EWRI CURRENTS VOLUME 20, NUMBER 4 Fall 2018
Featured Articles ASCE Government Relations Update EWRI Urban Green Infrastructure Workshop Choose to Reuse Program is a Sustainability Win NEW EWRI Task Committee on Scour at Various In-stream Hydraulic Structures Bureau of Reclamation Launches Prize Challenge Seeking New or Improved Techniques for Reservoir Sediment Removal in a Cost-Effective Manner Task Committee to Encourage EWRI Participation from Underrepresented Groups
What do you need to keep your knowledge relevant in your day-to-day job? That is a question that several leaders at ASCE-EWRI ask ourselves. Not in terms of what we need, but what you, one of our 23,000 members, need. Our annual Leadership & Council Weekend, held this year in Reston, VA on October 20, addressed this question. Over 100 attendees representing EWRI councils, committees, and chapters learned about what today’s organization members want and met to organize projects and activities that enhance the value of EWRI to members. We can’t stop at member value just for current professionals. We have to ay attention to students and provide resources for them, too. After all, students might be working on projects in the future that we don’t even imagine today. Given that most of you reading this column are not students, I present you this challenge: reach out to a student group to give them career advice. They’ll remember you forever. Don’t know what student group to reach out to? EWRI has student chapters at universities. Our Students Council ensures that the chapters are supported and exposed to professional opportunities. Student competitions at the annual EWRI Congress provide an avenue for students to present their work. Try to attend one of those student competitions and become a mentor. On the professional end, about 150 EWRI committees work to publish books, guidance documents, and standards for the environmental and water resources profession, with the intention to give professionals the resources they need to do their jobs. For example, the document by EWRI members Recommended Operation and Maintenance Activity and Cost Reporting Parameters for Stormwater Best Management Practices Database was co-sponsored by the Water Research Foundation and aims to help professionals evaluate the cost and activities related to O&M of stormwater BMPs. EWRI doesn’t rely just on publications to improve your career skills. Now, EWRI chapters can request speakers on topics that they need. These speakers are verified by EWRI as excellent and relevant. The Pittsburgh chapter took advantage of this offering
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE in July 2018 and scheduled speakers for its Urban Green Infrastructure Workshop. Webinars are also a popular way for members to stay current in their professions, and a number of ASCE’s webinars are available for free for up to 5 professional development hours (PDHs). Some creativity is usually on order as EWRI leadership considers other beneficial activities for members. Understanding that widely used computer models are important in our profession but also difficult to learn and maintain, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Center for Infrastructure Modeling and Management (NCIMM). Following this MOU, EWRI will facilitate meetings for continued development and maintenance of the EPA software packages SWMM and EPANET. Our future Congresses will have technical sessions on these packages, open to all attendees. With so much momentum in EWRI activities, it is with a little sadness that I end my presidential term. It has been an immense pleasure and honor to serve as EWRI President. I am now looking forward to continuing to contribute to EWRI with a new perspective as its Past President. When I was elected, I knew I wanted to keep three main principles in mind: listen to members’ needs, encourage the dissemination of our expertise, and strengthen our programs that work. How gratifying it is to see that we are moving in the right direction, given the activities I’ve written about here. But there is still a lot left to do. I encourage all of you to voice your opinions via our COLLABORATE online forum. The COLLABORATE discussions can be oriented towards technical topics, career advice, and membership services. Let’s keep the dialogue active and continue to keep our knowledge relevant. Cris Surbeck Past President, ASCE-EWRI
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EWRI Governing Board – Recent Actions and Decisions • Planned and carried out the annual Leadership and Council Weekend (LCW) on October 20 in Reston, VA. • Approved the proposal for the Operation and Maintenance of Stormwater Control Measures Conference in 2019. • Approved the proposal for the International Low Impact Development Conference in 2020. • Approved sponsoring and organizing the Urban Drainage Modeling Conference in 2021. • Signed a Partnering Agreement with the National Center for Infrastructure Modeling and Management to support the dissemination of the software packages EPANET and SWMM. • Developing a procedures to establish a formal Speakers Bureau for chapters and members to request expert EWRI speakers. Governing Board Members, 2018-2019 • President: Kevin Nielsen, Jacobs, Salt Lake City, UT • President-Elect: Scott Struck, Geosyntec Consultants, Lafayette, CO • Vice President: Debbie Lee, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ann Arbor, MI • Past President: Cris Surbeck, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS • Treasurer: Marge Bedessem, Trihydro Corporation, Laramie, WY • Technical Activities Coordination ExCom Representative: Eric Loucks, City of Austin, Austin, TX • Member Services ExCom Representative: Michael Buechter, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, St. Louis, MO • ASCE Presidential Appointee: Jennifer Sloan Ziegler, Waggoner Engineering, Jackson, MS • Secretary: Brian Parsons, EWRI Director, Reston, VA
EDITOR’S CORNER Meet Cathy Soistman I am excited to be stepping in as the new Editor of Currents. After over 10 years of active leadership at the local level (Florida Section, East Central Branch) and several years serving on the Currents newsletter committee, I am looking forward to taking an active leadership role at the national level by serving as Chair of the EWRI Communications Council and Editor of Currents. If you have any recommendations for improving the Currents newsletter to better meet our members’ needs, please let me know. In this issue, we present articles on recent ASCE government relations activities, green stormwater infrastructure, the Choose to Reuse Program at Ohio Northern University, an opportunity to win a prize for developing a technique for reservoir sediment removal from the Bureau of Reclamation, and two active EWRI task committees. I encourage you to submit an article to Currents on any topic of interest to the water resources community. We accept article submissions throughout the year for inclusion in the quarterly newsletter. Please reach out to me, Cathy Soistman, or Jennifer Jacyna, Manager of Members Services for EWRI for more information or guidance. I look forward to hearing from you!
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ASCE Government Relations Update Natalie Mamerow, Senior Manager, Federal Government Relations, ASCE October 2018 Congress passed the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, S. 3021 (also known as the Water Resources Development Act – or WRDA – of 2018) by a vote of 99-1 in the Senate and by voice vote in the House. The bill awaits the President’s signature to become law. Earlier this year, ASCE President Kristina Swallow testified before the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee about the importance of long-term, strategic investment in America’s water resources systems. A key issue at ASCE’s 2018 Legislative Fly-in, the passage of this bill would not have been possible without the advocacy of ASCE’s members over the course of the past year – over 1,600 emails to over 320 congressional offices. The final legislative language contains many of the provisions that ASCE has championed, including three of ASCE members’ “asks” during the March 2018 Legislative Fly-In: reauthorization of the National Levee Safety Program and the National Dam Safety Program, as well as authorization of the Securing Required Funds for Water Infrastructure Now (SRF WIN) Act, a new financing vehicle for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. ASCE-EWRI members are asked to take a moment to thank your Senators for their vote in favor of WRDA 2018. Read more about WRDA here. September After the House and Senate both passed their first Fiscal Year 2019 appropriations package (H.R. 5895), or “minibus,” which includes the Energy & Water Development; Legislative Branch; and Military Construction & Veterans Affairs appropriations bills, ASCE sent the conference committee a letter with its energy and water resources infrastructure funding priorities. Shortly thereafter, the conference committee agreed on a final report, and President Trump signed the bill into law in September, which provides: • $7 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - $172 million above current spending levels. • $1.5 billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund exceeding the target set for it by the Water Resources Reform & Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014. • $35.6 billion for the U.S. Department of Energy, a $1.17 billion increase over current spending levels. California, a leader in climate-safe infrastructure policy, released a report entitled Paying it Forward: The Path Toward Climate-Safe Infrastructure in California. The report is a direct result of AB 2800 Climate-Safe Infrastructure Bill, a law passed in 2016 requiring the Natural Resources Agency to update the state’s climate adaptation strategy. The working group created by the law included several ASCE members, including ASCE Fellow Cris Liban, D.Env., P.E., ENV SP, who championed the inclusion of many ASCE resources like the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, numerous Policy Statements, and the 2015 climate adaption report. The new report offers 10 specific recommendations and examples of the vision and leadership ASCE encourages. Read more about the report here. August The Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers released a new report and recommendations entitled Addressing Flood Risk: A Path Forward for Texas After Hurricane Harvey. This document expands on the findings of the 2017 Report Card for Texas’ Infrastructure, which graded flood infrastructure at a “D,” by exploring the existing landscape of flood risk management in the state and identifying measures that can be taken to better prepare the state for the next event. It comes a few days shy of the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey devastating the southeastern region of the state. Read more about the report here. www.asce.org/ewri • EWRI Currents • Volume 20, Number 4 • Fall 2018
ASCE submitted comments to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) in response to their advance proposed notice of rulemaking on updates to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). While ASCE supports a shortened permitting and approval process to help address the nation’s significant infrastructure needs, the approach must be balanced to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public and environment. Improving the permitting process alone is not enough to close the nation’s $2 trillion infrastructure gap. Long-term, sustainable investments from all levels of government and the private sector must be made to close the infrastructure gap and truly improve the nation’s infrastructure systems. Many Key Contacts contributed to ASCE's remarks. ASCE endorsed the Innovative Materials for America’s Growth & Infrastructure Newly Expanded (IMAGINE) Act (S. 3341/H.R. 6653), a bipartisan, bicameral bill that encourages the research and use of innovative construction materials and techniques in transportation and water infrastructure projects across the nation. ASCE believes that careful preparation for the needs of the future is a critical component to raising the nation’s infrastructure grade, which was given a “D+” in its 2017 Infrastructure Report Card. As such, and as advocates of innovative and resilient infrastructure, ASCE supports the House and Senate’s goal of accelerating the development and deployment of innovative materials and technologies. President Trump signed into law the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, which, authorizes $716 billion for national defense. The law contains several important flood risk management provisions, including: • Requiring disclosure of proposed military construction projects within the 100-year floodplain and • establishing mitigation plans for those projects that include, at a minimum, 2-feet of elevation above the 100-year floodplain for non-mission critical buildings and 3-feet of elevation for mission-critical buildings. • Mandating future environmental conditions over the design life of new facilities and infrastructure be • incorporated in construction designs and modifications. ASCE has been a long-time advocate for the development of a strong federal flood risk management standard to mitigate the impacts of flooding on the nation’s infrastructure. July The House passed H.R. 3906, the Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act, which ASCE endorsed earlier this year. H.R. 3906 establishes a stormwater infrastructure funding task force to look for ways to fund stormwater infrastructure needs. ASCE’s 2017 Infrastructure Report Card gave the nation’s wastewater infrastructure, which includes stormwater infrastructure, a grade of “D+,” and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that $271 billion is needed for wastewater infrastructure over the next 25 years. Read more about this bill and other ASCE-endorsed stormwater legislation here. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) released his longawaited discussion draft of infrastructure legislation. Key components of the plan include fixing the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), investing in transportation and water resources infrastructure, financing innovative projects, and accelerating project delivery. Upon release of the plan, ASCE President Kristina Swallow, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE, issued a statement encouraging Congress to build upon this framework and make infrastructure their top priority as the legislative session winds down.or you
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EWRI Urban Green Infrastructure Workshop Christina Urbanczyk, EIT, A.M. ASCE, and Lauren Cook, S.M.ASCE , ASCE-EWRI Pittsburgh Chapter Increasing rainfall intensity in Southwestern Pennsylvania has brought stormwater management to the forefront of the public eye. As a result, Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) has gained more attention as a cost-effective solution to help manage the impacts from wet weather. On July 26, 2018, the local Environmental Water Resource Institute (EWRI) Pittsburgh chapter partnered with representatives from the EWRI National Technical Councils to host an afternoon workshop on Urban Green Infrastructure. The workshop provided national and local expertise on Low Impact Development in combined sewer overflow (CSO) areas, operation and maintenance of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI), and stormwater management in the ultra-urban environment. National and local speakers presented a variety of topics related to GSI, including pilot studies, funding mechanisms, research, and lessons learned. Speakers included Shirley Clark, Penn State University; Tim Prevost, Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN); Barton Kirk, Ethos Collaborative; Matt Zambelli, MLZDesign; Ruth Hocker, City of Lancaster; Greg Scott, Buchart Horn, Inc; Ryan Quinn, Pittsburgh Sewer and Water Authority (PWSA); Rosanna LaPlante, City of Baltimore; and Jordan Fischbach, RAND Corporation. Shirley Clark (Penn State University) discussed numerous case studies of GSI in CSO areas
across the U.S., including in Portland, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Seattle, and St. Louis. She emphasized that a combination of green and grey infrastructure is more cost effective than a grey only solution, even when cobenefits of GSI are excluded. She also highlighted that municipalities should focus on using public rightof-ways for GSI, rather than relying on private owners to maintain the infrastructure. Rosanna LaPlante (City of Baltimore) discussed the importance of public outreach and using the National GI Certification Program to train individuals that inspect and maintain GSI. Also, the City of Baltimore uses an urban waters interactive map to show locations of existing BMPs and identify locations where BMPs may not be as feasible due to existing conditions such as site soils, existing utilities, etc. Ruth Hocker (City of Lancaster) provided lessons learned from Lancaster’s stormwater program,
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which includes a stormwater fee, regulations of development at any scale, and the ability for residents to “Adopt a BMP.” According to Hocker, training and participation of field staff is a vital part of a successful GSI program. She recommended designing GSI with maintenance in mind, inspecting regularly, and using appropriate plant material by considering the effect of surrounding surface areas and localized pollutants like road salts. Adopting these recommendations may contribute to the success of GSI implementation nationwide. Barton Kirk (Ethos Collaborative) and Matt Zambelli (MLZDesign), professionals with experience in design, monitoring, and maintenance of GSI, provided an overview of several local GSI projects in Pittsburgh, including: bioswales, porous pavement, and street planters with an underdrain. Recent monitoring of a project at Oakwood and Batavia during a 10-year storm event (2.9 inches of rainfall over 11 hours) showed
an infiltration rate of 7 inch/hour. Some of these projects are summarized on the Westmoreland Conservation District’s Interactive Best Management Practice (BMP) map. Greg Scott (Buchart Horn, Inc) discussed the design of a GSI project that will help address extensive flooding in the Shadyside neighborhood near Maryland Avenue in Pittsburgh. The ongoing project is a neighborhood-level stormwater project that uses an integrated design approach with several elements including new inlets and conveyance, green infrastructure, and underground storage. They are also evaluating the possibility of connecting residential downspouts to the integrated GSI system. Jordan Fischbach (RAND Corporation) presented a research study about “Robust Stormwater Management in the Pittsburgh Region,” which evaluated combinations of green and grey infrastructure to reduce combined sewer overflows under current and future conditions. RAND worked with ALCOSAN to simulate CSOs and analyze vulnerability of their existing system to future rainfall, population and land-use changes. Results emphasize the need to evaluate a range of uncertain, future changes to inform nearterm stormwater and wastewater infrastructure investments. The full report is available on RAND’s website.
million dollars in project funding. Ryan Quinn (PWSA) emphasized prioritizing partnerships to fund GSI projects, referencing PWSA’s previous and ongoing partnerships with ALCOSAN, the Saw Mill Run Watershed Association, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and neighborhood groups. This workshop provided a wide range of information about local and national GSI implementation in urban areas. Key take-aways included: (1) a combination of green and grey infrastructure is more cost-effective than grey only, (2) design of green infrastructure systems should be robust and adaptive (3) green infrastructure performance often exceeds expectations, (4) a dedicated maintenance team is vital for continued success, (5) GSI can help enhance resilience in cities that are susceptible to increases in
extreme rainfall. The event was hosted at the Engineers Western Society of Pennsylvania in downtown Pittsburgh, PA in partnership with ALCOSAN, Allegheny County Conservation District, Allegheny Watershed Alliance, American Public Works Association, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, PWSA, Saw Mill Run Watershed Association, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission Water Resource Center, Stormworks, Westmoreland Conservation District, and 3 Rivers Wet Weather. Thank you to Wade Trim and SciTek Consultants, Inc. , the sponsors responsible for helping make this workshop possible. EWRI Congress will be held in Pittsburgh on May 19-23, 2019.
The workshop also covered the importance of funding opportunities for GSI in Southwestern PA. Tim Prevost (ALCOSAN) discussed the GROW program, which awards grants to customer municipalities to implement stormwater reduction projects. The program, currently in its third cycle, has awarded 9
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Choose to Reuse Program is a Sustainability Win Lauren H. Logan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ohio Northern University, A.M. ASCE As civil and environmental engineers, we might tend to focus on issues surrounding sustainability in our everyday lives. In particular, civil engineers might be inclined to participate in or suggest ways to reduce personal footprints on the planet, such as taking shorter showers to reduce water consumption in the home. But even sustainability-minded engineers might find it challenging to “practice what you preach,” when items like disposable straws and baggies have become everyday items. The National Park Service reports that roughly 500 million disposable drinking straws are used every day in the United States (NPS, 2018), and straws and stirrers are reported as being 7.5% of plastic waste by weight (Allen et. al., 2018). To reduce plastic waste that ends up in landfills and the ocean, Ohio Northern University (ONU) in Ada, Ohio is tackling sustainability head-on by participating in the Sodexo sponsored Choose to Reuse program. After the start of a to-go meal program in the spring of 2018, ONU’s Dining Services estimated that roughly 1,750 to-go containers were used weekly Sodexo My Way, 2018); that’s a high number of containers given that ONU has a combined student and faculty population of around 3,800 individuals (ONU, 2017). The solution to reducing to-go container waste is providing dining patrons with reusable containers through Sodexo’s Choose to Reuse program. For a nominal $5 fee, patrons can
purchase a green, reusable container to opt in to the program. With container in hand, a patron pays or uses a meal swipe as normal, then fills the container with food selections in the cafeteria. While having yet another “Tupperware” to wash might not sound appealing, the Choose to Reuse program takes the hassle out of the process by also washing containers on a rotational basis. You use a container, then bring it back (rinsed, but not washed) and swap for a clean container at your next to-go eating experience (see Figure 1). Swapping one for one on containers makes the dining experience easy, while greatly reducing plastic waste on ONU’s campus. Dining staff remind Choose to Reuse participants that reusable drink containers are permitted along with the reusable food container, thus negating the need for paper cups with lids and straws. While other college campuses and companies are offering similar programs, ONU’s participation in the Choose to Reuse program is the first of its kind I have personally seen in action. As engineers, the triple bottom line can be a driving force for decision making. The Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) has created a handy guide to reusable containers, including the triple bottom-line of institutional sustainability, social habits, and financial savings (PLAN, 2017). For financial savings, the container cost is borne by participants, not the university. This means that the cost of to-go containers is
www.asce.org/ewri • EWRI Currents • Volume 20, Number 4 • Fall 2018
Figure 1: A Choose to Reuse container, rinsed and ready to be exchanged for use at ONU’s McIntosh Dining Hall. (Photo credit: L. H. Logan)
effectively zero for dining services, assuming no additional overhead for initial container purchases. As for system maintenance, the Choose to Reuse containers are incorporated into existing dishwashing facilities: thus water, soap, and employee time are the effective costs of Choose to Reuse. These dishwashing costs are presumably offset by a reduction in campus waste, which would have an effective employee time and waste removal cost on campus. With these overhead tradeoffs in mind, and the reduction in repeated disposable to-go container purchases, reusable containers are a financial win according to PLAN (PLAN, 2017). Arguably the most environmentally important of PLAN’s triple bottom line is institutional sustainability. For campus initiatives like ONU’s participation in Choose to Reuse, the message of environmental stewardship is clear. In addition to reducing plastic waste generated from disposable to-go containers, ONU operates under a trayless dining system. The University of
Massachusetts Amherst found that trayless dining had a positive environmental impact on their campus by reducing food waste by 30% (LeanPath, 2012). Under a trayless dining experience at ONU, I find that I am more conscientious about the food items I select, as I am much more likely to eat appropriate portions while also minimizing food waste. The combination of less food waste and fewer plastic containers in trash bins is a big win for ONU sustainability. An important component of sustainability is community engagement. At the start of the semester, ONU dining staff were ready to explain the Choose to Reuse process to all patrons, and signage was displayed near the entrance to the main dining center on campus. By having dining staff actively and appropriately promote the program, many patrons have signed up. This is where the social bottom line of Choose to Reuse comes into play. Since my Choose to Reuse purchase, I have actively noticed students, faculty, and staff entering the McIntosh Dining Hall with a green container. On the way to the dining center recently, green container in hand, another faculty member mentioned that he felt like we are in a secret club carrying around special green containers. While the goal of Choose to Reuse is certainly not to keep sustainability and reuse secret, being part of a sustainability movement can provide the same excitement as a secret club, if even for a moment. In fact, many discussions have been sparked in the engineering college simply from having a green Choose to Reuse container in my office. Action and voice remain a powerful agent for change, and I have encouraged others to make the same commitment to
sustainable campus dining. Another option for participating in sustainability efforts is purchasing reusable water bottles and coffee mugs. I recently purchased an official Starbucks reusable cup for my afternoon caffeine on campus. The cup is dishwasher safe, lightweight, and looks like a sturdier version of a disposable cup. Remembering to bring the cup from home after washing is a challenge, but worth the effort to reduce the number of paper and plastic cups that end up in landfills every year, which is a staggering 23 pounds of waste per person assuming one to-go drink per day (Recycling Advocates, 2018). Sure, no single plastic cup is responsible for the 88,000 ton floating plastic island in the Pacific Ocean (Rice, 2018) but if everyone reduced their use of disposable containers, the rate at which the plastic island is growing might decrease. Thinking back to the broader context of sustainability, multiple viewpoints need to be considered. As restaurants firmly ban the use of plastic straws across the nation (Brueck, 2018), the Be Straw Free campaign started by Milo Cress is not without controversy. Specifically, plastic straws can be necessary and empowering for those with mobility challenges and other disabilities (Danovich and Godoy, 2018). This is not to say that in providing plastic straws to those who need them, that all sustainability efforts are abandoned. There are many ways to reduce plastic waste; straws just happen to be the popular plastic to ditch right now. Instead of focusing on one particular plastic item as the poster for sustainability efforts, the message could be that everyone can contribute to sustainability efforts in their own way. As a society, voice and action
can contribute to a larger sustainability movement. Reducing plastic waste by participating in a campaign like the Sodexo sponsored Choose to Reuse program is just one of many ways individuals can reduce their resource footprint in a world where plastic bags and individually packaged snack packs prevail. For me, the Choose to Reuse program is an easy way to reduce my footprint and enjoy to-go dining on ONU’s campus. By carrying around my green container, I am sparking discussions and sharing my passion for sustainability by voice and by action. Sources: NPS, “The be straw free campaign,” National Park Service. nps.gov, 2018 Allen, K., Cohen, D., Culver, A., Cummins, A., Curtis, S., Eriksen, M., Gordon, M., Howe, A., Jackson, S., Lapis, N., Prindiville, M., Thorpe, B., Wilson, S., “Better Alternatives Now B.A.N. List 2.0; An analysis and call-to-action to phase out the most polluting plastic products used in the United States,” Better Alternatives Now, 2018 Sodexo My Way, “Green Container, Green Planet,” Sodexo via Ohio Northern University. onu.sodexomyway.com, 2018 ONU, “Just the facts, Fall 2017,” Ohio Northern University. onu.edu, 2017 PLAN, “A guide to setting up to-go container programs on your campus,” Post-Landfill Action Network. postlandfill.org, 2017 LeanPath, “Food waste prevention spotlight, University of Massachusetts Amherst,” leanpath.com, 2012 Recycling Advocates, “Singe use coffee cup reduction,” recyclingadvocates.org, 2018 Rice, D., “World’s largest collection of ocean garbage is twice the size of Texas,” USA Today, 2018 Brueck, H., “The real reason why so many cities and business are banning plastic straws has nothing to do with straws at all,” Business Insider, 2018 Danovich, T., Godoy, M., “Why people with disabilities want bans on plastic straws to be more flexible,” National Public Radio, Inc., 2018
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New EWRI Task Committee on Scour at Various In-stream Hydraulic Structures B.M. Crookston, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, A. Miglio, Ph.D., P.Eng., M.ASCE, and A.N. (Thanos) Papanicolaou, Ph.D., F.ASCE Purpose The hydraulics of sediment transport has fascinated many engineers and scientists for centuries. Their works have had significant impacts to communities throughout the globe and have provided deep scientific understanding to this challenging field. Indeed, in-stream hydraulic structures (an example is presented in Fig. 1) are located throughout the globe and a wide range of circumstances and accompanying challenges. However, despite unprecedented access to information our engineering profession is in constant need of connecting the practicing engineer, researcher, and student to this storehouse of information. We also must take moments to look forward together so that we may identify future societal needs and meaningful aspects in need of advancement. The purpose of this new task committee, Scour at Various In-Stream Hydraulic Structures, is to contribute to and accelerate these two efforts by promoting and disseminating information on the latest developments in the field of local scour at various in-stream hydraulic structures. Formed this year, this committee has identified a series of activities that will strive to improve the practice of hydraulic engineering with regards to safer,
Fig. 1. Local scour in non-cohesive materials at a linear weir and small bridge (located immediately downstream). Photos courtesy Delaware Department of Transportation.
more resilient, and environmentally conscious hydraulic structures that directly benefit our communities. Task Committee Objectives A monograph will be developed within the task committee for publication by ASCE. Anticipated chapters will focus on the mechanisms, timedependent processes, prediction tools, and countermeasure techniques (i.e., reduction, protection) for a variety of structures in non-cohesive sediments such as: bed sills, plunging jets, culverts, various types of vanes and dikes, rock ramps, weirs, drop structures, energy dissipators, and information on physical and numerical modeling. The monograph will also include various case studies and application examples to further illustrate processes and methodologies, including applicable limitations and pitfalls. In addition, six webinars are proposed on specific and practical topics to familiarize hydraulic engineers with latest developments. A vision paper to the ASCE Journal of Hydraulic Engineering is also proposed, which would articulate the vision of this committee with regards to current needs, new tools for practitioners, and future experiments and field works that would advance the current state-of-practice. Technical sessions hosted by this Task Committee at the annual ASCE/EWRI Congresses would invite participation and collaborations in this effort along with providing opportunities to synthesize efforts on the Monograph in the form of conference presentations and papers. The anticipated
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completion of activities and completed monograph submitted for publication is May 2022. Participation Currently, the Task Committee includes 18 experts from practice and academia. If you wish to participate, please contact the task committee chair, Antonio Miglio via email. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Antonio Miglio – Chair Thanos Papanicolaou – Vice Chair Brian Crookston – Secretary Brian Barkdoll Jennifer Duan Rob Ettema Seyed Hajimirzaie Casey Kramer Yong Lai Bruce Melville Giuseppe Oliveto Michele Palermo Michael Pfister Anton Schleiss Marty Teal Blake Tullis Jose Vasconcelos Siow Yong Fabian Bombardelli Subhasish Dey Ram Balanchandar Stefano Pagliara
Acknowledgements The authors express sincere thanks to the Task Committee Members for their invaluable insights and contributions. We also acknowledge support from the EWRI parent committee, Hydraulic Structures, and the Hydraulics and Waterways Council.
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Bureau of Reclamation Launches Prize Challenge Seeking New or Improved Techniques for Reservoir Sediment Removal in a Cost-Effective Manner WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Reclamation is launching a new prize challenge seeking new or improved techniques to remove sediment from reservoirs in a cost-effective manner. Sedimentation in reservoirs can be a significant problem by limiting the active life of reservoirs by reducing available water storage capacity or flood control benefits. Sedimentation also impacts dam outlets, reservoir water intakes, water quality, recreation, upstream flood stage, and downstream habitat. This is a theoretical challenge where solvers can provide ideas on sediment collection, transport, or delivery to the downstream river. In a theoretical challenge the only thing required is a white paper. Solvers are asked to submit their idea with detailed descriptions, drawings, illustrations, specifications, supporting data or literature, and any other things that would be needed to bring the idea to practice. In this first stage, a total prize pool of $75,000 is available. The minimum full amount award is $15,000. Depending on the proposal, Reclamation may award more than that up to the total prize purse. If this first stage produces winning concepts and Reclamation determines a second stage is beneficial, it will launch a subsequent challenge where participants will be asked to present their proposal and provide a working prototype. In addition to an anticipated higher monetary award, Reclamation will invite industry, non-profit organizations, and venture capital representatives to the Stage 2 presentations and testing. Submissions for this competition must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on January 4, 2019. Reclamation is partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Regulatory Commission, Natural Resource Conservation Service and American Rivers on various aspects of this prize competition. To learn more about this prize competition and other competitions Reclamation has hosted, please visit https:// www.usbr.gov/research/challenges/index.html. ### Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier in the United States, and the nation's second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit https://www.usbr.gov and follow USBR on Twitter @USBR.
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Task Committee to Encourage EWRI Participation from Underrepresented Groups Spencer Schnier, P.E., M.ASCE, Education Council Chair The ASCE-EWRI Education Council formed the Underrepresented Groups Task Committee in 2015 with the goal of encouraging engineering students of diverse backgrounds to become familiar with the Environmental Water Resources Institute, to engage in EWRI activities, create a life-long interest in serving our profession, and to encourage more diverse participation in the organization. As part of the Education Council, the Underrepresented Groups Task Committee sponsored diversity-focused panel sessions at the 2016 and 2017 EWRI Congresses. At the 2018 Congress, the Task Committee awarded a competitive travel scholarship for students interested in attending the annual EWRI Congress. The Congress is an excellent way for students to network with other engineers from around the world, gain professional development experience, and learn about current water-related issues. Corporate sponsorship is being actively solicited to help generate funds for the travel scholarship. The Task Committee plans to award at least one scholarship for the 2019 Congress in Pittsburgh, with the goal of building a sustainable, growing fund to be used each year to help bring more students to the Congress. If you would like to join the Underrepresented Groups Task Committee, or are part of a company interested in sponsoring engineering students to attend the annual ASCE-EWRI Congress, please contact the Task Committee Chair, Angelica Huerta, or the ViceChair, Spencer Schnier for more information.
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OPERATION & MAINTENANCE OF STORMWATER CONTROL MEASURES CONFERENCE August 4-7, 2019 | Minneapolis, MN www.omswconference.org
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Conference Highlights:
• Advances in operation and maintenance of gray and green stormwater control infrastructure • Design for maintenance • O&M training programs • New maintenance approaches • Advances in municipal program management and implementation • Life cycle cost analysis • Lessons from the field www.asce.org/ewri • EWRI Currents • Volume 20, Number 4 • Fall 2018
DEADLINE
January
16 2019
Registration is Open! Register by November 5, 2018, and take advantage of the Early Bird Rate!
www.ipweconference.org
CALLING ALL EWRI STUDENTS! Are you a graduate or undergraduate EWRI Student? Have you submitted an abstract to the EWRI Congress? Do you have a team interested in competing in the WSP Design Competition? Good news! There’s still time to opt into the EWRI Student Competitions. Simply fill out this form and opt in to the competition of your choice! Contact Jenn Jacyna with any questions about your eligibility to compete. 15
Upcoming Seminars Leadership Development for the Engineer November 8–9, 2018 | San Francisco Metro Area GIS for Hydraulic and Hydrologic Modeling Using ArcGIS Desktop November 28–30, 2018 | Austin, TX Project Management for Civil Engineers: Planning, Scheduling, and Control November 29–30, 2018 | Denver, CO Stormwater Ponds: Inflows, Routing, and Outlet Structure Design November 29–30, 2018 | St. Louis, MO
Continuing Education Opportunities Learn On Your Schedule: Guided Online Courses
Use your phone, tablet, or laptop to watch videos, participate in discussion questions, and complete interactions to get the most out of your Guided Online Course. Save $300 with early bird pricing, check out the 12-week and 6-week winter course lineup now.
Register now and Save at ASCE Week Panama ASCE Week features new and popular seminars in one location! Save up to $1,100 with Early Bird Rates and earn up to 36 PDHs towards your license renewal. Attendees and their guests can also register for a technical tour of one of the modern wonders of the world, the Panama Canal! View the schedule and register.
www.asce.org/ewri • EWRI Currents • Volume 20, Number 4 • Fall 2018
Featured Publications
Thank you to the EWRI Communications Council: EDITOR Catherine Soistman NEWS CORRESPONDENTS Irrigation and Drainage Council Robert Evans Watershed Council Jeff Rieker Hydraulics & Waterways Council Kit Ng Sustainability Task Committee Rick Johnson WR Planning & Management Tim Feather Environmental Council Wendy Cohen Standards Development Council Conrad Keyes Urban Water Resources Research Council Shirley Clark Urban Stormwater Committee Christine Pomeroy Emerging & Innovative Technology Council Sean McKenna 17