Water Management

Since its inception, the UIM Conference Series has attracted the interest and participation of many distinguished advocates in the water infrastructure sector. Rather than focusing on specific project successes and failures each year, this executive conference for water and wastewater professionals aims to present a more comprehensive look at the driving issues behind current trends in the industry.

The Centre for Expertise and Research on Infrastructures in Urban Areas (CERIU) held its 19th annual INFRA Conference in Quebec City, Canada, Dec. 2-4, 2013. The venue was the Quebec City Convention Centre.The focus of the three-day conference was a critical discussion on Sustainable Urban Development Methods.

The Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA) and Pasco County Utilities? collaborative Water Awareness Poster Contest and Community Outreach Program were named ?Best in Class? for the 2013 Water Conservation Awards for Excellence.

Nearly 800 key players and decision-makers from the architectural, engineering, construction and acquisition communities are expected at the San Jose Convention Center to take part in the conference educational programs and networking events ? all of which are geared towards teaching them how to save time, save money and increase the quality of the nation?s construction projects.

AECOM Technology Corp., a leading provider of professional technical and management support services for public and private clients in more than 140 countries around the world, announced Dec. 11 that its board of directors has elected AECOM President Michael S. Burke, 50, to succeed John M. Dionisio, 65, as chief executive officer (CEO), as part of a planned succession process.

The Water Design-Build Council (WDBC) members have unanimously elected Andrew Albrecht to serve as president for 2014. Albrecht is a senior vice president with Parsons Corp. (Parsons), with more than 25 years of hands-on construction management experience, including design-build and construction management-at-risk delivery.

Construction spending was up nearly 6 percent in the last year, but passing vital infrastructure and transportation legislation may be a key to further growth, according to a recent analysis of new Census Bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced nearly $5 million dollars in grants to five universities to evaluate innovative green infrastructure practices in urban areas, using Philadelphia, Pa. as the pilot area.

Public and private water and wastewater utilities across the country continue to face the challenges related to repairing, replacing and upgrading aged facilities and associated infrastructure. While planning for these improvements, utility managers must make smart decisions regarding appropriate technological solutions and appropriate project delivery methods.

Three years ago, IWA was looking to implement an asset management software system and was shopping different vendors. According to Luis Cardenas, engineer with IWA, many of the asset management systems the utility was looking at had their strengths, but they all seemed to be falling short in terms of being user friendly and, specifically, with data integration and analysis.