6 research outputs found
Integrated water resources management in North Georgia implications of wastewater management policy
Water management in the southeast, and
particularly in Georgia, has become increasingly more
complex due to rapid population growth, dwindling water
supplies, water quality and instream flow concerns, and
allocation disputes with neighboring states. The Georgia
state legislature responded with two key initiatives: SB
130, passed in 2001, which formed the Metropolitan North
Georgia Water Planning District (MNGWPD), and HB
237, passed in 2004, which requires the development of a
Comprehensive Statewide Water Plan (CSWP). In 2003,
the MNGWPD adopted wastewater management,
watershed protection, and water supply and conservation
plans that will guide water resources in metropolitan
Atlanta for the next 30 years.
Implementation costs of the MNGWPD water and
wastewater plans through 2030 has been estimated to total
$60B. To conserve financial resources and encourage a
sustainable development pattern, it is necessary to
prioritize these investments, i.e., focus investments upon
areas have the ability to increase population density due to
the proximity of existing services. Currently, growth
management policies in some jurisdictions encourage
septic system development, increasing overall wastewater
treatment costs and interfering with water management
goals.Sponsored by:
Georgia Environmental Protection Division
U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Water Science Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute
The University of Georgia, Water Resources Facult
Implementing a cost effective inflow and infiltration program and the benefits on watershed management
This paper considers an approach to inflow and infiltration (I/I) correction, as currently adopted by Gwinnett County. Through a project implemented in the Jack’s Creek area of Gwinnett County, the paper examines the costs of an I/I program focused on correcting manhole defects and its corresponding impact on the reduction in inflow. The benefits of this more pragmatic approach are compared to the more comprehensive methods involving CCTV, dye testing and smoke testing.Sponsored by:
Georgia Environmental Protection Division
U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Water Science Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute
The University of Georgia, Water Resources Facult
Evaluation of Sanitary Sewer Collection System Management Approaches and Impact on Water Resources Management
Proceedings of the 2007 Georgia Water Resources Conference, March 27-29, 2007, Athens, Georgia.Management of sanitary sewer collection systems is a complex, multifaceted undertaking. Major and even smaller utilities can be responsible for the operation and maintenance of hundreds of miles of sanitary sewers, manholes and pump stations. Because of potential pollutant loading to receiving waters during wet weather events from Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs), many utilities are now focusing on the management of their collection system in a comprehensive manner under so-called Capacity, Management, Operations, and Maintenance (CMOM) type programs. The primary goal of CMOM is to minimize SSOs. This is accomplished by a comprehensive management program, which includes an inventory and sewer system evaluation survey program for establishing the location and condition of the sewer, development of hydraulic models for determination of system capacity, development of Standard Operating Guidelines for better operation of the system, and ongoing repairs and maintenance. This paper describes experience of various programs undertaken within Fulton County, Georgia. A number of programs are evaluated in terms of the key elements and costs of the programs and reduction in impacts on the water resource system.Sponsored and Organized by: U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of TechnologyThis book was published by the Institute of Ecology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2202. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views or policies of The University of Georgia, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Georgia Water Research Institute as authorized by the Water Resources Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-397) or the other conference sponsors
Development of an S.S.O. Mitigation Plan: what we can learn from the field
Wastewater collection and conveyance
systems have long been a neglected component of many
municipal wastewater systems, due to a lack of funding
and management focus. Increased population growth has
resulted in increased wastewater flows. Aging systems
may not have hydraulic capacity to receive the increased
flows due to a large volume of Infiltration and Inflow (I/I)
and lack of periodic maintenance. This may result in a
Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) to receiving waters.
With the implementation of the Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL) program and watershed protection
programs, SSO events have received increased attention
from regulatory agencies. Utilities are required to record
the events and estimate the volume of the spills as they
occur. The purpose of the evolving Capacity,
Management, Operations, and Maintenance (CMOM)
program is to minimize SSO events by requiring that each
wastewater utility develop a comprehensive program. A
response plan is still needed, however, a response plan to
address the negative impacts of SSO events to receiving
waters.
Fulton County, Georgia (the county in which the bulk of
the City of Atlanta is located), operates a 45-million
gallons per day (MGD) wastewater system consisting of
16 sewersheds, 5 treatment plants, 45 pump stations, over
300 miles of pipelines, and over 42,000 manholes. The
system primarily serves residents in the unincorporated
portions of the County in areas to the north and south,
effectively bisected by the city limits of Atlanta, which
operates a separate system. The County is currently
developing several action plans in response to CMOM
requirements. These include development of a
comprehensive sewer system collection system model and
master plan, implementation of a comprehensive
maintenance program, replacement or rehab of key
conduits, and upgrades at pump stations. It is the goal of
the County to become more proactive in terms of its
activities instead of reactive; however, again a response
plan was needed, and in fact required for SSOs.
MACTEC assisted Fulton County in developing a
procedure for responding to SSO events in isolated water
bodies such as lakes and wetlands. This methodology
uses a simple series of charts to simplify the calculation of
carbonaceous and nitrogenous Biochemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD). The process takes as an input the
volume of the water body and the volume of the spill, and
estimates the size and schedule of run times for aeration
equipment deployed in response to the SSO event.
Several iterations of this procedure were developed to
simplify the method in application in the field. MACTEC
developed and conducted a series of training classes with
Fulton County’s sewer collection system personnel.
Despite technological and learning differences, the sewer
collection system personnel provided valuable feedback
on the method and on the state of the system. As the
CMOM program evolves, it will be important to consider
some of the lessons learned from operational personnel to
ensure effective implementation.Sponsored by:
Georgia Environmental Protection Division
U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Water Science Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute
The University of Georgia, Water Resources Facult
Evaluation of retrofitting existing stormwater detention facilities for water quality
Proceedings of the 2003 Georgia Water Resources Conference, held April 23-24, 2003, at the University of Georgia.As part of the implementation of
watershed protection strategies associated with the
renewal of surface water discharge permits, municipal
and county governments are increasingly addressing
water quality in receiving waters downstream from
development. Goals have been established that may
require some portion of existing stormwater
management systems to be retrofitted to address water
quality. Fulton County, Georgia is in the process of
developing a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to
address these and other concerns. The CIP is an
attempt to meet the approximately $265 M in identified
needs. A portion of these needs is dedicated towards
retrofitting existing stormwater detention facilities. A
screening procedure has been developed to broadly
evaluate retrofit criteria