Maximize your EWRI Congress attendance by participating in FREE technical workshops taught by trusted subject matter experts. These technical workshops will begin as early as Sunday, May 17, and will be integrated into the concurrent technical sessions throughout the remainder of the conference. All technical workshops are Professional Development Hour (PDH) credit-eligible sessions.
An Introduction to Internet of Things (IOT) Applications Development for Smart Water Technology Innovation
Instructors: Sudhir Kshirsagar, P.E., M.ASCE & Joshua Peschel Ph.D., A.M.ASCE
Sunday, May 17, 2020
1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
The workshop will provide an introduction to two popular IoT prototype development kits in the context of developing innovative applications for water-related environmental sensing and computations. Eight Arduino compatible boards will be provided by the instructors during the hands-on exercises. The Raspberry Pi section will be a live demonstration.
An Overview of BioWin, GPS-X, and Sumo
Instructors: Nona Jesmani, A.M.ASCE, Venkata Gadhamshetty & Karen Karvazy
Monday, May 18, 2020
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
BioWin is a wastewater treatment process simulator that ties together biological, chemical, and physical process models. BioWin is used worldwide to design, upgrade, and optimize wastewater treatment plants of all types. The core of BioWin is the proprietary biological model which is supplemented with other process models. GPS-X was the first commercially released dynamic wastewater treatment plant simulator. It is the most advanced tool available in the market for the mathematical modeling, control, optimization and management of wastewater treatment plants. GPS-X includes leading-edge Influent Advisor, Advanced Controllers, Optimizer, Sensitivity Analysis, Scenario Manager and Statistical Analysis tools. SUMO is a full-featured wastewater process simulator and modern design. Sumo is an open-source, fast and affordable. This workshop will introduce the fundamental principles of BIWIN, GPS-X, and SUMO. This workshop provides comprehensive assistance to get participants started with each of the modeling software. The participants will have an opportunity to learn about the layout and application of this three-wastewater modeling software. The participants will also have an opportunity to work with each software’s demo during the workshop which helps them to explore each software feature that will suit their project needs.
Circular Economy Compliant Wastewater Treatment Plants and Their Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals
Instructors: Drs. Venkata K.K. Upadhyayula, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE & Gadhamshetty Venkataramana, Sr, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
The world is seeing a significant increase in the urbanization trend. By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population including 9.8 billion people are expected to reside in cities. This episode of mass migration will impose immediate challenges to the municipalities. A striking concern is to handle and treat voluminous amounts of wastewater without incurring environmental tradeoffs. Wastewater management is continually expanding cities is challenged by the following reasons: (a) inability to channel large volumes of wastewater (added by new urban settlements) through a centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs); (b) inefficiency of the secondary treatment processes to remove emerging contaminants; and (c) growing constraints for disposal of the residual waste (e.g. sludge). To address these challenges, urban authorities in many parts of the world are developing new concepts based on decentralized water systems, with a focused theme of removing emerging compounds such as pharmaceuticals. The research is also underway to identify innovative pathways for circular utilization of residual wastes.
Considerations in Dam Failure Modeling and Preparation of Emergency Action Plans (EAP)
Instructors: Kaveh Zamani, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE & David Williams, Ph.D., HG, P.E., D.WRE, F.EWRI, F.ASCE
Monday, May 18, 2020
2:00 PM - 5:30 PM
This is an intermediate to advanced workshop on the application of 1D/2D modeling of surface water flow for dam failure projects. The workshop provides a rigorous and step-by-step overview of dam failure analysis. In addition, the workshop discusses preparation of the corresponding Emergency Action Plans (EAP) and documentation. The class is designed to be general and is not a review of any specific computer software package. It covers the following topics: legal issues, classification, supervising agencies and definition of dam failure/safety; dam failure modes and various hydrologic loading scenarios for dam-break analysis; tradeoffs in the selection of representative models of the dam failure phenomena; physical parameters of the phenomena; numerical parameters, stability and model troubleshooting; model calibration and sensitivity analysis, common mistakes in preparation of inundation maps; and review of the deliverables for EAPs. This course provides hydraulic & hydrology engineering the training necessary to produce/review dam-break analysis, its corresponding maps and documents for emergency action plans.
How to Build Reliability in the Results of Numerical Modeling
Instructors: Kaveh Zamani, Ph.D., M.ASCE & Fabian Bombardelli, A.M.ASCE
Sunday, May 17, 2020
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Engineering judgments in water and environmental projects are increasingly relying on computational models as an alternative to experimentation. Verification and validation (V&V) and uncertainty quantification (UQ) is set of techniques to provide quantitative insight to the reliability of computational models. This workshop is designed to give the audience a broad view and hands-on experience of V&V and UQ in the context of numerical modeling in water and environmental engineering. An in-depth introduction to the fundamentals of verification procedures in scientific computing is the first part of the course. Techniques for validation of models based on measurements and validation experiment design are being discussed next. Then, brief review of techniques for quantification of uncertainty due to model, numerical techniques and parameters. The workshop concludes with the emerging techniques of SQA for computational modeling such as “literate programming," “automation of documentation," “version control systems," “reproducibility” etc.
Management of Challenges with Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC)
Instructors: Dr. Govind Chilkoor & Dr. Venkata Gadhamshetty Sr, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
Monday, May 18, 2020
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Microorganisms attach to the surface of metals and form a biofilm to influence the corrosion (“rusting”) of underlying metals. This process of corrosion that is influenced by the microbial activity is known as microbiologically influenced corrosion, microbial corrosion, or biocorrosion. The economic and safety impacts are now widely recognized in defense, fuel storage and transportation infrastructure, wastewater treatment plants, sewer lines, oil and gas, transportation sector. Water and wastewater sector annually spends nearly $58.5 billion to deal with metal degradation problems caused by microorganisms. A special class of bacteria known as sulfate-reducing bacteria that are widely implicated in microbial corrosion contributes to nearly $5 billion of corrosion costs every year. It includes corrosion costs corresponding to maintenance, repairs, and lost time for delays, failures, outages, litigation and taxes. Specific examples of engineering applications impacted by microbial corrosion include cooling towers, sewer systems, waterways, pressure vessels, and oil and gas pipelines. The practical relevance of microbial corrosion can be better appreciated by reviewing the role of microorganisms in the recent rupture of a natural gas pipeline in San, Bruno, California, that caused life-threatening damages. This workshop will introduce the background of MIC, the methods of understanding their mechanism, characterization, monitoring and mitigation. We then introduce the three major options to combat microbial corrosion They include biocides, cathodic protection, and protective coatings. We will discuss the pros and cons. The majority of the workshop will delve into the details of protective coatings.
Near Misses and Close Calls – Risk Management in Utility Construction
Instructors: Paul Bizier, P.E., BCEE, D.WRE, F.EWRI, F.ASCE, James Anspach, Dist.M.ASCE & Steve Lang
Thursday, May 21, 2020
2:00 PM - 5:30 PM
This workshop, hosted by EWRI and UESI, as well as the ASCE Construction, Claims Risk Management (CCRM) Committee, will use a real-life “near miss” to illustrate some of the potential risks associated with underground utility construction. These risks are common to all practicing engineers. The goal of this workshop is to introduce ways to mitigate these risks and to introduce some of the assistance available through the Institutes, CCRM, and ASCE’s liability insurance partner, Pearl Insurance. The use of subsurface utility engineering (SUE) and other techniques to help manage design and construction risks will be reviewed. In addition, the role of contract documents in controlling risks will be discussed.
Next-Generation Wastewater Treatment and Desalination Technologies with Bioelectrochemical Systems
Instructors: Dr. Venkata Gadhamshetty, Sr, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, Namita Shrestha & Dr. Veera Gnaneswar Gude, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Welcome to the exciting world of Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). BESs use living organisms to transform organic fraction of complex wastewater and solid wastes into direct current electricity. The BES technology has the potential to emerge as an energy-efficient alternative to energy-intensive wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Simply put, MFC-based WWTP technologies generate an electric current while treating wastewater instead of spending electricity to treat wastewater. The BES concepts are already being applied in practice, especially in applications related to spaceships, surveillance vehicles, in-water sensors. The BES technologies have been advancing at a rapid pace during the past decade. The R&D efforts are underway to use BES principles for enabling wastewater reuse for secondary end-use applications and for desalinating brackish water under ambient conditions. This course will introduce fundamental principles of fuel cell theory, electrochemistry, microbiology and engineering concepts that are relevant to MFC design, development, and application. Examples include electrochemically active biofilm, extracellular electron transfer mechanisms, electrochemical evaluation tools, transport phenomena, and electrode materials. The participants will have an opportunity to assemble and operate microbial fuel cell prototypes. The participants will also have an opportunity to work on developing ideas for their own BES projects that align with their career and professional goals.
Omics and Metagenomics for Civil Engineers: A Fun Tour of Molecular Tools
Instructors: Drs. Rouzbeh Tehrani, Aff.M.ASCE, Jawahar Kalimuthu & Venkataramana Gadhamshetty, Sr, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
Monday, May 18, 2020
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
The modern civil and engineering applications including water and wastewater treatment plants, bioremediation, pathogen detection, food and enzyme production by industrial processes rely upon the use of microorganisms and their communities. Thus, the use of molecular biology tools has gained a lot of attention, especially by environmental engineers and scientists to better understand and utilize the biological systems. The number of research conferences and workshops are focusing on disseminating the role of molecular biology tools and their importance in understanding the biological systems. However, many civil and environmental engineers have not necessarily received adequate training to benefit from current developments. In this workshop, we will review the basics of commonly used molecular tools in environmental studies. We will explain the terminologies in a fun and methodical fashion. This workshop is designed for an audience with no prior background knowledge in the field. We will provide a brief review of the omics including the basic molecular biology techniques such as 16S rRNA gene sequencing and tools. The workshop would include a discussion of metagenomic analysis of environmental samples. The workshop would also include the practical applications of these tools in the ongoing, federally funded research projects led by the presenting group.
One-dimensional Water Quality Modeling with HEC-RAS 5.1
Instructors: Zhonglong Zhang, Mark Jensen, Todd Steissberg & Dan Rucinski
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
2:00 PM - 5:30 PM
HEC-RAS has been widely used by U.S. government agencies as well as state and local entities. Because of its widespread use in flood analysis and other hydraulic studies, most large river systems, as well as many smaller rivers and streams in the country have already been modeled with HEC-RAS. There are therefore many sites with existing HEC-RAS hydraulic applications across the country. As EPA and the States and Tribes continue to focus on the attainment of water quality standards, many of the sites of HEC-RAS applications are coming under scrutiny for water quality issues. Newly released water quality capabilities in HEC-RAS 5.1 will allow leveraging of those existing hydraulic applications to efficiently modeling water quality and assess environmental impacts and develop management alternatives for improving compliance with water quality standards.
Latest Developments in EPANET
Instructors: Robert Janke and Feng Shang
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Description coming soon
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Sunday Technical Workshops
Hosted by: ASCE Southern Nevada Chapter
Sponsored By: GCW Engineers
The ASCE Southern Nevada Chapter is hosting four Sunday Technical Workshops. If you are registered for the EWRI Congress, these workshops are free. For more information, or to register as a non-conference attendee, please contact Jill Robinson at [email protected] . Lunch will cost $25.00 for registered conference attendees.
Introduction and Applications Using SWMM Modeling Software
Sunday, May 17, 2020
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Instructors: Christopher Olson & Andrew Earles
This workshop is tailored to introduce consultants and utility/city officials that use or plan to use SWMM modeling software. The workshop is divided into 2 sessions. The morning session will focus on SWMM and the afternoon session will focus on EPANET. Both sessions will have 3 presentations each. We will first introduce each software to the novice user, then discuss the latest software enhancements and then will show advanced applications to the more seasoned user. We also will have a guest speaker at lunch discussing CIMM’s (Center for Infrastructure Modeling and Management) role in managing the updates of the two software programs.
Computational Fluid Dynamics as a Useful Tool for Water Treatment and Assessment
Sunday, May 17, 2020
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Instructor: Tien Yee
Computational fluid dynamics is a useful tool especially given the computational power of this century. Many a times the capabilities of CFD is misunderstood and therefore the use of CFD as a widespread tool in water treatment industrial applications is cautioned. This presentation will discuss some applications of CFD in the water treatment industry and how CFD can be beneficial and effectively used for different applications such as chemical transport, pathogen modeling and pumping station hydraulics.
Introduction and Applications Using EPANET Modeling Software
Sunday, May 17, 2020
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Instructors: Walter Grayman, Arnold Strasser, P.E., M.ASCE; Rob Janke, Christopher Olson & Andrew Earles
This workshop is tailored to introduce consultants and utility/city officials that use or plan to use EPANET modeling software. The workshop is divided into 2 sessions. The morning session will focus on SWMM and the afternoon session will focus on EPANET. Both sessions will have 3 presentations each. We will first introduce each software to the novice user, then discuss the latest software enhancements and then will show advanced applications to the more seasoned user. We also will have a guest speaker at lunch discussing CIMM’s (Center for Infrastructure Modeling and Management) role in managing the updates of the two software programs.
Introduction to Water Treatment Design & Application
Sunday, May 17, 2020
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Instructor: Lee Odell
The Water Treatment Design and Application workshop will provide a crash course in all aspects of drinking water treatment. Lee Odell, PE has 30 years of experience in drinking water treatment and has designed more than 50 drinking water treatment plants. This workshop is an abbreviated training of the full drinking water certification program offered by ASCE and will cover:
- Drinking Water Treatment Technologies
- Chemical Physical and Biological Treatment Processes
- Planning for a new Water Treatment plant
- Surface water treatment plant design and
- Groundwater Treatment plant design.