A changing climate, rise in smart technologies and evolving compliance challenges are impacting each of us in our mission to be stewards and champions of our most precious resource: water. Now it it's 3rd year, the AQUALIS Sustainable Water Compliance Summit will provide a forum for discussing these issues and learning from experts and peers. Join Erin Grenz to kick off this exciting event with insights into how the water, wastewater and stormwater industries are undergoing unprecedented transformation.

This session explores the transformative potential of stormwater as a valuable resource in sustainable urban development. By rethinking traditional stormwater management practices, watersheds can mitigate flooding, enhance water quality, and create new opportunities for water reuse and conservation. Through Orange County Water District case studies and innovative approaches by surrounding cities and counties, attendees will gain insights into the economic, environmental, and social benefits of integrating stormwater management into urban planning and infrastructure.
 

Learning Objectives:
1.    Understand the challenges and opportunities associated with stormwater management in urban environments.
2.    Explore innovative strategies for capturing, treating, and utilizing stormwater to enhance water sustainability.
3.    Discuss successful case studies and best practices from OCWD implementing integrated stormwater management solutions using Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO).
4.    Examine the economic, environmental, and social benefits of adopting a holistic approach to stormwater management.
5.    Identify actionable steps for incorporating stormwater management into urban planning and infrastructure projects.

Throughout the northeast and across the county, municipalities are utilizing green infrastructure (GI) solutions to address existing flooding issues, reduce Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), drive economic development, and improve the quality of life for their residents. As more municipalities consider if GI solutions can address their needs, its critical for those municipalities to draw on the lessons learned and experiences from the past.

The presentation will examine several examples of GI implementation practices and the lessons learned during the planning, design, and construction phases. Lessons learned across a variety of projects will be presented, and attendees will leave the session with a renewed understanding of the green infrastructure design process.

Learning Objectives:
•    Explain different applications of green infrastructure for flood reduction, CSO reduction, and water quality improvement within the public right-of-way. 
•    Identify opportunities to manage right-of-way runoff via green infrastructure outside of the right-of-way. 
•    Understand common challenges and lessons learned associated with green infrastructure design and implementation. 
•    Implement green infrastructure as an asset, instead of a regulatory hurdle, resulting in more comprehensive site development through collaboration with multiple stakeholders.

Wastewater collection management is a vital but challenging task for many government administrations. It requires dealing with complex and uncertain factors such as aging infrastructure, rainfall derived inflow and infiltration, population migration, and climate change. 

Don’t miss this chance to learn from this real-world example and see how you can apply this innovative approach to achieve your wastewater management objectives with data-driven insights and solutions.

Learning Objectives: 
•    Explain how a government administration successfully implemented a cutting-edge information system that leverages data science and artificial intelligence to optimize integrated water management.
•    Understand how this system enabled the administration to enhance the performance and reliability of water-related infrastructure, make informed and robust decisions, and allocate resources/funds efficiently in the face of uncertainty.
•    Describe how this system consists of various modules that address different aspects of wastewater management, such as smart asset management, dynamic hydraulic modeling, adaptive planning/clean-in-place, financial planning and resiliency.
•    Apply this innovative approach to achieve your wastewater management objectives with data-driven insights and solutions.
 

 Join industry experts for an educational discussion on emerging contaminants that the water industry must grapple with. From PFAS to microplastics and beyond, subject matter experts from industry engineering firms will share research on these contaminants, the challenges they bring to the market and how we, as an industry, can move forward in sustainable practices.

Learning Objectives:
•    Describe the emerging contaminants impacting the water sector
•    Understand the research being done to combat emerging contaminants
•    Evaluate how various water sectors (stormwater, wastewater) can work together when it comes to contaminants

Follow a recent municipal example of implementing a Green Infrastructure Comprehensive Plan, from modeling and evaluating the need and location for GI, through design and funding, to planning and scheduling for maintenance.  

Learning Objectives:
•    Explain where and when Green Infrastructure makes the most sense for your location
•    Use a design evaluation tool for considering barriers to GI
•    Apply a proactive approach to scheduling and tackling maintenance

Many utilities globally are currently dealing with the deterioration of their buried infrastructure, especially within their water and wastewater conveyance and distribution systems. Specific to wastewater collection systems, utilities also need to accommodate anticipated increased sewer flows due to increased population densities and economic development. This session will focus on two digital approaches to maximizing the life of these important assets: condition assessment and optimization of operations and maintenance. The session will discuss the advent and utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) tools for the effective management of buried assets and providing prescriptive asset management guidance. This includes a multi-stage AI-enabled process that performs defect analysis of closed circuit television (CCTV) inspection videos and provides guidance on what remediation steps a utility should take. A case study will also show the results of a tool that provides a dashboard for smart sensors from multiple platforms and machine learning/predictive analytics to provide new and better ways of operating wastewater collection systems.

Learning Objectives:
•    Explain digital approaches to condition assessment and optimized operations and maintenance for collection system assets
•    Understand the key benefits of using AI for condition assessment, such as increasing accuracy and consistency and providing objective data to inform decision-making
•    Discuss a smart sewer case study which employed a dashboard and machine learning/predictive analytics to improve collection systems operations

Gary White is an observer, an innovator, and a passionate problem-solver. He has created solutions that have empowered millions of people in need with access to safe water and sanitation. His educational credentials include a B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology, earned in 1985 and 1987, respectively, and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a focus on water supply and sanitation in developing countries.

As the CEO and Co-founder of Water.org and WaterEquity, White developed Water.org’s WaterCredit Initiative, introducing innovative financing options for underprivileged populations to meet their water supply and sanitation needs. In addition to these roles, he is also a co-founder of WaterPartners, a nonprofit developmental aid organization established in 1990. Furthermore, he developed and now leads WaterEquity, the first-ever impact investment manager dedicated to ending the global water crisis in our lifetime. This organization focuses solely on fostering and deploying capital to water and sanitation businesses that assist people living in impoverished communities throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

White's influence extends beyond these organizations, with his advice being sought by global entities such as the IKEA Foundation, Inditex, Reckitt, AB InBev, Amazon Web Services, the Water Resilience Coalition, and Bank of America throughout his more than 30 years of experience in the field. Additionally, he is a founding board member of the Millennium Water Alliance and Water Advocates, and he holds esteemed roles such as being a member of the Global Water Challenge, Chairman of the Steering Committee for WASH Advocates, and an adviser to the Clinton Global Initiative since 2009.

His contributions have been recognized on numerous occasions. In 2011, White and his co-founder Matt Damon were included in the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people. His accolades also include the 2012 World Social Impact Award from the World Policy Institute, being named as a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur in 2012, a recipient of the prestigious Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2017, and among Missouri University of Science and Technology's 28 Alumni of Influence.

In 2022, White, along with his fellow Water.org co-founder, Matt Damon, penned "The Worth of Water," a book that inspires readers to help end the global water crisis by encouraging families and communities to secure safe water resources.

This session is not available to receive a Certificate for 0.1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) or 1.0 Professional Development Hour (PDH)