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There is a lot of interest in applying ice control materials directly to the pavement in liquid form. This session will explore in detail why liquids are being used in winter maintenance operations as well as brine making; storage of liquid materials; the systems needed to transfer liquids from storage to trucks; and the equipment needed on the trucks to store and deliver liquids from the trucks to the road. What allows them to be so effective? What are the benefits of using liquids and what are their limitations? Under what circumstances should you consider using liquids in your agency? How do we actually get, store, transfer, and apply liquids directly to the pavement? In this session, the speaker will discuss typical application rates, how those rates vary depending on type of storm and pursued strategies, and what you should expect in terms of outcomes when using liquids in these ways.
Read MoreWinter is notorious for being harsh and unpredictable. Solutions that can combine everyday devices like smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers with technology such as artificial intelligence and mapping are easy to implement for safely and effectively monitoring assets. Using visual asset data to create maps of geo-referenced and time-stamped images allows for strategic planning in snowfighting. With up-to-date digital references, activities like documenting sidewalk conditions, tracking snow removal resources, and preparing for post-season maintenance become much easier. This session will provide an introduction to using artificial intelligence to create visual asset data maps for maintenance, management, and planning.
Read MoreThe Excellence in Snow and Ice Control Award was established to promote excellence in the management and administration of public works snow and ice operations, and to promote best practices in snow and ice control removal while minimizing environmental impacts. This year, five public works agencies are being recognized for their innovative processes and operations. Join us to hear about their efforts in materials handling, equipment maintenance, use of winter maintenance technologies, community outreach and commitment to environmental stewardship.
Read MoreTypical planning approaches for municipal stormwater projects often include gathering significant field data, developing complex models, and extensive documentation regarding existing conditions and potential solutions. This presentation will explore a recent pilot project executed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services that employed available geographic information system (GIS) data and abridged the modeling and reporting process. The results of the effort were provided in a decision dashboard to assist stakeholders in identifying and prioritizing projects. It will also outline the advantages and pitfalls of this approach and highlight a few of the design projects developed from this study.
Read MoreNew regulations require utilities to create and maintain service line inventories. Incomplete, inaccurate, and unreliable historical records make it challenging to use service line inventories to inform planning, support decisions, and communicate risk to the public. Best practices in statistics and data science can be used to develop more accurate inventories, create realistic budgets, inform capital planning, and manage lead service line (LSL) replacement programs. We partnered with the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) to outline important considerations for state regulators and utility leadership when using statistical and predictive methods for LSL inventory and replacement. Water systems can use these principles to plan strategically, make data-driven decisions, set budgets and requests for funds, build capacity in some skill areas, communicate with the public and build trust, and, most importantly, continue to protect the health of all individuals in the system.
Read MoreOver the past several years, we have seen more utility paint marks zig-zagging across the developed landscape. What does it take to put those paint marks down and then get those marks on a map? In many cases, that paint indicates work in progress of an engineering design project. Subsurface utility engineering (SUE) experts designate the underground utilities with standard APWA colors, with surveyors coming behind them to locate and map the paint marks. The process typically involves a survey crew walking across the painted landscape and surveying each mark with a global positioning system (GPS) or total station equipment. This tedious process requires surveyors to work around congested areas or near roadway traffic. Through using high-resolution drone imagery, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) drone pilots document sites through orthomosaics and dense colorized point clouds generated from software such as Pix4D and Agisoft. These software solutions and resulting datasets provide accurate visualizations to create the digital twin of the paint mark designations.
Read MoreWe all have struggled with the recruitment and retention of quality employees over the past couple of years. Pre-pandemic, rumbles of baby boomer retirements and truck driver shortages were starting to make an impact. In 2021, many were caught in the “Great Resignation” wave. Losing long-term employees at a time when demand for reliable and qualified employees is at its highest brings workforce challenges. Doing more with less or waiting on Human Resources are no longer palatable options. We have a problem. It is not simply a human resources problem. It is our problem; as a community, we are the best qualified to find solutions. Join this session as we dare to ask the questions of who and how can we solve the workforce shortage problem today and into the future. This will be a very interactive session where we will build off the experience, ideas, and pilot programs of each other.
Read MoreWe all know leadership styles vary based on an individual’s background and personality. This session will consider how generational differences also impact leadership styles—all through a female lens. The panelists will explore how the female perspective has changed over the past four decades and how those perspectives are helping to shape the public works industry. They will share personal stories on the industry’s landscape when they entered the workforce, and the challenges and positive experiences they encountered that helped form their careers. The session will provide insight on the differences between an advocate, sponsor, and mentor—and the importance of each one. Attendees will be challenged to consider how they can become one and how they can find one. The session will challenge how participants think about diversity and how to attract a more diverse workforce. The panelists will also share strategies on how to create a more inclusive environment.
Read MoreIn 2020, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, adopted a new Stormwater Pollution Control Ordinance which included, for the first time, a prohibition on the use of pavement products containing more than 0.1% polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by weight. This ordinance change was adopted following several years of research, local monitoring, and correspondence with cities with similar prohibitions and outreach to local sealant manufacturers and other local stakeholders that this ordinance can potentially impact. The purpose of this prohibition is to reduce the amount of PAHs entering local streams from stormwater runoff with the goal to reduce in-stream PAH values below levels that are considered toxic to aquatic life. This presentation will summarize the research that led Charlotte-Mecklenburg to take this concern seriously, the results from local monitoring, and the stakeholder process used to adopt the new ordinance language.
Read MoreTo say that significant developments in pavement data collection technologies and artificial intelligence- (AI) based processing methods have taken place over the past three years is an understatement. Industry standards have not kept pace with technological advancements, and agencies attempting to procure these services have been left in a bind. While these technologies may provide better data than previous technologies, it is critical that agencies understand the benefits and limitations of these technologies—especially those implementing AI—and how best to procure the technologies. AI is a tool, not a panacea. This presentation will describe the benefits and limitations of 3D pavement imaging, AI-based data processing, and mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technologies. The attendees will learn how to best integrate data collected with these technologies into their pavement and asset management systems. Attendees will also learn how to best procure and quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) test the data from these technologies.
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