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A wastewater utility’s customers are receiving information that they believe is important without having to ask for it; they’re sent notifications dozens of times a day. As a result, expectations have risen with service providers, especially those people who pay every month, every other month, or every quarter to ensure their quality of life. When emergencies occur, especially those that make news throughout an entire area, like with a significant sewer spill, a utility must quickly act to assure the public that the crisis is being responded to and that the potential for any long-term impacts are being mitigated. What many people don’t realize is that successful crisis communications responses are actually rooted in a utility’s efforts to proactively inform their customers about their services before an emergency occurs. Regular releases of information to the press, the public, and key stakeholders about the good work you do 24/7/365 or communications that provide helpful tips to say, keep FOG out of a customer’s pipes, goes a long way to building trust and respect for the utility’s work. And that trust is important, because it will be called upon in a crisis. This presentation will discuss how to handle internal and external communications during a wastewater crisis, in this case, a 500,000-gallon SSO alongside a commuter route during rush hour that flowed into a creek known for its wildlife and boating activity. WaterPIO will show the tactics used to help diffuse the initial negative reaction and turn the actions of the utility into a positive, not only by showcasing the response but continuing to provide information after the immediate crisis has passed. Utilities can actually IMPROVE their standing with the public after a major SSO by regularly providing information about the improvement of the waterway involved day after day.
We all inherit infrastructure designed and built by someone else. What happens when a city pops up out of nowhere and you are in charge of creating it? How should we plan for the right infrastructure of the right size, in the right place, at the right time? How can we leverage economic development, private development, organizational partnerships, and unique funding options to achieve the right kind of development which will be sustainable? This presentation focuses on how to build a city from the ground up, with special attention to the infrastructure master planning and capital improvement plan processes. Presenters will discuss the challenge of making decisions which meet the needs of the development community right now while also meeting the long-term needs of the city once the developer is gone.
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the construction industry is growing. It is the face of a new industrial revolution and represents the next great technology that will change construction. Contractors are already using it to prepare schedules to better optimize time and costs. Owners and consultants are leveraging AI to produce budgets and cost estimates for their programs and projects. But with the opportunities and benefits of AI come genuine risks, especially as it relates to the preparation, auditing, and negotiating of change orders. If construction owners fail to address AI in their contracts, the playing field may become unlevel. And contractors are not without risk. They will have to adopt AI or fall behind their competition. They will also have to revise their typical project management practices to limit their liabilities to damages. In this presentation, John Armstrong will demystify AI and help separate the buzz from reality. John will discuss how owners, contractors, and consultants can avoid the risks AI presents in the change management process. This presentation will also include an overview of what AI is, how it is currently being used in construction, how it could be used in the future, and discrete and actionable steps that can be taken to avoid these risks.
Asset managers know there’s a disconnect between the asset data in their Asset Management Software/GIS and the assets in the field. This disconnect makes efficient asset management difficult because there’s no assurance that the desktop view reflects the reality in the field. To resolve this data gap, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is increasingly being used to connect field assets directly to their records in GIS. This session demonstrates how RFID-enabled marking products linked to mobile data collection systems provide accurate, real time field asset data and the ability to update asset records in the field. Real-world use of RFID for field asset management case studies will be presented and reviewed. Adam Schleicher, Director of Public Services for the City of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin will provide an overview of the deployment in that city.
What happens when CNN, The New York Times, and 12 candidates for President of the United States come to town? A lot. Now, imagine having four weeks to plan for public safety for large crowds, prepare infrastructure to support a major international broadcast, and help 10,000 visitors have a free-speech experience within a two-block radius. When Otterbein and Westerville were announced as the host site for the debate, the eyes of the world were upon them. This had an immediate impact on public programs and services. Staff had to get organized, partner in teams and figure out logistics, including public safety, citizen communication, and infrastructure adjustments. The three prior debates resulted in arrests and injuries, and sections in each community were overwhelmed with traffic, protests, and demonstrations. Public works staff were critical in helping devise a plan that would assure Westerville’s name would not be associated with a disastrous event. Partnerships with a number of agencies helped us stage dozens of trucks, mobile light towers, crowd fencing, parking, ride-share and traffic plans, secure bus routes, and much more. Westerville activated an Emergency Operations Center capable of accommodating multiple agencies, an inspections team to monitor compliance, and surveillance systems to protect property and people. Signals, sidewalks, and signage were inspected for working order. Hydrants were checked. Emergency and detour routes established. Turn-by-turn transportation plans were created. Road closures, equipment deployment, and use of staff plans were developed. Service and engineering helped coordinate with public safety professionals who had to manage crowds. A massive event clean-up returned the area to normal, with trash, barricades, and fencing removed overnight. While millions of eyes were on Westerville, we did not miss our opportunity to shine. The event outcome was zero arrests, zero injuries, and a successful show for Otterbein and this community.
When staff are limited and turnover is high succession planning is a must for a small city/rural community public works department. This panel discusses what succession planning looks like in…
In the world of winter maintenance a wrong weather forecast is much more than just a punch line, it causes a lot of stress, and sometimes results in bad decisions by winter maintenance supervisors. Accepting wrong weather forecasts is one way to handle the problem, making fun of the meteorologist is another, but it still does not improve your situation. Instead, there are things you can do to help you understand when a forecast might go wrong hours, maybe even days, before the storm. This discussion will talk about simple things you can do to understand how to still make good decisions even when the forecast is not working out. Such as looking at the time between the storm and the forecast can help you with deciding how much weight to give a forecast. Or how to spot the signs of a model only created forecast, and what pitfalls that can cause you. Today, the internet tries to scare us with an image from a model showing a storm 10 days away, and it gets everyone talking including those above you. What should you do about something like that? How do you explain your plan to everyone, up and down, how you are handling the situation so it works out in the end. Hopefully these tips will provide you the ability to sift through all the weather noise and continue to use a weather forecast to make your decisions easier. And yes, not all forecasts are right, but with these tips you can hopefully identify a potential wrong forecast before you fall victim to it.
Water and wastewater facility operators face mounting challenges as climate change alters weather patterns across the globe, resulting in increased flood risk and other hazards. This presentation outlines lessons learned from St. Charles, Missouri, where wastewater treatment facility operators faced off with record rainfall and consequent flooding in the spring of 2019. By leveraging employee experience, safety and hazard training, and collaboration with engineers and city stakeholders, the team was able to keep two wastewater treatment facilities online and operating safely. The presentation delivers practical, adaptable information to operators, facility managers, and water district/public works directors as they prepare their own resiliency and flood preparation strategies, whether they’re on the coast, in the Midwest, or elsewhere. Speakers will share their insights on how safety protocols, technology, and operator ingenuity combined to improve short-term outcomes in St. Charles and inform long-term emergency planning. Every flood event is different, making flexibility the most important part of navigating this emergency. Operations staff was able to leverage previous experience to prepare, taking steps such as monitoring river conditions; inventorying and stocking up on chemicals and other critical supplies—ensuring availability and accessibility for treatment facilities and pump stations, and identifying access, logistics, and remote operation alternatives in case any of these facilities became inaccessible. The team had contingency plans for several possible scenarios. The presentation focuses on communication between operators, city stakeholders, engineers, and vendors that ensured that all were on the same page, regardless of how the flood behaved. Documentation also proved critical in the aftermath and the presentation will address those outcomes and lessons learned about data collection and record keeping, especially in the context of a FEMA audit.
Public works departments, with the main objective of cost-effectively optimizing resources (labor, equipment, materials, contracts, and assets), must constantly decide between the option of in-house versus outsourced labor. The benefits and costs of outsourced vs. in-house labor will be discussed in this presentation with specific advice regarding when to outsource and when to stay internal. Some specific factors integral to any in-house vs. outsourcing decision that will be mentioned include cost savings, improved service, lack of equipment, staff limitations, technical expertise, contractor availability, work monitoring, emergency repairs, and labor unions. Formulas for comparing internal costs and contractor costs will also be discussed.
In January of 2016, Mayor Sylvester Turner challenged the Houston Public Works (HPW) Transportation and Drainage Operations (TDO) to assess and repair all potholes reported by the next business day. The number of reported potholes increased by more than 30% shortly after Mayor Turner’s inauguration. HPW employees rose to the challenge and have been successful filling 98% of potholes by the next business day. Presenters will explain HPW’s potholes problems, demonstrating what improvements were made to procedures, technology, scheduling & personnel. HPW field operation staff will share with you what was done differently to resolve this headline-making news items: repairs over 25 SF are “Not-a-Pothole” and referred as asphalt skin-patches; in-house crews perform partial and full depth skin-patch repairs on asphalt streets; in-House crews perform asphalt patches on concrete streets; the pothole and patch repairs are intended to be as durable as possible; HPW centralized all forces from four quadrants to one primary location; offered crews additional pick-up locations for more efficient travel time to problem locations; utilized latest iPad to report and manage most of the work order; the city boosted employee morale by engaging employees and front-line supervisors in weekly meetings in regard to process improvement efforts; implemented QA/QC group to ensure the accuracy of all data recorded; created Pothole Action Plan; implemented new SOP’s in addition to new techniques and cost-effective tactics without costing taxpayers any additional money; the pothole program includes “Next Business Day Potholes” and “Pro-Active Potholes” that are not reported by citizens but filled by operations & maintenance crews while on-site typically covering intersection-to-intersection potholes; and the creation of a dedicated website covering all aspects of the program to educate the public.