Population growth and increasing development density present significant challenges to protecting groundwater and surface waters in urban areas. One key element of water-resources stewardship is planning and building resilient wastewater-collection systems; another is the responsible and economical maintenance of them.
Barr updated the City of Bloomington’s sanitary-sewer model and comprehensive sewer plan. Our work included calibrating the model to actual measurements collected throughout the city. The existing-conditions model defined baseline conditions for evaluating the ways in which predicted future inflows would affect system capacity. We worked with city staff to pinpoint areas where anticipated development could exceed sewer capacity and identified potential capital improvements for accommodating the growth, such as modifications to lift stations, force mains, and gravity pipes. We also provided planning-level cost estimates for each conceptual improvement.
After updating the sanitary-sewer model, Barr trained city staff on model inputs, assumptions, and calibration; use and interpretation of simulation results; data exchange between the model and ArcGIS; and methods for evaluating additional system-improvement locations.
Finally, we documented our modeling and simulation results for both existing conditions and redevelopment scenarios and summarized that information for inclusion in the city’s wastewater and comprehensive sewer plan.