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Like many cities, the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, faces the challenge of aging infrastructure in urban environments serving an ever-growing population. This presentation will present two case studies related to expedited temporary repairs the City undertook that employed innovative solutions. The first case study will examine a temporary bridge used to remove traffic loading from a compromised existing culvert that serves a center-city thoroughfare before the planned Republican National Convention and impending NFL season. The second case study will focus on an existing corrugated metal pipe that experienced a significant joint failure and the measures taken to protect the public and restore traffic in an accelerated manner. The presentation will include a summary of the challenges associated with each project and lessons learned.
Read MoreEmergencies are equal opportunity challenges in communities as they impact citizens with and without disabilities. It is vitally important that communities prepare well before emergencies occur with practical and well-thought-out solutions that keep everyone, including those with disabilities, safe while maintaining their dignity at all times. Information will be provided regarding how to plan for individuals with specific needs, including mobility, visual, hearing, and cognitive impairments, and for people whose survival requires medical equipment. Accessible evacuation plans and shelters will also be addressed, along with laws regarding service animals. Attendees will learn about questions that can and cannot be asked of people with disabilities and about politically correct disability-related terminology.
Read MoreAs per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) discoveries increase across the country, water utilities, industry organizations, state regulators, and the EPA are struggling to publicly communicate new findings in drinking water, wastewater discharges, and biosolids. And these discoveries are going to exponentially increase in the coming years. The EPA’s Fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) will require most water utilities across the country to test for 29 different PFAS compounds starting in 2023. Make no mistake, obtaining this data is absolutely necessary to our industry as we play catch up with the decades-long damage to our source waters. However, as we look for more PFAS, there is still so much we don’t know about the health and environmental impacts of the vast majority of these chemicals.
Read MoreThis session will give an overview of National Weather Service (NWS) operations and how NWS warnings are communicated to emergency management personnel and the public. The session will then look at how NWS operations functioned during the passage of the remnants of Tropical Storm (TS) Fred in August 2021. The passage of TS Fred simultaneously produced numerous tornadoes in North and South Carolina and extreme flooding in parts of North Carolina. Though damage from tornadoes was light, flash flooding resulted in the loss of 56 homes and five deaths. The NWS outlook products discussed the possible hazards several days in advance. During the event, over 30 tornado warnings were issued, along with many flood-related products, including a “Flash Flood Emergency” product, which is the rarely used and most extreme warning product for flooding. For the Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina NWS office, this was one of the busiest days in its history due to the large number of high-impact products issued.
Read MoreThe world of engineering is facing challenges no one has ever tackled before. Some of these issues include climate change, efficient transportation solutions, maintaining adequate water supplies for a growing population, and putting light rail trains on a floating bridge. With these obstacles in front of us, we need the best and brightest on our teams. However, the profession is dismissing half of the population before they are ever given a chance. If we do not work together to encourage women to enter the field of engineering and stay in the field, we will all miss out on the innovations and contributions that come from their unique perspectives.
Read MoreBoth polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can be found in lakes, rivers, streams, and municipal water supply and are harmful to humans and our environment. One may be lesser known in some regions, but widely recognized (and banned) on the west coast, mid-west, and locally in Greenville, South Carolina, and Asheville, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Town of Matthews, and Boone, North Carolina. PAHs are a group of chemicals created by heating or burning material that contains carbon. PAHs are present in coal tar sealers, asphalt sealers, and liquid propane (LP) derived sealers. Although coal tar sealers have a higher PAH level than other sealers, PAHs are present in high levels in asphalt and LP-based sealers. The speaker will provide insight from his position as the Southeast U.S. Director of the Asphalt Sealcoat Manufacturer’s Association (ASMA). The purpose of ASMA is to provide a common specification for asphalt-based sealers for use by governmental and private bodies to ensure both quality and environmental safety.
Read MoreAs per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) discoveries make news—and cause public panics—all over the country, water utilities, industry organizations, state regulators, and the EPA struggle with how to properly publicly communicate findings in drinking water, wastewater discharges, and biosolids. WaterPIO serves as an independent source of PFAS public information, helping multiple utilities, elected officials, activists, the news media, and customers understand why and how these chemicals ended up in our water and wastewater. From 2017 through today, they have served on several utility PFAS teams and are called in to help state water and wastewater organizations with their PFAS responses when public panic occurs. This presentation will cover two such waves of panic, one in North Carolina and one in Georgia.
Read MoreHave you ever wondered what designers and builders think about their clients or why it matters? David Skuodas works as a project manager in the owner role in the public works industry. He spent years asking vendors in the construction industry, “Why does it matter to be a good client?” Skuodas interviewed over 50 consultants, contractors, and client project managers. He asked them what differentiates a good client from a bad client and how the client affects the cost, schedule, and quality of a project. He also asked them what conditions allow them to do their best work, and conversely, what makes it difficult for them to do their jobs effectively? This presentation lets you peek behind the curtain and find out how designers and builders differentiate between good and bad clients. You will learn how client behavior affects the price and quality of the work and how designers and builders choose their clients.
Read MoreOne of the core jobs of the fleet manager is to make sure fleet assets are provided in a cost-effective, efficient manner. Having a solid, reliable basis for determining those…
Read MoreThis CLL will look at emerging technology for signal control systems that can identify bike and pedestrians’ movements and log this data both locally and in the cloud. The session…
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