Agrawal, Benjamin

Agrawal, Benjamin

Benjamin Agrawal was a speaker at the WEFTEC 2024 conference in New Orleans, LA October 5-9, 2024.

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About Agrawal, Benjamin

Benjamin Agrawal was a speaker at the WEFTEC 2024 conference in New Orleans, LA October 5-9, 2024.

Agrawal, Benjamin

Benjamin Agrawal was a speaker at the WEFTEC 2024 conference in New Orleans, LA October 5-9, 2024.

Titles from this speaker

A Stepwise Approach to Developing a Flood Emergency Planning and Climate Adaptation Program with Case Studies from Clayton County, GA and Boston, MA

Abstract

Many communities perceive climate adaptation efforts as being prohibitively expensive, resource intensive, and complex. This presentation introduces a step-by-step approach that communities can follow to overcome these barriers by examining climate adaptation efforts undertaken by two unique communities. The approach illustrates how lower cost efforts that utilize publicly available data can help communities begin adapting to climate change threats such as intense rainfall, rising sea levels, and coastal or fluvial flooding while also laying the groundwork for future, more intensive efforts. One example is the Flood Warning and Response Plan (FWRP) project for the Clayton County Water Authority (CCWA), which demonstrates how publicly available datasets can be used to inform emergency planning and flood preparedness. Another case study highlights inundation modeling and coastal stormwater conceptual design efforts that were recently completed in Boston. Topics covered include the following:

*Strategies for identifying, obtaining, and analyzing publicly available datasets for resilience planning and vulnerability assessment

*Leveraging climate change projections to update and establish appropriate design storms and future levels of service

*Development and application of two-dimensional (2D) hydraulic/inundation models to develop flood management solutions and characterize flooding for various adaptation scenarios (using PCSWMM and parallel computing)

*Tools for public communication including static mapping, interactive mapping, emergency planning dashboards, and 360-degree photos and flood renderings The FWRP project for CCWA will be used as a case study for communities interested in beginning the process of identifying and adapting to climate threats, that do not currently have the ability, or are not ready, to engage in more intensive efforts involving the development of custom hydrologic and hydraulic models. Clayton County, Georgia and its incorporated municipalities are partially located in the floodplains of the Flint and Ocmulgee Rivers, which pose a risk of flooding to the community. A countywide FWRP was developed as a tool to coordinate and guide effective response to flood events with the goals of promoting public safety and mitigating damage to critical infrastructure. The flood analysis used GIS, HEC-RAS, and publicly available data to identify the highest risk critical facilities and road crossings for flooding in Clayton County. The resulting flood maps highlight the facilities and roadways most vulnerable to impacts by the FEMA 100-year floodplain allowing CCWA to better understand where to focus emergency response and future climate adaptation efforts. The FWRP was developed in collaboration with CCWA, emergency responders, and other public agencies. It outlines strategies for flood preparedness, flood forecasting and monitoring methods, communication and response procedures, and post-flood recovery actions. The plan was adopted by CCWA and distributed to stakeholders in 2023. Future considerations for plan development include inundation modeling in high-risk areas for a range of design storms based on climate change projections and the development of more robust flood monitoring and simulation tools. The case study/work in Boston, however, demonstrates the implementation of these future steps. Figures 1 and 2 depict mapping and a response plan developed during the project. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey highlighted the severe impacts that extreme storm events can have on coastal urban areas. In the wake of this disaster, BWSC initiated the Inundation Model project to evaluate Boston's vulnerability to similar extreme storm events and develop a tool for emergency planners, City agencies, and residents to use ahead of extreme storm events. This resulted in Boston's first, citywide, 2D flood model and groundbreaking visualization and analysis tools. During the project, emergency planning tools and model predictions were developed to help increase Boston's preparedness for climate change and extreme storms. The Inundation Model project culminated in the development of a suite of tools including an innovative, custom-coded dashboard and online interface called the Inundation Model Viewer, that combines high-resolution, 360-degree images; ESRI ArcGIS story maps and a custom map viewer; and Microsoft PowerBI and SQL Server to visualize results, as shown in Figure 3, 4, and 5. Combining these technologies presented complexities but produced an elegant and simple means for users to interact with and 'see' model predicted flooding at well-known locations throughout Boston for various extreme storm events. The publicly accessible web-based Inundation Model Viewer maximizes accessibility of study results to the public, and aids in comprehension through non-technical visualizations such as maps and interactive streetview renderings of flood predictions. The work represents a benchmark for future practitioners publicly communicating flood study findings and helps facilitate awareness of flood risks among residents and other public officials. Using each of these projects as case studies, this paper and presentation will summarize key data needs, level of effort, challenges, and expected outcomes at each step (starting with static mapping and concluding with fully interactive mapping and tools) in the development of a flood emergency planning and climate adaptat

This paper was presented at the WEFTEC 2024 conference in New Orleans, LA October 5-9.

SpeakerAgrawal, Benjamin

Presentation time

14:30:00

15:00:00

Session time

13:30:00

15:00:00

SessionClimate-Proofing Our Cities: Transformative Solutions

Session number406

Session locationRoom 340

TopicClimate Change Adaptation and Metrics, CSO & SSO Planning and Mitigation, Intermediate Level, Stormwater and Green Infrastructure

Author(s)

Agrawal, Benjamin, Houseman, Ann

Author(s)B. Agrawal1, A. Houseman1, B. Agrawal1, A. Houseman1

Author affiliation(s)1Hazen and Sawyer, MA

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2024

DOI10.2175/193864718825159668

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count24

Innovative Systems for Improving Collection System Asset Management

Abstract

SUMMARY Using smart technology to improve asset management has become an essential part of managing wastewater collection systems, especially for aging systems with little to no historical data. As an Investor-Owned Utility (IOU), New Jersey American Water has a mixture of wastewater systems with different topographies, sewer pipe ages, and other physical challenges. Performance data is critical to understanding both the (daily) operational and longer-term investment needs for the collection systems. New Jersey American Water started its first (pilot) deployment of sewer monitoring technology in Lakewood in June 2020, using SmartCover© satellite-based sensors. The pilot was successful in reducing the number of annual SSO events from 12 to zero, and the monitoring platform provided valuable data for estimating levels of inflow and infiltration (I&I). The sewer monitoring program was expanded over the following 2 years, and there are now over 160 units deployed across 7 wastewater systems. New Jersey American Water uses the SmartCover© monitoring platform to accelerate the evaluation of new acquisitions, including rapid identification of critical I&I targets. INTRODUCTION — A GROWING NETWORK OF WASTEWATER SYSTEMS New Jersey American Water is the largest water service provider in the state of New Jersey, serving approximately 2.8 million people in 190 communities. New Jersey American Water currently owns and/or operates 30 wastewater systems with 21 wastewater treatment plants, 85 lift stations, and over 500 miles of pipe. Over the last five years, New Jersey American Water has invested over $105 million into wastewater system assets, including wastewater mains, treatment plants and lift stations, to continue to provide reliable and environmentally sound service that complies with federal and state wastewater environmental regulations. THE CHALLENGE — IMPROVING WASTEWATER SYSTEM INTELLIGENCE In efforts to minimize health and environmental challenges, New Jersey American Water works to identify and eliminate potential weaknesses in each collection system: -Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs) -Inflow (stormwater) that rapidly flows into sewer mains due to faulty drains, connections, and manhole covers -Infiltration (groundwater) that seeps into the sewer system due to aging pipelines -Aging pipelines that are blocked, cracked, or broken -Potential system power failures -Insufficient system capacity -Blockages caused by customer usage While New Jersey is the 5th smallest state, it contains 4 different physiographic regions that includes coastal plains, mountains, and regions of dense forests and small rivers. This creates a set of challenges that differ across the following 7 wastewater systems owned by New Jersey American Water: 1.Bound Brook: Total lack of historic records 2.Egg Harbor City: Older system, with flat topography with pump stations and tidal influences (high ground water table) 3.Haddonfield: Major I&I issues, suburb of an older major NJ City (Camden) 4.Lakewood: First site to deploy sewer monitoring, system suffers from high population and undersized pipes 5.Long Hill Township: Hilly terrain, no additional connections permitted (self-imposed sewer bans), and wet weather flows increase treatment needs from 1 to 4 MGD. 6.Ocean City: Older system, surrounded by water, and prone to flooding (tidal) 7.Somerville: A recent acquisition with known SSO issues and a wet weather facility being built downstream by the County THE SOLUTION: SMART SEWER MONITORING TECHNOLOGY New Jersey American Water's operations and engineering teams work collaboratively to develop comprehensive capital investment plans and preventive maintenance processes. The utility's Comprehensive Planning (CP) process is used for both new acquisitions and existing systems. The team was searching for a technology to enable targeted analysis on their sewer mains, providing real-time data and alarming to avert sanitary sewer overflows, backups, and subsequent cleanup. The technology also needed to provide valuable data for I&I analysis to make quicker, informed capital investment decisions. New Jersey American Water chose the SmartCover© platform for a pilot in its Lakewood NJ system in 2020. The monitoring units provide real-time, low-cost level/flow data, and provide real-time alarms to dispatch crews before overflows occur. This eliminates both the environmental and community impacts associated with SSOs. The technology also incorporates both National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather (doppler radar) as well as United States Geological Survey (USGS) river/stream and ocean gauges. The platform enabled New Jersey American Water to understand the impact of extreme weather events across the entire Lakewood sewer shed, enabling more efficient use of capital by focusing on high-impact I&I areas as well as undersized pipe bottlenecks. THE PROOF: PINPOINTING HOTSPOTS LEADS TO IMMEDIATE ROI Large amounts of data are collected and analyzed daily, helping New Jersey American Water pinpoint problem areas in its 7 largest sewer systems. Critical repairs and targeted investigations, e.g., smoke/dye testing, are driven by SmartCover©. The sensors are now integrated with American Water's MapCall system, enabling operations team members an easy path to alarm management and work order management for field issues. In addition to preventing SSO events and identifying problematic areas in their sewer systems, the smart sewer technology has allowed the utility to better allocate resources for system maintenance, including: -Improved visibility allows site cleaning to be performed based on real-time trends -Personnel and equipment redirected to other projects delivers gains in productivity -Continuous monitoring between cleanings enables SSO protection and risk reduction -Less time in roadways results in crew safety -Fewer cleanings reduce pipe and structural wear to extend asset life The sewer technology has allowed New Jersey American Water to perform targeted analysis on their sewers, providing real-time data and alarming to avert sanitary sewer overflows, backups, and subsequent cleanup. Most important, the units are providing valuable data for I&I analysis to make quicker, informed capital investment decisions. It is a key tool in the utility's toolkit for collection system maintenance and replacements.

This paper was presented at the WEF Collection Systems and Stormwater Conference, April 9-12, 2024.

SpeakerShields, Donald

Presentation time

08:30:00

09:00:00

Session time

08:30:00

10:00:00

SessionSmart Collection System Programs

Session number13

Session locationConnecticut Convention Center, Hartford, Connecticut

TopicArtificial Intelligence, CIP Development, Combined Sewer Overflow, Corrosion, Database Management, Digital Twin, Disinfection, Effective Utility Solutions, Hydrogen Sulfide, Innovative Technology, Modeling, Smart Water Infrastructure

Author(s)

Marciszewski, John

Author(s)J. Marciszewski1, D. Shields2, B. Agrawal3

Author affiliation(s)SmartCover 1; New Jersey American Water 2; Hazen and Sawyer 3

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Apr 2024

DOI10.2175/193864718825159370

Volume / Issue

Content sourceCollection Systems and Stormwater Conference

Word count9

Base text size -

Agrawal, Benjamin

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