TWM Contributor: Curt Zurliene, PE
Water Infrastructure Project Engineer

The Journey From Concept to Flow: Exploring the Science of Water

Every few months, we sit down with one of our engineering or surveying discipline leaders to get an inside look at what it’s like to work at TWM and how we provide Exceptional Service. Nothing Less.

This month, we’re highlighting Curt Zurliene, PE and our water infrastructure group of engineers who have implemented some of the newest technologies in our treatment plant designs. With Class A Water operators as well as Class 1 Wastewater operators on staff, we help our clients navigate the potential minefields of regulatory compliance and project financing by tapping into the wisdom we have accumulated through decades of interaction with the federal, state, and local agencies governing environmental projects.

Curt, what are the biggest challenges you face when designing water infrastructure systems?
There are lots of challenges, as is typical on most engineering projects. We’re often dealing with older infrastructure that’s underground, so finding good records/documentation can be difficult, and there’s often lots of assumptions that need to be made, particularly in the earlier stages. Projects are often in developed areas, which makes figuring out things like construction access and minimizing disruptions to the surrounding areas more difficult. While developing effective, cost-efficient solutions is the goal of any project, it’s especially important when working with public-sector clients as we strive to be good stewards and responsibly manage taxpayer funds and resources.

What recent advancements in technology are transforming water infrastructure projects?
I think design tools like AutoCAD and various modeling packages are improving; these help us to hone designs, perform better quantity estimates, and analyze alternatives on large-scale projects much more effectively than in the past. Trenchless construction methods continue to improve and become more widespread, which are useful tools in heavily trafficked areas or challenging environments, such as creeks.  Things like GIS and LiDAR surveying are also helpful on these projects, from serving as a decision-making and record-keeping tool (in the case of GIS), to helping us survey projects that can be located in difficult-to-access places, or at difficult-to-survey times (in the case of LiDAR).

How do you balance environmental protection with development needs in water infrastructure?
I think everyone agrees that access to plentiful, clean water is essential, and so I don’t think anybody really disputes the need for regulations protecting water quality/quantity. Where I think we as consulting engineers can be most helpful is by understanding the current regulatory burden of an anticipated project, and by being familiar with those regulations (and the regulators), helping the Developer – whether public or private – navigate those requirements as quickly and effectively as possible.

 Can you describe the process for designing a water pump station or treatment facility?
For just about any project, I think the general approach is more or less the same:

  • Understand the existing conditions (where are we now)?
  • Establish the proposed conditions (what does this project need to accomplish/where do we want to be)?
  • How can we get there in the most effective (in terms of cost, time, etc.) manner?

What role does data play in improving water infrastructure design and maintenance?
As the saying goes, “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Data helps us not only to analyze the existing conditions previously mentioned but can also help us to extrapolate how a project might perform in the future (given some increase in population, flow, etc). Data also helps us to evaluate why a project, process, or system might not be performing as anticipated. It’s difficult to solve a problem without any information. However, acquiring that information comes at a cost (monetary, time, and otherwise), so we evaluate what data is essential versus maybe “nice to have”, or when reasonable assumptions are sufficient.

How do regulatory requirements influence water infrastructure project design?
In Illinois, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) touches just about everything we do. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program, established by the Clean Water Act, sets limits on pollutants that can be discharged by wastewater treatment plants and other entities. So, a lot of our work consists of making sure that these plants can meet the requirements they have under this program. One community’s wastewater treatment plant discharge can become another downstream community’s source for drinking water, so it’s important that we’re doing our best to ensure that water is as clean as it can be at every step of the way.

What are some common misconceptions about water infrastructure engineering?
I think because water infrastructure is often “out of sight, out of mind,” it can be difficult to get buy-in from the general public for utilities (particularly public ones) to set or maintain rates at the levels needed to properly upkeep or improve their infrastructure. Water and wastewater plants, pumps, pipes, sewers, etc. are often “invisible” to the general public and not at the forefront of many minds until there’s a problem. But once there’s a problem, the fix is generally more expensive and disruptive than it might have been with good planning and maintenance. So, making sure everybody understands the benefits provided by these services, and the costs behind them, can be a difficult misconception to overcome.

What considerations are made for future scalability in water infrastructure projects?
Depending on the type of infrastructure, we might look at things like population growth, anticipated development, land availability, and cost. And of course, you can’t really discuss a water infrastructure project without mentioning climate change, which will continue to be a factor whenever we discuss any type of infrastructure and climate change’s influence on scalability and resilience.

What strategies do you use to minimize disruption to the community during construction?
There are several different approaches that can help minimize disruptions. Trenchless installation methods can help us to install pipes without digging up streets, creeks, yards, etc. Bypass pumping helps to minimize disruptions in sanitary projects by pumping sewer flows around a construction site to ensure that service stays functional for as many people as possible. And “hot tapping,” or tying into an active water main, can help us bring a new water main online without turning off the old line. These are a few of the techniques we utilize to keep water moving for the community.

What are the key factors in selecting materials for water infrastructure projects?
Cost and availability are two common factors. Sometimes there are performance requirements that dictate material selection (for example, the material needs to be able to handle a certain pressure, velocity, etc). Sometimes, the source of the funding for the project may dictate materials, such as in the case of federally funded projects and the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act.

What do you predict for the future of water infrastructure engineering?
A few of the big topics that will have an impact on the future of water infrastructure engineering are PFAS, climate change, and water rights. The presence of PFAS (forever chemicals) and how to remove them from drinking and wastewater is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry, and will only become more difficult as the regulatory burden on these chemicals increases. Climate change is making things like flooding harder to predict, which can have a big impact on treatment plants and other infrastructure and makes coming up with resilient designs more important. And water rights, although perhaps still well into the future for the Midwest, will have ripple effects that are going to be hard to quantify. However, one thing is for sure – people are always going to want clean, safe water, and so water resource engineers (and many others along the way) will always be working hard to help provide it for them.

About TWM’s Water Infrastructure Group
A recognized leader in water and wastewater engineering, TWM provides facility planning and design services for a wide range of projects—meeting or exceeding EPA standards, NPDES permit limitations, and client demands for innovation, ease of operation, and maintenance. We have similar expertise designing wastewater interceptors, collection systems, sanitary sewer modifications (force mains, gravity flow, lift stations), the separation of combined sanitary and storm sewer systems (CSOs), water towers, and water distribution systems. Our engineers also deliver hydraulic/hydrologic analyses and reports, stormwater modeling, stormwater management and system design, detention/retention facility design, dam design and inspection, flood plain studies, erosion control solutions, and stormwater pollution prevention plans. On every project, we focus on cost savings, sustainability, and long-term value, whether it’s for storage and distribution, treatment, or stormwater management.

Our typical water infrastructure engineering projects include:

  • Water reclamation/wastewater treatment facilities
  • Wastewater collection and conveyance | User charge rate studies
  • Lift stations, force mains, and facility planning
  • SCADA and electrical systems
  • Inflow and infiltration analysis and correction
  • Combined sewer overflow (CSO) long-term control plans
  • Lake and dam design, inspections, and analysis
  • Construction plan review
  • Hydraulic/hydrologic analysis and reports for flood plain studies
  • Watershed management
  • Storm sewer and detention basin design
  • Erosion control design

Read more about our water/wastewater engineering services. Visit our Projects page to explore some of TWM’s water, stormwater, and wastewater projects.