2022 Webinar Series: Delivering Capital Improvements with Limited Resources

Previous Webinars

Effective Delegation

Delegation is critical to managerial success; however, managers may be dissatisfied with the results of what they’ve delegated. While those executing an assignment have the responsibility to deliver a professional result, the manager making the assignment has the responsibility to verify that the assignment is well-delegated.

Intake Pump Station Design

Intake pump stations are essential components for water supply systems, but their location on or adjacent to rivers and lakes makes them challenging to design, build and operate. Multiple competing criteria are at play, including schedule, cost, resiliency needs, permitting/regulatory standards, site conditions and capacity. Innovative design approaches can offer solutions but might not address all your criteria. Join us to examine several different innovative approaches for intake pump station design and learn how to evaluate which might be the best fit for you.

Professional Ethics Workshop

Ethics is often referred to as the right or wrong way of doing things. But how do we act when no one is watching? During this course we will define ethics, look at the Professional Codes of Conduct for Engineers and analyze case studies that will help you explore and strengthen your own professional ethics.

Surge Analysis and Best Practices in Pump Station Design

Hydraulic surge analysis is a necessary measure for most transmission systems, for water utilities and energy companies alike. Surge analysis predicts maximum and minimum surge pressures caused by transient events such as starting and stopping pumps or opening and closing valves. It typically costs far less to conduct a surge analysis than to repair the damage from a surge event. In this workshop, our surge analysts will explain surge mitigation strategies and steps you can take to protect your system.

Strategies to Help Manage an Increasing Project Workload

Solving Urban Infrastructure Challenges with Tunneling & Trenchless Technology

Construction of large infrastructure projects in urban areas is becoming more challenging for municipalities and utility providers. Available land is a premium in urban areas, especially for large infrastructure projects, and typically such projects require some amount of disruption to the general public during construction. Tunneling & Trenchless Technology provides several benefits to minimize the impacts to the surrounding community during construction while utilizing available space deeper below the ground surface. Our team will discuss applications where Tunneling & Trenchless Technology can be utilized to provide benefits beyond avoiding traditional open cut construction for infrastructure projects.

Water Storage Tank Rehabilitation

Steel water storage tank rehabilitation is a necessity for most water systems.  Tank rehabilitation often sparks the thought of just painting a tank, however, there is much more that needs to be considered to have a successful project and extend the life of these assets.  This presentation will discuss tank rehabilitation design and construction, as well touching on coatings and coating inspection during the rehabilitation.

HEC-RAS 6.0 Overview

Over the past several years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hydrologic Engineering Center has made great strides in the advanced two-dimensional (2D) capabilities of their flagship HEC-RAS software. The latest update, version 6.0, includes many exciting new features for both 1D and 2D river modeling approaches. This presentation will discuss both 1D and 2D modeling approaches, when to use 1D vs. 2D, and provide an overview of the newest features.

Preventing Corrosion of Water Utility Assets

Steel in inherently predisposed to corrosion. This does not mean steel assets need to be added to the deterioration of the civil infrastructure the moment it hits the ground. This presentation will explore the design options for cathodic protection and the need for considering it at the beginning of the project. It will also explain the need for a long–term corrosion management plan. 

Park Development in Environmentally Sensitive Areas

More and more communities are developing multipurpose parks that provide recreational functions and environmental benefits. Using case studies of successful projects, this session will examine floodplain and environmental issues related to park planning and development, and how permitting and coordination affect schedules, funding and programs. It will also explore how to incorporate preservation and mitigation approaches into your park program to serve as assets to park users. A study of successful projects will also be included.

Building Reliability in Stormwater Pumping Facilities

Stormwater Pump Stations pose a unique challenge to municipalities and drainage districts due to their high capital cost and infrequent operation during critical storm events.  These facilities must be built to withstand the most extreme conditions without support from the outside world. This presentation will discuss both best practices from the federal government and lessons learned from local sponsors and implementation into a low maintenance, dependable pump station with integral redundancies.  

When Rivers and Infrastructure Collide

With increasing major flood events and aging infrastructure, more communities face threats to their infrastructure from stream and riverbank erosion. Once the danger is revealed, the question becomes, “How long do I have before I have to repair it?” The answer depends on the erosion rate, the level of risk, the uncertainty in the channel processes — and cost. Our team will examine common types of infrastructure problems, demonstrate how geomorphology and remote sensing can hindcast and forecast the erosion, and present practical, successful solutions covering a range of complexities and budgets. Assessment and planning are key to avoiding these issues, and our team will share tips for doing that.

From AWIA Planning to Real-World Storms: Practical Steps for Water System Resilience

Most utilities have either completed or initiated their Risk and Resilience Assessment and Emergency Response Plan required by the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. Having helped dozens of utilities across the U.S., large to small, respond to AWIA, FNI understands their common concerns and challenges. Severe winter storms of 2021 have raised even more questions about what’s next. Our team will discuss how the AWIA experience revealed ways to increase regional coordination and resilience.

New Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) Impacts to Water Utilities

The Environmental Protection Agency has released the long-awaited Lead and Copper Rule Revisions that set new standards aimed at removing harmful levels of lead from drinking water. Cities, utilities, homeowners and other water customers all will feel some impact from the changes. Our team explains the new expectations and how to prepare for what lies ahead.

Climate Vulnerability/Climate Resiliency

The best way to prepare for a future disaster is to adopt best resiliency practices now. The resiliency toolbox is diverse and includes engineering tools, nature-based systems, and hybrid solutions to address the uncertainty of climate change in a logical, flexible way. Using case studies from coastal communities, this webinar will demonstrate how you can assess climate vulnerability and apply resilient methods for flood mitigation.

Financial Planning for Your Infrastructure Investments

You’ve done the hard work of developing your infrastructure needs and figuring out which capital projects are most important. But the next step is often overlooked, and it’s critical: determining what your organization and customers can reasonably afford. We’ll show you how to financially model your system and use those results to develop a true, feasible infrastructure program.

Don’t Treat Your Rainwater: Condition Assessment and SSES Programs to Reduce I/I in Collections Systems

Utilities often struggle to know where to capital dollars: find and repair I/I sources within their wastewater collection system, or invest in conveyance and treatment? The good news is that many utilities already have an abundance of data that can inform those decisions. We’ll discuss challenges and lessons learned from the implementation of several condition assessment, SSES, and I/I reduction programs.

Practical Asset Management Planning for Your Largest Water/Wastewater Assets

Identifying your water and wastewater facilities’ assets and determining their condition and criticality can greatly improve your plant management and planning. Additionally, developing GIS locations of underground assets can help avoid unforeseen conditions and conflicts during future projects. This presentation will provide an overview of risk and criticality assessments and discuss best practices for implementing an asset management program.

Environmental Due Diligence (Often Underappreciated Until It’s Too Late)

When the “environmental due diligence” of a project site gets only a cursory review, it can lead to construction delays, added costs and a project delivery that the owner isn’t expecting. This presentation will teach how to develop an environmental due diligence plan up front, helping you mitigate potential problems and keep surprises to a minimum.

Never Waste a Good Drought: Lessons Learned From North Texas and North Georgia

Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta, two of the nation’s fastest-growing regions, are both largely dependent on surface water supplies. Both also experienced record droughts in the past 15 years. This presentation will share lessons learned from both droughts and explore how water suppliers and legislators in both states are addressing the risk and resiliency of water supply systems.

Proactive Approaches to Maintaining Water Quality in Your Distribution System

Water utilities in warm climates often face water quality challenges during summer and early fall months. Sustained warm temperatures provide the perfect environment for nitrification, autodecomposition, and other phenomena that degrade chlorine residuals in the distribution system. This presentation will share utilities’ lessons learned and explore proactive strategies to maintain water quality in your distribution system.

Public Engagement: How to thrive in a virtual environment

Most of our public engagement is now conducted virtually, and it’s expected to stay that way even beyond the pandemic. But you don’t have to just survive in a virtual environment — you can thrive there. This webinar will explore a variety of tools and approaches that enable you to achieve your community’s engagement goals safely and effectively.

The Art of Managing Construction, Part 1: Construction Contract Administration

This two-part series provides best practices for managing your construction toolbox and solutions to common challenges. Part 1 will focus on the Construction Contract Administration process. The administration of construction contracts is as much of an art as it is a science. In this class, we will cover the soft skills and best practices that will enable you to execute your projects.

The Art of Managing Construction, Part 2: Site Inspection and Construction Red Flags

This two-part series provides best practices for managing your construction toolbox and solutions to common challenges. Part 2 will focus on the site inspection process: how to spot red flags and prevent incidents before they happen. You’ll learn how successful construction managers identify issues, reduce client concerns, solve problems, and implement solutions.

Is Collaborative Project Delivery Right For My Organization? Best Practices For Delivery Of Capital Projects

Collaborative Project Delivery approaches such as Construction Manager at Risk and Design-Build are now mainstream in the public sector. However, owners must understand many procurement and execution practices to be successful. This session will review these differences and provide best practices to keep in mind as you consider a transition to collaborative delivery.

Comprehensive Flood Planning for Informed Communities – From Data to Decision Making

Comprehensive flood plans are becoming the new norm and may encompass a wide range of activities and approaches as they are implemented on a regional or statewide basis. Freese and Nichols is bringing together flood management officials from across the South to discuss data challenges, outreach/engagement, funding, measures of success, and the roles of federal and municipal partners. Agencies scheduled to participate on the panel are Mecklenburg County, NC; Oklahoma Water Resources Board; Georgia Environmental Protection Division; and Louisiana Office of Community Development.

Prioritizing Critical Infrastructure (CIP) Needs In A Challenging Environment

In every budget year, significant competition exists for CIP budgets with needs including growth, infrastructure renewal, operational, regulatory, deficiencies and economic development. Projected revenue shortfalls resulting from the current pandemic and economic conditions in 2020 have further complicated budget allocations. This presentation will provide an overview of tools and approaches that can be used for tracking and prioritizing projects and analyzing multiple scenarios.

Navigating Texas’ New Funding for Disaster Mitigation

Mitigation against disaster is now more important than ever, but figuring out how to pay for it can be difficult. Don’t miss out on this year’s new funding sources to assist with disaster mitigation: The Texas Water Development Board’s Flood Infrastructure Fund (applications due June 15) and the Texas General Land Office’s Community Development Block Grant – Mitigation funds. This presentation will explain each program and help you with ideas on how to access these funds.

What Water Planning Can Teach Flood Planning

The flood planning effort passed by the Texas Legislature in 2019 represents a new, essential and ambitious undertaking for the state. But the framework looks familiar: It follows the structure of the state water plan, a successful model that over the past two decades has enabled Texas to integrate the disparate needs of our sprawling state into a long-range plan. That two decades-plus of experience has taught valuable lessons in innovation, collaboration and data analysis that can be applied to flood planning.

Getting Projects Out the Door with Limited Time and Resources

Many municipalities and agencies face the challenge of needing major infrastructure to keep up with a rapidly growing population but lacked the resources to deliver a large capital improvement program (CIP) of the magnitude required. This webinar provides key strategies that can be used to help deliver necessary capital improvements through development of a customized Capital Project Delivery Plan that takes advantage of both internal and external resources.

You’ve Found PFAS in Your Water – Now What? Strategies for Investigation and Management

The recently released EPA PFAS Strategic Roadmap sets timelines to safeguard public health and protect the environment. This means all utilities must follow guidelines to produce PFAS-free water. To achieve this, new PFAS MCLs, modifications to NPDES permits, and restrictions on biosolids management could be expected in the next few years. FNI will guide you to prepare for addressing these high-profile issues.

Bringing the Infrastructure Bill Home: Connecting Federal Investment to Local Projects

Signed in November 2021, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a generational investment in our nation’s infrastructure. During this webinar, Freese and Nichols Funding Specialist Mark Evans and Government Affairs Account Director Travis Kelly will provide a high-level overview of the funding opportunities made available by this law and what it means for your priority projects.

Best Practices for Owners Delivering CPD