: Returning to a Technical Profession After a Career Detour - Description: Two steps forward, two steps back. Sometimes detours happen in our well-planned lives. If you have had a break in your science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career and are now ready to get back in the game, let CDM Smith help you restart your career by participating in our career re-entry program. In partnership with the Society of Women Engineers and iRelaunch, we offer a 16-week program each January through April for those who left their STEM career for 2+ years and now want to return. This is a paid, full-time temporary opportunity to help you train and rejoin peers in your field. Abstract/Content In 2018, CDM Smith joined a task force with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and iRelaunch, a pioneering organization on career return-to-workspace and essentially 'returnships' intended to re-integrate technical professionals into the workplace after career detours. SWE's STEM Reentry Task Force and iRelaunch's research and training programs were the basis for CDM Smith's Reboot/Re-entry Program, a 16-week, 40 hrs/week paid 'returnship' geared toward those employees trained in technical professions such as engineering and construction, but had taken a hiatus in their professional career. CDM Smith's formal Reboot/Re-entry program began in 2019, and can now claim 6 full-time hires as a result of the program.

Program Overview Jobs in the construction, maintenance, and repair of utilities are not easy and can be difficult to fill. Turnover is high, which adds to the cost of running the enterprise. One potential solution is to recruit returning citizens, many of whom find it difficult to secure a job upon release. Recruiting ex-offenders can not only fill vacancies and lessen the financial burden on utilities, but it can also help reduce recidivism in their communities. The Pinellas County Utilities Department (PCU) launched the Jail-to-Job Pipeline Program in partnership with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) to offer returning citizens an onramp into a career in utilities. The program's main features are the Connect, Prepare, Apply (CPA) process (See Figure 1) and the addition of the Utilities Maintenance Worker - Trainee (UMW — Trainee) position to the career ladder (See Figures 2-3). The CPA approach gives potential applicants an opportunity to learn about the position and application process directly from PCU staff prior to applying. PCU established a dedicated email address for interested persons to contact the department. Once PCU receives an email, a staff member connects the person to a program administrator who can answer questions about open positions and the general application process, review interview best practices, and give potential applicants strategies for addressing their record in their application or during an interview. PCU staff can also gauge a potential applicant's relevant skillset and credentials during the pre-application meeting. The entry-level jobs at PCU used to require one year of utilities experience, which excluded otherwise qualified applicants, including many returning citizens, from moving forward in the hiring process. The UMW — Trainee position eliminates that requirements and provides six months of on-the-job training to successful applicants who join the department as trainees. At the end of the six-month period, during which trainees gain experience working on a wide range of equipment that will prepare them to move up the career ladder, they move on to the next rung in the ladder and receive a raise. Status PCU is in the process of recruiting participants into the program. Although COVID-19 has so far limited in-person outreach, staff members have conducted virtual presentations and expanded the initial partnership with the PCSO. Through this process, the team learned that the PCSO is part of a network of organizations in the Tampa Bay area that work with returning citizens. The PCSO and other members of the Pinellas Ex-offender Re-entry Coalition (PERC) work together to serve returning citizens in the Tampa Bay region. What began as a partnership with the PCSO is now a concerted effort to bring returning citizens from the area's county jails and state prisons into PCU. Metrics The research variables are job placement (independent), reduction in recidivism (dependent), job readiness training (moderating), and education level (mediating). Through quantitative statistics from the Department of Corrections Florida Prison Recidivism Report and qualitative data gathered through interviews and surveys the research will obtain information on educational level, job satisfaction, and retention surveys as evident data to the research. PCU built a Jail-to-Job Program Tracker (J2J Tracker) (See Figure 4) to document program metrics that will enable the department to make evidence-based changes and decisions in the future. The J2J Tracker tracks three main elements of the program: department outreach, candidate information, and UMW — Trainee career paths. Department outreach referrers to recruiting activities at county or state jails and organizations that serve returning citizens. These may be in-person or virtual, and they may be presentations to potential applicants or program staff. Candidate metrics include the number of email inquiries potential applicants, candidate demographics, and how many candidates go through each stage of the application process. It's important for PCU to identify and monitor correlations between the department's outreach activities and the number of potential applicants who go through the CPA process. If in-person activities yield a higher number of successful applicants, for instance, the outreach team can shift its resources to facilities and organizations that allow for in-person recruiting. It's important for employers that recruit ex-offenders to provide them with the support they need to be successful employees. Returning citizens can require different resources than other employees to be successful and tracking their career paths can help PCU identify best practices to provide the support they need. The J2J Tracker documents the trajectory of program participants along the career ladder. Along with the retention rate, the tracker documents how long each employee spent on each rung, which certifications they earned, any training they received through the county's human resources office, and the professional development activities in which they enroll. Benefits and Significance As PCU trains and employs ex-offenders, desirable outcomes will include reducing recidivism rates, improved quality of life for returning citizens and their families, enhanced public services, and lessened financial burden on the department. Through the creation and outcomes of this research, local governments can make informed decisions on hiring skilled workers based on their current skills and future potential regardless of their background.

Introduction
Our urban centers are plagued by a variety of concrete storm water conveyance structures. Originally intended for flood control, they have simply moved the flooding to downstream areas while degrading natural stream habitat. It's well documented that nature-based solutions mitigate stream habitat degradation, but can they also perform a vital flood risk reduction purpose in our urbanized neighborhoods?

General Project Information
As part of a larger master plan for the Springfield Art Museum, Fassnight Creek was restored to a naturalized channel for flood mitigation, water quality, and wildlife habitat improvement. The Springfield Art Museum is located in the heart of Springfield, just south of Missouri State University. Adjacent to the museum is the historic Phelps Grove Park which is beloved by the community for its mature trees and pedestrian trails. The museum and Phelps Grove Park are surrounded by well-established residential neighborhoods and a high-level of pedestrian activity, which made this project an impactful addition to the urban greenspaces in the area. Before the capital improvement project, Fassnight Creek was confined in a narrow concrete channel with insufficient hydraulic conveyance. The Fassnight Creek Improvements widened the channel cross section significantly and naturalized approximately 1,000 linear feet of creek channel, encompassing 1.5 acres of newly re-stablished riparian area, that serves as an urban wildlife corridor and extension of the Phelps Grove Park greenspace. The restored channel contributes to the overall quality of place and helps to further integrate Phelps Grove and the Art Museum grounds. Key components of the natural channel design include use of void-filled native rock materials to emulate the natural stream bottom of local streams and extensive native plants. Construction included excavation of approximately 16,000 CY of soils, removal of 900 feet of concrete channel lining, removal of a public street crossing, installation of over 250 linear feet of 21-inch sanitary sewer main, two new pedestrian bridges, creating a natural pool and riffle stream, mitigating culvert erosion and re-alignment and narrowing of Brookside Drive centerline to give additional area for channel improvements. Channel Naturalization Details Native plantings provide multiple benefits including creation of habitat to support pollinators, aquatic species, and other wildlife. The native landscaping included planting of over 25 native trees and over 200 native shrubs. Missouri native plantings obtained from regional sources. In addition, City urban forestry crews carefully excavated and rehabilitated a small sycamore tree known to the local residents as the 'child sycamore' and this tree was successfully re-planted in the center of the creek corridor after the grading was completed. The plantings are integral to the project's goals to improve water quality and reduce flooding through filtration and uptake of common pollutants and absorption of stormwater runoff. The project also will increase awareness and acceptance of native plants due to its visibility by local and regional Art Museum visitors. The project will also enhance the Art Museum as a local field trip destination for Science, Technology, Art & Math (STEAM) programs. The Art Museum currently partners with the non-profit Watershed Committee of the Ozarks on the Placeworks STEAM Residency that uses journaling to connect science and art and includes field trips to the Art Museum. There is also a desire for the Art Museum to serve as a monarch way station to tie in with butterfly habitat efforts at the Botanical Center on the south side of Springfield. On this project, the channel slope and shear stress exceed a fine grain channel bottom or a fully vegetated solution which is likely why a concrete liner was used in the past. Fortunately, many local streams are predominately bedrock influenced gravel bed streams. We were able to mimic the natural stream bottom utilizing void-filled rock. Void-filled rock mimics local natural stream bottom where native graded cobbles, boulders, and small aggregates are mixed form a densely packed heterogeneous mixture. For the Fassnight Creek restoration project, the concrete was removed and the rock mixture used to create a stable natural channel bottom. The engineered mixture of stones and smaller sized river gravel aggregates compacted in layers ranging from approximately 2 to 4 feet thick. Selected areas of the void-filled riprap are planted with native grass plugs to add aquatic habitat value but also reinforce overbank areas of the channel with rooted plantings. Void-filled stone structures have been placed along the channel alignment to form riffles and pools seen natural streams alignments. These pools and riffles are the foundations for aquatic habitat in the creek.

Floodplain Information
A central project objective was to reduce base flood elevation (BFE) and mitigate flood risk for the Springfield Art Museum and surrounding residential properties in this area. Based on revised, preliminary 2019 FEMA maps, portions of the Springfield Art Museum and surrounding residential properties are within the 1% and 0.2% SFHA. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for Springfield are currently being updated to provide more accurate depiction of flood risk for the community but have not yet been formally adopted at this time. The City of Springfield's proactive approach now has the Art Museum and residential properties well positioned for the formal adoption of the revised preliminary FEMA floodplain maps. The improvements lowered the 1% BFE approximately feet. Following the Improvements to Fassnight Creek at the Springfield Art Museum, the surrounded properties finished floor elevations have a much lower flood inundation residual risk. Construction and Funding Fassnight Creek at the Springfield Art Museum was substantially completed May 31, 2022. The construction began in Spring 2021 and took slightly longer than 1 year to complete. Construction involved complicated sanitary by-pass pump around for sanitary sewer main relocations, and constant vigilance on the part of the general contractor to maintain erosion and sediment control best management practices during active construction within the creek. Following construction, the ribbon cutting grand opening occurred October 15, 2022 with the Mayor, City Administrator, three Councilmen, the Art Museum director and the Art Museum board of directors presiding. Fassnight was recently recognized as an APWA Missouri Chapter Public Works Project of the Year because it demonstrated a functional solution to flood risk reduction which can serve many other beneficial purposes for the community. The naturalized channel is the new grand entrance to the Museum, an inspirational functional piece of living art. The overall construction costs for the project were approximately $2.3 Million. The Project was partially funded by grant funding from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, EPA Section 319 grant funding Administered by the non-profit James River Basin Partnership, and grant funding for native plantings from the Missouri Department of Conservation. The local funding share was provided by the City's ¼ cent capital improvement sales tax.

APPLICABILITY Optimized mixing improves digestion stability and increases digestion capacity. Our objectives were to evaluate nine mixing technologies for installation on existing digesters at a California WRRF, determine what retrofit modifications would be required and associated costs, and ultimately select a mixing technology for the digesters. Understanding available mixing options for existing digesters and how to evaluate them in a manner that defines retrofit requirements allows for better feasibility assessment and cost estimates than typical evaluations. DEMONSTRATED RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS Introduction The mixing systems for two existing digesters at a California WRRF were the gas lift 'eductor tube' type system which have been working well for the plant since initial installation. However, the utility wanted to determine if changing to a different mixing technology could reduce energy consumption while maintaining good digestion and the costs to implement such a change. Nine mixing technologies were considered in a phased evaluation that began with a technology screening/initial cost comparison to identify the three most beneficial options for the utility followed by a detailed structural analysis to finetune understanding of retrofit requirements and overall costs for those three options. The digesters are prestressed concrete tanks with column-supported concrete covers, so the tanks have unique structural constraints relative to retrofitting. Therefore, a finite element analysis (FEA) was performed on the three screened technologies to better assess feasibility, understand the extent of structural modifications required for installation, and the costs to implement the mixing system at the WRRF. Nine mixing technologies were considered in a phased evaluation that began with a technology screening/initial cost comparison to identify the three most beneficial options for the utility followed by a detailed structural analysis to finetune understanding of retrofit requirements and overall costs for those three options. The digesters are prestressed concrete tanks with column-supported concrete covers, so the tanks have unique structural constraints relative to retrofitting. Therefore, a finite element analysis (FEA) was performed on the three screened technologies to better assess feasibility, understand the extent of structural modifications required for installation, and the costs to implement the mixing system at the WRRF. Methodology The nine technologies and associated representative system manufacturers that were considered for the initial screening and cost comparison are listed below: Gas Recirculation: - Lance type (manufacturer supporting technology not identified/responsive). - Bottom mounted diffusers (Enviromix). - Gas lift 'Eductor Tube' (Walker Process). - Gas piston 'Bubble Gun' (Suez/Veolia). Mechanical: - Submersible high solids axial impeller mixers (Anaergia). - Vertical shaft agitators (Philadelphia Mixing Solutions). - Linear motion (LM) mixing (Ovivo). - Hydraulic draft tubes - externally mounted and roof mounted (Ovivo). Hydraulic: - Pumped mixing systems (Vaughan). Equipment proposals solicited from the vendors included the recommended number of mixing units for each digester, system layout, cut sheets, motor sizes, ancillary equipment needed, installation lists, and costs. Screening level evaluation criteria included the following factors: —Economic o Conceptual Level Capital Costs o Operation & Maintenance Costs o 20-Year Life Cycle Costs — Non-Economic: o Footprint o Performance o Number of installations o Operating history o Retrofit requirements and feasibility o Constructability o O&M requirements o Sensitivity to debris o Suitability for co-digestion o Position relative to industry trends Based on the initial evaluation, the following systems were deemed infeasible: lance type gas mixing due to outdated technology and externally mounted hydraulic draft tubes and pumped mixing systems due to large penetrations required in the pre-stressed digester walls. The remaining technologies were then considered relative to the non-economic criteria, capital costs, and life cycle costs. The cost estimates at this stage of the evaluation were high level and included base assumptions regarding retrofit requirements for implementation. From that analysis, four more technologies were screened out due to high life cycle cost. The three remaining technologies included: gas lift mixers (similar to existing), submersible axial impellers, and LM mixers. Advantages, disadvantages, and the initial 20-year life cycle cost for each of these three technologies following the screening level evaluation are displayed in Table 1. The cost for the gas lift system assumed replacement in-kind of existing eductor tubes but maintaining existing compressors which remain in good condition. Each of these remaining technologies involve elements that are fully or partially roof-mounted. The axial impeller and LM mixer technologies would impart new static and dynamic loads on the roof structure and the axial impellers would require new, large openings to be cut into the roofs. Furthermore, while the axial impellers can be supported off the walls and floor, the LM mixers are usually supported entirely by the roof. Both digesters have column-supported concrete roofs with heavy rebar reinforcement along the column line grid as indicated in yellow and green in Figure 1. Equipment installed in the blue areas of the figure would be most feasible. However, additional structural analysis was necessary to truly assess impacts for the axial impellers and LM mixers and their associated static and dynamic loads. To understand and fully vet feasibility and implementation cost of these technologies, FEA was performed for both digesters. In addition, the vendor-recommended number of axial impellers was lower for each digester than on other studies for similar applications. The vendor reassessed their recommendation, adding one more mixer on each tank. The technology evaluation and cost estimates were then updated with the more refined assessment of structural and electrical impacts and equipment proposals. Results An example of the FEA results for the LM mixer for both digesters is shown in Figure 2. These results showed that the loads imparted by this mixing system, would require significant structural upgrades including additional bracing and concrete beams between columns. The FEA for the axial impeller option indicated a need for additional reinforcement at new roof openings, but no more significant modifications. However, with the increased mixing units, this technology's capital and power costs increased. Previously assumed modifications were found to be unnecessary for the gas lift option, reducing the technology's capital costs. After updating the cost estimates, the previous initial results changed, making gas lift mixing the most economical option. Table 2 shows the final life cycle cost estimates for the three technologies. Conclusions The phased evaluation with detailed structural assessment confirmed that the existing gas lift technology is the best option for this utility even though it consumes higher power than other options. Results for other WRRFs with differently constructed digesters, power costs, or drivers for change may vary. Investigating the potential impacts on existing digesters from changing technologies can yield different conclusions than typical evaluations that stop at the initial step described above. CONSEQUENCES Our results show that technology evaluation requires thorough vetting and consideration of impacts on existing tanks. The mechanical, electrical, and structural requirements for implementation should be investigated to thoroughly assess option feasibility and cost. Furthermore, energy savings alone may not warrant change if the existing system is effective and well-functioning. RELEVANCE To reduce costs and improve performance, WRRFs are focused on optimization and fully leveraging existing infrastructure. While newer, efficient technologies are promising, thoroughly evaluating options against a utility's specific drivers and investigating the impacts of various technologies on existing infrastructure is essential to defensible decision-making. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Background SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is shed in the feces of both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals and often before the onset of symptoms. Wastewater testing for COVID-19 virus can, therefore, provide population-level information about the circulation of the virus that is not captured by clinical testing. Wastewater testing is a proactive approach to detecting the presence and prevalence of infection and developing public health strategies to mitigate spread of the virus. Missouri's Coronavirus Sewershed Surveillance Project (CSSP) is a collaborative effort to monitor community sewersheds and congregate living facilities for genetic indicators of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. At the start of the project in June 2020, CSSP was collecting weekly samples from 12 community wastewater treatment facilities. In subsequent months, community interest in participation in the project grew. Currently, CSSP is collecting samples from 94 community facilities and 36 state congregate facilities, representing over 70% of the state's residents. Methods In CSSP, untreated wastewater (influent) samples are collected weekly or biweekly from select sewersheds and congregate living facilities for detection and analysis of trends of 'true' prevalence of the virus. Twenty-four-hour composite samples of raw influent sewage are collected using auto-sampling devices and shipped on ice to a lab at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The wastewater samples are then filtered, concentrated using polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, and RNA is extracted. Following extraction, SARS-CoV-2 levels are quantitated by qPCR using N1 and N2 primers/probes (CDC). Standard curves are included in every PCR plate so that cycle threshold (Ct) values can be converted to Copy numbers/L from wastewater. In order to account for volumetric dilution that occurs within wastewater systems (e.g. rain fall), RNA concentration (copies/L) are multiplied by facility-specific flow rates (MGD) on the day of sample collection, yielding an estimate of total copies. Samples with high and sufficient viral load are screened for variant mutations using a novel computation workflow based on amplicon sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 spike N-terminal domain (NTD) and receptor-binding domain (RBD), allowing for detection of variants of concern (VOC) and other lineages within sewersheds. Results Using Spearman's correlation analysis, CSSP found that wastewater concentrations most strongly correlate with positive case counts 4-6 days in the future (Figure 1). In analysis of community sewershed data, the team has found that a ≥45% increase in the exponential weighted moving average (EWMA) of viral genetic fragments in wastewater is proceeded by an increase in clinical cases in the following week approximately 65% of the time. Bland-Altman plots have revealed that wastewater is indeed a reliable proxy marker of current or future clinical cases. Application of Findings CSSP publishes the community sewershed data, including viral load trends and variant mutation detections, in a storymap (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f7f5492486114da6b5d6fdc07f81aacf) posted on the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) website (Figure 3). In addition, CSSP notifies MDHSS staff, local public health agencies (LPHAs), and other stakeholders of significant increases or elevations in viral load and the presence of variant mutations in sewersheds (Figure 4). In April 2021, CSSP began using the wastewater testing results to help identify communities in need of COVID-19 testing. CSSP extends offers for MDHSS to host a free community testing event where sewershed viral load trends are significantly increasing. LPHAs have helped raise awareness of wastewater testing results and interest in testing among their community members by advertising the events, holding meetings, issuing press releases, and conducting interviews. These outreach efforts have been particularly beneficial in rural areas of the state, where vaccination rates are low, COVID-19 testing options are sometimes limited, and, in May and June 2021, mutations of the more transmissible Delta variant were first being detected in the wastewater samples. Conclusions Sewershed surveillance can be utilized to identify potentially high risk communities and assist in data-driven public health efforts/decisions. In the future, sewershed surveillance may be used to better understand the spread of other communicable diseases and possibly even opioid use.

Learning Objectives:
-Application of geoprocessing automation in hydrologic analysis
-Best practices for applying a phased approach to large-scale hydraulic modeling production

Introduction
Current effective FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) were initially developed for Fairfax County, VA in the 1970s. FEMA is currently updating the County's Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). FEMA typically maps floodplains of drainage areas one square mile or greater. Fairfax County, however, intends to regulate the floodplains of all stream channels within the county that have drainage areas 70 acres and greater. Atkins is currently working with Fairfax County to develop a separate regulatory floodplain layer (map) for all 70-acre streams by leveraging the terrain and cross sections from the most recent FEMA study and developing flows based on the Anderson Method, which is the Fairfax County's preferred hydrologic method. The final regulatory floodplain layer would be assembled from the more conservative (higher BFE) results between the County and FEMA. Fairfax County plans to fully remap the entire county, which includes 27 watersheds, consisting of about 800 stream miles and 1200 stream crossings.

Methodology
To comply with Fairfax County's Public Facilities Manual (PFM), floodplain studies on areas less than 200 acres are to use the Rational Method or NRCS methodology. An automated ArcGIS-based geoprocessing tool was created to calculate all necessary watershed parameters needed for hydrology calculations, including curve number, drainage area, and longest flow path. The tool requires a shapefile of desired delineation locations as well as several watershed rasters. The output will provide an updated pour point shapefile in which the attributes report drainage area, curve number, slope, longest flow path, and longest flow path elevations (Figure 1). Additionally, longest flow path and pour point watershed shapefiles are generated. Parameters are input into an automated spreadsheet to calculate the Anderson Method discharge and Rational Method discharge. Values are also input into HEC-HMS to calculate the NRCS Method discharge. Updated flows for each watershed are then imported into a HEC-RAS model to simulate the updated flooding extent. The HEC-RAS models are being developed based on Fairfax County's 2018 Lidar data and have cross-sections spaced approximately 300 feet apart. This is a large-scale project with many moving parts, including hydrology development, hydraulic model development, survey collection and implementation, and final flooding extent results for 27 watersheds. Thus, a key component is to plan in phases to handle all data and tasks. Fairfax County watersheds have been split into Phase 1 and Phase 2 and three stages to manage the time requirements for each step (Figure 2). Each phase (group of watersheds) of the work will go through the three stages: preliminary HEC-RAS model development, field surveys of hydraulic structures, and final model development and mapping. Both the hydrologic and hydraulic analyses are being performed in parallel. Production is being done by watershed basis with the hydraulics for a given basin lagging the hydraulics for that basin.

Project Status
The project team has completed the geoprocessing, hydrology calculations, and hydraulic modeling for three watersheds. Figure 3 shows the floodplains generated for one of the watersheds. Development of the preliminary HEC-RAS models for the remaining watersheds within Phase 1 is ongoing. Subsequent stages of the work will include field surveys of hydraulic structures and final HEC-RAS model development and regulatory floodplain mapping.

Conclusions
Current flood maps for Fairfax County are up to 50-years old. Increases in development density within the watershed and climate change are not incorporated in these maps. Updating these maps will allow for reliable data in future developments and improved mitigation and response options. The use of a geoprocessing tool greatly optimizes the development of updated flow data thereby aiding in the completion of this massive undertaking within budget and schedule.

In pursuit of fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) within its community, the City of Boise has undertaken a comprehensive initiative. This initiative reflects the city's commitment to becoming a place that truly embraces the principles of equity and accessibility in its policies and actions, consistent with its vision of 'creating a city for everyone.' Recognizing past inadvertent disparities created or reinforced by public works policies and projects, Boise is taking innovative steps to infuse DEIB principles into its project planning and execution processes. One of the prominent endeavors within this broader initiative is the development of the Recycled Water Program (RWP) within Boise's Public Works Department. This program represents a strategic shift in water management practices, aiming to enhance resilience and environmental outcomes while safeguarding economic development and public resources. It seeks to address impending water shortages by recycling water within Boise's service area, utilizing groundwater recharge and industrial reuse to diversify water supply sources and relieve pressure on groundwater. Crucially, the Recycled Water Program is not merely a technological advancement but also a DEIB-driven initiative. Boise is actively integrating DEIB principles into the program, crafting equitable guidelines that serve as a framework to identify and pursue equity goals, objectives, processes, and measurable outcomes. Within the framework of the RWP and the broader Public Works Department, Boise is pioneering a process to infuse equity considerations into project and program development, thereby advancing a vision of a more sustainable, just, and resilient community. This approach has the potential to amplify the effectiveness and impact of city projects and programs, fostering inclusivity for all residents. The Equitable Guidelines, a key component of this initiative, offer a set of principles and practices deeply rooted in the city's DEI commitments. These guidelines are designed to instill consistency, transparency, and accountability in pursuit of equitable outcomes throughout the lifecycle of planning, development, definition, and delivery of projects and programs. Each guideline features specific goals, objectives, and quantifiable key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress over time. These guidelines encompass: - Alignment with the city's DEI commitments - Sustaining equitable and inclusive community engagement - Integration of community benefits into project work - Establishment of equitable processes and policies - Connection and alignment with local and national equity initiatives In the forthcoming presentation, we will delve into the city's goals, objectives, and KPIs, illustrating how they intertwine with the Recycled Water Program and the city's broader DEIB commitments. We will provide examples of language modifications, access enhancements, and project-specific decision-making frameworks that embody the equitable guidelines and DEIB objectives. So back to the original question - how do you say aquifer in Spanish? It turns out you don't. This seemingly innocuous term had the potential to alienate important members of the Boise community. But with one small change, switching from aquifer recharge to groundwater recharge, we provided a more inclusive program that connects to our community.

Background: Wastewater surveillance is an important and emergent public health tool that relies on robust infrastructure to work well including accessible wastewater sampling points, detailed information on sewer system service areas, and trained personnel. Wastewater treatment plants are perhaps the most convenient wastewater sampling points, as they already sample wastewater as part of their environmental safety requirements. To evaluate the capability of treatment plants of different sizes and characteristics to participate in surveillance efforts, we developed and distributed a survey to New York State treatment plant supervisors in the summer and fall of 2021. The goal of the survey is to assess the knowledge, capability, and attitudes toward wastewater surveillance as a public health tool. Objectives: Our objectives are twofold. First, we want to determine what data treatment plants have about their service areas and in what form including physical maps, geospatial information systems (GIS) data, and address lists. Knowledge of the service area (sewershed) is essential for linking wastewater surveillance data back to upstream populations. The second objective is a broader questionnaire to identify the capability and limitations to conduct surveillance across treatment plants of different sizes and in different communities from urban to more rural settings. This second objective also included an evaluation of the knowledge and attitudes that treatment plant supervisors have regarding wastewater surveillance to inform what kind of education and outreach efforts public health departments may have to engage in. Methods: A population of treatment plants was identified using New York State Department of Environmental Conservation information on municipal treatment plant locations. Contact information was obtained from state and regional offices. Of the 638 treatment plants identified, contact information was available for 377 of them. The plants were contacted between July and September of 2021 by email and phone to complete a survey asking about what data they have on their treatment plant service area and what they know about wastewater surveillance. A total of 93 treatment plants participated in the survey representing a 25% response rate and accounting for nearly 15% of all the municipal plants in the state. Summaries of responses were calculated as well as statistical comparisons between plants of different sizes. Results: Data on service areas is not universal with 23% of respondents reporting no data on their service areas. Regarding knowledge of surveillance for public health, 84% of respondents know that wastewater samples can track COVID-19 but only 51% are aware that it can also be used to track opioids. In addition, 39% of respondents agree that wastewater surveillance could be beneficial with their community with most respondents (44%) indicating they are unsure or have no opinion. We find high capacity for treatment plants to collect 24-hour composite samples with 69% of all treatment plants reporting ability to take at least one sample per week. Of the responses, 90% of larger plants surveyed (> 2 mg/d of flow) indicate ability to take one sample per week or more with 55% of smaller plants (< 2mg/d of flow) indicating the same ability. For grab samples, the capability is similar with 67% of respondents indicating ability to take samples at least once per week. For larger plants, 81% of respondents indicate ability to take grab samples at least once per week while 58% of smaller plants indicate the same ability. Discussion: Results suggest diverse capabilities across sewer systems with differences between treatment plants by size. Knowledge about surveillance is also mixed with most supervisors knowing that COVID-19 can be tested in wastewater but having less knowledge about surveillance capabilities for other things like opioids. Findings provide guidance for outreach activities with results suggesting education and communication with treatment plant personnel would be beneficial to increase awareness of what surveillance can do to benefit public health. Results also provide important insight into treatment plant capabilities as they are connected to internal factors such as size, which may help public health departments understand the limitations and ability of future participation. Overall, we find that most treatment plants in New York State, regardless of size, report ability to conduct surveillance at least once per week suggesting that statewide scaleup of surveillance programs could occur with most treatment plants simply needing the knowledge and guidance on what to surveil. Next steps include evaluation for additional patterns across population levels and urban v. rural dynamics to better aid health departments in targeting resources for training, education, and equipment.

Background: Bioinformatic analysis of whole genome sequencing data has played a central role in surveillance throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic by allowing scientists to identify novel variants and to track the proportions of variants across time and geographic location. Because SARS-CoV-2 is shed in fecal material that ends up in wastewater, whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater samples can be an effective method for the surveillance of the virus. Methods: Here, we describe Colorado's wastewater whole genome sequencing and surveillance strategy for SARS-CoV-2. We have been collecting twice weekly samples from March of 2021 to present from 20 wastewater utility sites. After extraction of RNA from wastewater, we perform tiled PCR-amplicon whole genome sequencing for SARS-CoV-2. We also present the bioinformatics workflow that we developed for analyzing whole genome sequencing data from wastewater samples, which determines the variants likely present in a sample based on sets of mutations associated with variants of concern or interest. Variant-associated mutations are determined using the Spike mutations present in known variants of concern (VOC) or variants of interest (VOI) as defined in the outbreak.info database (https://outbreak.info/situation-reports) and are updated regularly. Briefly, this workflow performs quality control and filtering of raw reads, aligns reads to the reference genome, calls single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using FreeBayes and filters SNPs based on quality. We then use custom scripts to identify the presence and frequency of mutations associated with known VOCs and VOIs and to generate summary files for further analysis and visualization. We have made this workflow a publicly available resource for use on Google Cloud's Terra platform. Results: Using this surveillance and analysis strategy we have been able to determine which SARS-CoV-2 variants are likely present in wastewater samples based on the constellations of VOC/VOI-associated mutations that are present. For example, we observed the rapid transition from Alpha to Delta as the dominant variant circulating in Colorado (Fig. 1A). Furthermore, we can see the emergence of VOCs in CO prior to their emergence in clinical samples sequenced by either the state public health department or a commercial laboratory and reported to the state public health department. As shown in Fig. 1B, in most of the counties for which we have sampling, we identified the mutations associated with the Delta variant in wastewater prior to it being identified in clinical samples. These results also show geographic differences in which variants are present, when they are first detected in wastewater, and when they are first detected in clinical samples. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 wastewater sequencing can be used to monitor SARS-CoV-2 trends over geographic location and over time. Our ability to detect VOC/VOI-associated mutations prior to the detection of the viral lineages with which they are associated in clinical samples suggests that wastewater whole genome sequencing can be used as an early warning signal. More broadly, these results can inform public health strategies and can be applied to other pathogens of current or future public health concern.