Strategies for Water System Sustainability
Wright-Pierce collaborates with Verrill Dana law firm for water symposium
Wright-Pierce and Verrill Dana, a Maine based law firm with a strong environmental focus, recently held a "Water System Sustainability" symposium. The goal of the one day event was to provide water utility managers and superintendents with strategies for sustainable facilities operations.
Senior level water engineers from Wright-Pierce and environmental law experts from Verrill Dana discussed how to maximize efficiency and control costs through effective asset management, financing and revenue alternatives, conservation measures, equipment upgrades, workforce training and supervision, and succession planning.
This event was the first in the state of Maine to be certified by Maine Businesses for Sustainability as a "Green Event". This certification means that all aspects of the event, including communication, production, venue, transportation, and energy use and emission have met standards.
Jeff Musich, senior vice president and Water Practice Group Leader, moderated the "Managing Our Assets" session and presented "Systems Valuations, Understanding Your Assets' Useful Life," which looked at the sustainability gap between perceived needs and real needs in terms of asset life. Project manager Andy Begin discussed the role that modeling and GIS can play in an effective capital improvement planning process. Jason Wise, manager of the firm's GIS services, shared his experience in helping municipalities throughout New England transition from paper archives to web-based GIS for far more effective asset management.
Rick Davee, senior vice president and principal-in-charge of a water treatment facility upgrade in Rochester, NH that is being designed for LEED certification, used the project as a case study for discussion about the LEED certification process and the lessons learned. Rob Williamson, senior project manager, discussed conservation strategies for maintaining a sustainable supply. Senior hydrogeologist Gary Smith talked about the importance of being proactive in regard to groundwater supply upgrades in order to maintain the investment. Dan Flaig, project manager, discussed energy saving strategies to optimize the efficiency of facility operations. Rob Meharg, control engineer, posed and answered the question, "What Can SCADA Do for You?"
To view these presentations click here.
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