2024 Seminar Agenda

Welcome and Opening Remarks
  W. Dave Canaan, President
  Southeast Stormwater Association (SESWA)

Session 1: Making It Rain: Maximizing Stormwater Benefits for Your Community
The past few years have brought a downpour of funding opportunities for infrastructure, with stormwater-related infrastructure now being a focal point. The combination of more intense flooding events, climate change priorities and an emphasis on green/nature-based solutions has allowed communities to use the unprecedented funding for significant stormwater improvements IF they were prepared and knew how to leverage these dollars for their projects. This presentation will provide an overview of how stormwater infrastructure projects can continue to be prioritized and integrated with green components that provide multi-layer benefits beyond just water quantity reduction. Using specific case examples from various geographies, an overview of strategies will be provided that demonstrate how communities are tackling these projects with expedited schedules and grant requirements while providing maximum benefits for their citizens - truly making hay while it is raining.

Angela Mettlen, VP/Director of Strategic Funding & Regulatory Affairs
WK Dickson

Marc Horstman, Senior Project Manager
WK Dickson

Session 2: Don’t Take Grants for Granted – Funding Major Maintenance Across Several Dam Sites
This presentation unravels the strategies for optimizing Congressional grant funds, specifically under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), to facilitate the comprehensive life-cycle overhaul of municipally operated dams. We will delve into prioritization from condition assessments as a method for project selection to get the best bang for our buck. Addressing the construction challenges and increased costs amplified by the post-COVID era, we will explore adaptive measures employed in project delivery methods. Highlighting successful cases, our focus will be on major maintenance projects executed on NRCS dams in Gwinnett County, GA. Join us to glean insights from our experience in navigating complexities and achieving sustained success in dam infrastructure revitalization.

Jimmy Grimes, PE
Gwinnett County, GA

Brandon Harris, PE
Gwinnett County, GA

Session 3: From Recurring Residential Flooding to Floodplain Restoration: One County's Multi-Faceted Water Quantity and Quality Success Story
Greenville County, SC developed a flood model of the Reedy River watershed and identified 14 different homes in two neighborhoods that were subject to frequent flooding. The densely developed nature of the watershed inhibited typical capital improvement solutions such that structure acquisition and razing of these homes was the best mitigation alternative. Many of the properties were contiguous and the resulting open space became an amenity for other residents in these neighborhoods. The County applied for a grant with the South Carolina Office of Resilience (SCOR), prioritizing stream restoration projects on the acquired properties. Using the 1.5 million grant award, design plans for the stream enhancement projects are complete with anticipated construction in summer of 2024. Although both neighborhoods previously experienced recurring residential flood damages, these areas are now community amenities that further provide water quality benefits downstream.

James Riddle, PE, Program Director
Woolpert

Zach Smoot, Senior Associate and Design Engineer
Woolpert 

Session 4: Shifting Sands - Stormwater Investments for the Greater Good
The Town of Nags Head, NC is blessed with an abundance of natural amenities, but their stormwater system wasn't one of them. Over time, swales and ditches and low lying areas were filled in to make more room for homes. Rising water tables further stressed the storm and wastewater systems that relied on infiltration. Facing these challenges, Nags Head turned to nature based solutions and one water strategies to combat flooding and climate change from multiple angles. Finding common ground between their capital improvement, wastewater, and shoreline management plans, the Town refocused their efforts on projects with multiple cross departmental benefits, stretching the value of each dollar invested. By improving the environment and reducing flooding the Town put itself in position to capitalize on grants focused on building resiliency. This open minded approach and prioritization of multi-purpose projects resulted in numerous successful grants that have accelerated implementation of improvements.

Hunter Freeman, PE, LEED AP, Green Infrastructure Practice Leader
McAdams

Afternoon Break

1:45 PM - 2:30 PM
0.75 PDH

Session 5: A Dream within a Dream - Grant Funding and a Multi-Layered Plan to Bring a Coastal Community's Infrastructure Back to Life
The Town of Sullivan's Island is a small coastal community in Lowcountry South Carolina that has been subject to extreme rainfall and tidal flooding. Aging infrastructure and limited funding have left the Town without short-term viable solutions for its community. As another hurricane season approached, the town sought and received four sources of state and federal funding to complete a comprehensive stormwater master plan, a coastal community resilience plan, and implement approximately $10 million in stormwater infrastructure improvements. These concurrent fully funded projects represent a multi-layered approach to bring the town's infrastructure back to life and improve its overall resiliency to withstand future coastal storm events. Throughout this presentation we will focus on this Town's pathway to success and coming of a dream within a dream through strategic thinking and acquisition of state and federal funding.

Ryne Phillips, Water Resources Team Leader
Seamon, Whiteside & Associates

Session 6: Greening the City of Oaks: Advancing Stormwater Solutions that Bloom
Raleigh is advancing green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) through a City-wide GSI Action Plan and policy that requires all City-led development projects to evaluate for GSI during design. Through 2026, Raleigh will further invest in equitable and impactful green infrastructure enhancements by leveraging $2.2M in ARPA funds. Restoration projects at City parks will enhance existing natural resources and introduce new bioretention, wetlands, boardwalks, and creative displays. A new "GSI to Mitigate Urban Heat Island Impacts" program is assessing opportunities to utilize GSI in disproportionately impacted areas of the City where residents experience substantially higher temperatures. ARPA funds are also helping to further incentivize GSI by providing 100% funding to eligible Raleigh Rainwater Rewards participants to install GSI on their properties. During this presentation, City staff will discuss these efforts to collaboratively advance GSI and provide extensive public benefits.

Heather Dutra, Water Quality Supervisor
City of Raleigh, NC

Ariel Bushel, Communications Analyst
City of Raleigh, NC

Wrap Up and Adjourn

  Danielle Hopkins, Executive Director
  SESWA