Worth Noting - August 2018

People/Awards; Learning Opportunities; Calendar

PEOPLE/AWARDS

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced that Maryland, in collaboration with Howard County, was awarded $1,044,224 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund a project that will reduce the flood risk of areas surrounding Main Street in Ellicott City. On July 30, 2016, a massive flooding event affected low-lying areas of the Jones Falls and Patapsco valleys. The storm caused significant damage to the downtown area of Ellicott City, as well as other businesses and homes.

Vital Farms was honored by the city of Springfield, Missouri, at the 17th annual Choose Environmental Excellence Awards. The city’s Water Quality Division works to improve and protect water quality through projects and programs addressing stormwater pollution, as well as aquatic and riparian health. Vital Farms was honored for its best practices of stormwater green infrastructure, tree preservation, bioretention features, and erosion and sediment control both during construction and ongoing operations at its egg-processing facility.

A team of students at the University of California-Berkeley won first place in the Master Plan category of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Campus RainWorks Challenge for developing a plan that could restore the Strawberry Creek watershed’s water quality. The national collegiate competition tasks students to design innovative solutions for stormwater pollution. The team’s project, titled (Re)Generations, includes a timeline spanning until the year 2100, by the end of which it aims to capture 100 percent of the university’s stormwater runoff.

A team of students at the University of Illinois won first place in the Demonstration Project category of the EPA’s Campus RainWorks Challenge. The national collegiate competition tasks students to design innovative solutions for stormwater pollution. The team’s project, Campus Hydro Redesigned, incorporated green infrastructure practices into a parking lot with the goal of reducing flood-prone areas and mitigating stormwater runoff.

The city of Dubuque, Iowa, Bee Branch Creek Restoration Project received a 2018 Eddy Award (for design) from River Action, which launched the awards in 2000 to recognize work that celebrates the industry, history or art of the Mississippi River. The Iowa project converted 4,500 feet of buried storm sewer into an open channel, allowing the area’s capacity for stormwater to grow. The project also created an outdoor amphitheater, an urban orchard, a play area and a trail system for people in the community. While creating the project, native plants, bioswales, and permeable pavement were used along the creek to help the filtration of the stormwater.

George Allen was hired as the streets and traffic control director for Fort Smith, Arkansas.

The Edinboro Lake Watershed Association received a 2018 Western Pennsylvania Environmental Award from the Pittsburgh Environmental Council. A management plan completed by the Edinboro Lake Watershed Association determined that 81 percent of the phosphorus entering the lake is from nonpoint sources, with more than 27 percent of the total being derived from stormwater runoff from land development.

Camden SMART Initiative and New Jersey Tree Foundation each received $10,000 and 2018 Environmental Grant Program Awards from New Jersey American Water. Camden SMART Initiative’s Business Engagement for Green Infrastructure Systems Maintenance project will assist with the management and diversion of stormwater runoff from the city of Camden’s combined sewer system into constructed green infrastructure projects to ensure that raw sewage is not ejected from the city’s combined sewer systems into parks, streets, homes and surrounding waterways. New Jersey Tree Foundation’s Trees for Irvington project is a watershed protection project in which the foundation’s Renaissance Tree Program works cooperatively alongside the Irvington Department of Public Works in order to plant at least 30 new 2- to 2.5-inch caliper trees in the town. Each tree and corresponding tree pit is anticipated to intercept about 13,650 gallons of stormwater within the first year of planting in efforts to further improve the Elizabeth Watershed.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Kentucky

The American Water Works Association is offering an Effective Utility Management seminar on Sept. 19-20 in Louisville, Kentucky. Visit www.awwa.org.

Virginia

The American Society of Civil Engineers is offering the Young Member Leadership Symposium on Aug. 3-5 in Reston, Virginia. Visit www.asce.org.

Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin is offering an Essentials of Hydraulics for Civil and Environmental Professionals workshop on Sept. 25-27 in Madison, Wisconsin. Visit www.epd.wisc.edu.

Online

The American Water Resources Association is offering a Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations Improve Water Management webinar on Oct. 10. Visit www.awra.org.

The American Public Works Association is offering a Talking Top Tech: Geographic Information System (GIS)/Mapping webinar on Sept. 13. Visit www.apwa.net.

The AWWA is offering a Latest Developments in Water Infrastructure Funding webinar on Aug. 29. Visit www.awwa.org.

CALENDAR

July 29-Aug. 1

American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting, Cobo Center, Detroit. Visit www.asabe.org.

Aug. 12-16

StormCon, Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center, Denver. Visit www.stormcon.com.

Aug. 26-29

American Public Works Association Public Works Expo: PWX, Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, Missouri. Visit www.apwa.net.

Sept. 17-19

National Rural Water Association WaterPro Conference, Fort Worth, Texas. Visit www.nrwa.org.

Sept. 29-Oct. 3

Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference, Morial Convention Center, New Orleans. Visit www.weftec.org.

Oct. 12-15

American Society of Civil Engineers 2018 Convention, Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center. Visit www.asce.org.



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