Water In The West

2:00 – 3:30 p.m. | Monday, June 9 | Room 403-404

In recent years, the frequency, scale, and severity of wildfires have intensified — increasingly impacting human societies. The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has funded research on past fires to study wildfire impacts on water systems, investigate actions taken during and after the fires, and help utilities recover from fire damage and prepare for future fires. This session provides outcomes from the three latest WRF projects on wildfire.

Presentations & Speakers:

• Post-Wildfire Distribution System Water Quality Impacts and Potential Responses. Andrew Whelton (Purdue University)
• Water Utility Resilience: A Case Study of the 2021 Marshall Fire. Brad Wham (Center for Infrastructure, Energy, and Space Testing, University of Colorado-Boulder) and Rachel Geiger, (University of Colorado-Boulder)
• In the Face of Fire: Solutions to Understanding and Preventing Infrastructure Damage. Andrew Whelton (Purdue University)

2:00 – 3:30 p.m. | Monday, June 9 | Room 607

The Rocky Mountain Region’s arid climate necessitates innovative water treatment solutions to ensure a sustainable water supply. As the region faces water scarcity, this session will delve into planning and treatment technologies to safeguard its water resources. By emphasizing collaborative strategies, we aim to foster sustainable water treatment and management practices.

Presentations & Speakers:

• What’s in Your Arsenal? Effects of Nitrate on NDMA and 1,4-dioxane Using UVAOP from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal’s Pilot Study. Tiffany Miller (Tetra Tech)
• Diversifying Colorado’s Water Portfolio: The Potential for Stormwater Capture and Use to Contribute to a Water Resilient Future. Shannon Spurlock (Pacific Institute)
• Irrigators as friends for future water supply planning. Dixie Poteet (Colorado State University)

10:00 – 11:30 a.m. | Tuesday, June 10 | Room 504

Learn how Denver Water, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborated to consider an alternative treatment approach to achieve compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule. Also, hear how two Colorado systems fully utilized diverse water resources to increase potable water supplied to their communities.

Presentations & Speakers:

• Leveraging Collaboration: Denver Water and the Lead Reduction Program. Marina D’Souza (Mott MacDonald)
• Castle Rock Water: Shaping the Future of Potable Reuse. Haley Morton (Burns & McDonnell), Matt Benak (Town of Castle Rock), Jason Schaefer (Burns & McDonnell)
• Water System Resiliency Chiropractice: Aligning Water Resources, Water Infrastructure, and The El Paso County, CO Water Community. John Kuosman (Merrick and Company)

1:30 – 3:00 p.m. | Tuesday, June 10 | Mile High Ballroom 3ab

Explore how to view wildfires through the lens of infrastructure impacts, diving into conditions and vulnerabilities that allow fires to significantly impact water systems. Panelists will discuss what utilities should do to prepare for impacts not just to the watershed, but to their water treatment plants, distribution systems, and infrastructure.

Presentation & Speaker:

• Drinking Water Utility Preparedness for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires (Chad Seidel, Corona Environmental Consulting, LLC)

8:30 – 10:00 a.m. | Wednesday, June 11 | Mile High Ballroom 4cd

The Front Range of Colorado continues to experience high sustained growth — stressing aging utility infrastructure that is also confronted with new regulatory challenges. Colorado utilities are tackling these treatment challenges directly through innovation, leveraging existing assets, and building big for a sustainable future. Hear about Colorado’s newest 75 MGD treatment plant that integrates the latest tools for operations efficiency, alternative disinfection strategies at a century-old facility, and testing of novel media to optimize PFAS removal.

Presentations & Speakers:

• Denver Water’s 75 MGD Northwater Treatment Plant: Challenges and Successes from Year One. Hilary Feier (Jacobs)
• Revitalizing a Century-Old Chlorine Contact Basin: Modernizing the Disinfection Approach for a 200 MGD Water Treatment Plant. Lars Ellingson (Denver Water), Jason Curl (Hazen and Sawyer)
• Operational Challenges and Lessons Learned from Pilot-testing Novel Media in Treated Surface Water. Caitlin Glover (Stantec)

3:00 – 4:30 p.m. | Wednesday, June 11 | Mile High Ballroom 4cd

Learn how Rocky Mountain utilities are identifying regional challenges and planning for the future. Topics include sustainable approaches to on-site carbon generation, rehabilitation of pipes in challenging terrain, and identifying novel water sources in the region’s arid climate.

Presentations & Speakers:

• On-site GAC Reactivation for Communities in Colorado and Across the U.S. Brent Tippey (HDR)
• Under Pressure: Trenchless Rehabilitation of Raw Water Supply Pipelines in the Rocky Mountain Region. Jeff Maier (Dewberry Engineers, Inc.)
• Building Resilience: How Loveland Transformed Stormwater Management through Data-Driven Innovation. Mark Grabowski (ITpipes)