ASCE Cincinnati Section Program

Green Stormwater Infrastructure Mapping and Modeling

January 21^st, 2016 

Presentation Description

This presentation is an updated and condensed version of a 90-minute webcast given by the speaker in the ASCE/EWRI 2013 Distinguished Lecture Series.  Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) like rain gardens, green roofs, and porous pavement is likely to play an important role in stormwater management for controlling combined sewer overflow (CSO) and sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) discharges to receiving waters.  Major US cities are spending, or planning to spend, billions of dollars on implementing such wet weather plans mandated by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Unfortunately, interest in green solutions is relatively new, which can cause green infrastructure planning tools and design standards to lag behind gray infrastructure solutions.  For best results, GSI alternatives must be planned and designed with the same level of effort as gray infrastructure, which has received most of the planning attention. 

 This presentation will provide a state of the art review of GSI mapping and modeling tools that can be used for proper planning and design of sustainable GSI facilities.  Geographical Information Systems (GIS) mapping can be used to site suitable GSI locations. Modeling can be used to design GSI facilities for meeting specific regulatory performance standards (e.g., 1-inch rainfall or 85% pollutant load capture) and compare the selected design cost and performance with gray solutions.  For better computational efficiency, mapping and modeling can also be integrated within a single platform. This presentation should be of particular interest to Cincinnati Section members as the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSDGC) is implementing a multi-billion dollar EPA-mandated plan for controlling CSO/SSO discharges in the Ohio River and its tributaries. 

 Learning Objectives

• Explore the planning and design tools for sustainable wet weather solutions
• Learn new methods to quantify runoff and sewer overflow reductions using green solutions
• Discover new green infrastructure mapping and modeling programs

Speaker

Sam Shamsi, PhD, PE, F.ASCE: ASCE-Pittsburgh’s 2011 Distinguished Civil Engineer Award recipient, Dr. Shamsi is the Northeast Wet Weather Practice Leader at Jacobs Engineering Group in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.   He is also a modeling consultant at the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSDGC).  His professional interests include wet weather planning, green infrastructure, GIS, and modeling.  Sam has taught GIS, Hydrology, and Water Resources Engineering courses at the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University, and Youngstown State University.   He has authored two GIS books and over 100 publications.  Over the past 25 years, he has worked on numerous wet weather projects in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.  Last year Sam won WEF’s best paper award in the collection system category for his green infrastructure paper.

Program Details

• 5:30 pm - Registration 
• 6:00 pm - Dinner
• 6:30 pm - Presentation

• $10 for ASCE Student Members
• $25.00 for ASCE Members
• $35.00 for Non-Members