Avoiding the Stormwater Financial Cliff

Asset management practices and principles provide a proven and effective means of managing our infrastructure while offering leadership the appropriate tools to get the job done right and with less stress and frustration. Many communities across the nation have some of the “pieces and parts” of a comprehensive asset management program already in place. Still, they lack a strategy to pull them together into an effective asset management approach. Still others have a vision for an asset management program but believe they lack the resources to obtain the needed pieces and parts. Both of these obstacles can be overcome with a little planning and forethought. The City of Columbia, SC, is investing approximately $95M in capital projects through a stormwater bond program. The City also has the foresight to ensure it is implementing measures to protect this investment. Early on, the City began developing a stormwater asset management program. The City considered program goals and took stock of the already available data, tools, and resources. From there, they began filling the gaps methodically and sustainably. The City is w applying asset management principles to its infrastructure management practices while continuing to mature the program. Further, they are identifying tangible rewards with every step. The City has won two South Carolina APWA project awards while addressing infrastructure, water quality, and flooding issues. Using the City of Columbia’s experience, this presentation will explain how to avoid the financial cliff of stormwater infrastructure failure. Sound infrastructure management is complex, but it is t complicated. Learn from the City of Columbia’s experience how to obtain the critical components of an asset management program, ways to manage implementation costs, and maximize the return on investment for implementing these practices all along the way. After this session, participants will be able to:
• Articulate the critical elements of a stormwater infrastructure management program.
• Minimize a stormwater infrastructure management program’s implementation costs.
• Maximize the return on investment of a stormwater infrastructure management program implementation.