Consider identifying the neighborhoods with lead service lines. There are water utilities that have service line databases with material type defined, but few have accurate records and often the material type is unknown. It goes without saying that if lead material is known, then it is a simple query. Even with unknown material type, the safest ap - proach would be to assume lead, understanding that the problem would be overestimated. Areas of unknown material could have a quick field investigation using direct inspection or remotely sensed diagnostics. Intelligent desktop analysis using GIS-based demographics and inferred vintage records could target 1930s to 1950s neighborhoods when lead pipe was a plumber’s preferred material. In this example, poisonous lead pipes are the rallying cry but the out - come is lifting the entire community, by providing them with access to modern telecommunications and broadband, more reliable electricity, and perhaps improved transportation. With these, individuals can ap - ply for jobs, find doctors, study for school, and have a reliable way to get to them. This can be the same approach for other utilities. Identify and map the types of materials and the locations of the service lines. Once existing services are identified, all stakeholders within a community may be - gin planning—embracing geographic information systems (GIS) and building information modeling (BIM) solutions which are suitable for providing a highly efficient, holistic neighborhood ROW construction project. The Nth dimensionality of BIM would be flexible enough to handle the complex logistics of replacing dozens of utility service lines along any given street and used to plan, design, and construct a project with other features—electrical, water and wastewater, bus or light rail, etc.—in one shot. With the data in one place, a single, coordinated plan begins to emerge which then creates a digital twin for future operations and maintenance. Resiliency and social impact The past 24 months have taught us many things about who we are as individuals and how we come together in our communities. But for some, the pandemic and subsequent economic crisis are but exclama - tion points on generations of inequitable access to healthcare, educa - tion, jobs, and economic opportunities. The Biden Administration and Congress have before them the vehicle to create more healthful and resilient communities—to begin lifting communities of greatest need from generational poverty by doing many of the improvements needed at once. And by taking a better approach to what we build by improving how we build, connecting design and construction, technology-based asset management and maintenance, communities will be stronger and bet - ter prepared to meet the challenges of the future.
We engineered an emergency medical site and helped a community heal.
TEAMWORK IS THE BEST MEDICINE.
Mercy Hospital / Joplin, Missouri
We’re Olsson, engineers who understand that where there’s a project, there’s a purpose. Meet the team, hear the stories, and learn how Joplin, Missouri, fought its way back from an EF-5 tornado at olsson.com.
DAVID TOTMAN is the VP of Asset Management for Innovyze , an Autodesk com - pany. He has been in the water industry for nearly 40 years. He is a member of both AWWA and ASCE. As an officer in the ASCE he represents them on the US TAG to ISO 55000. Learn more about asset management and the future of sustainability in water infrastructure at Autodesk University.
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