Blueprint Columbus: An Integrated Plan for
Community Success
Ohio EPA Sustainability ConferenceOctober 3, 2017
PROBLEM: SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOWS (SSOs) • Sanitary sewers much smaller and not designed to
carry rain• Nonetheless, rain can infiltrate thru cracks, leaks,
illicit connections, foundation drains of older homes, etc.
• Original plan was to build overflow tunnels for SSOs which are a fraction of the total volume compared to CSOs– Allow problem (infiltration) to continue– SSO tunnels do little for water quality as they do
not improve stormwater– SSO tunnels do not create local jobs or much
investment in local economy
CONSENT ORDERS
Columbus is under two state consent orders:• 2002 SSO (Sanitary Sewer Overflow) Order
– Requires Columbus to address SSOs by providing adequate system capacity for base and peak flows
– Original plan submitted in 2005– Original plan included two 14-mile long deep
sewer tunnels– “Blueprint Alternative” submitted and approved by
Ohio EPA in 2015• 2004 CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow) Order
– Plan submitted in 2005– OARs tunnel completed July 2017– CSO volumes have reduced dramatically
SOLUTION: BLUEPRINT COLUMBUS
• Instead of building more infrastructure, invest in fixing our infrastructure– Invest in sanitary system, public and private to
keep rainwater out– Focus on residential areas
• Columbus’ rivers are more impacted by stormwater than by SSOs
• Creates opportunity to improve stormwater discharges– Route water away from houses to streets– Treat with green infrastructure before
discharging• Improve rivers, neighborhoods, local economy
THE BLUEPRINT APPROACH
GOAL: Keep rain water out of sanitary sewers
Lateral Lining RoofwaterRedirection
Sump Pumps
A COUPLE IMPACT STATS…
Blueprint includes $959 M in renewed infrastructure
Goes towards Lateral Lining
$453 million benefit to
Homeowners
Even though Blueprint is still in the early stages, our documented maintenance data shows:
64% reduction in Water-in-Basements 60% reduction in street flooding
72% reduction in Upflows
PLAN FOR YOUR FUNDING
1. Start having conversations w/OEPA as early as possible(Planning and Concept Development stage)– The Project Coordination Unit of the Office of Financial Assistance is
the best initial point of contact.– Note: The nomination process occurs annually in August for the
following year’s funding cycle. (In other words we nominated projects this past August for loan awards in 2018).
2. Visit OEPA’s Office of Financial Assistance’s website for info/forms/contacts and webinars for viewing
3. Sign up for OEPA’s Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance’s e-mail notifications to receive notification and instructional information about the programs directly.
IN OUR EXPERIENCE…
• Green Infrastructure bids are coming in close to engineer’s estimates
• Sump pumps have been close to the original planning-level costs ($6500/home)
• Downspout redirection and lateral lining pilot project had to be re-bid– Original estimate 30% higher
• Build in contingency funds in case there are necessary changes in the field.
Design Engineers
Department of Public Service
Public/Private Utilities
Department of Public Safety
Rec & Parks Communication Team City Arborists Workforce
Development
Community Stakeholders Local Academia
Land Redevelopment
OfficeCity Council
GATHER THE RELEVANT PLAYERS
START TALKING TO YOUR COMMUNITY!
Blueprint Hotline (614) 645-1253
Columbus.gov/[email protected]
@BlueprintCbus
Active CanvassingResident Site Visits
Public MeetingsNeighborhood Newspaper articles
Direct MailingsDirect Email/Text Message
Notifications to ResidentsSocial Media Monitoring
Neighborhood Events Community Presentations
Community Leader Involvement
THE VALUE OF A PUBLIC OUTREACH TEAM
1. Reduce burden on PM’s/design engineers and construction crews
2. Improve efficiency by providing one communication avenue for residents
3. Counter misconceptions & garner community support
4. Cultivate a sense of ownership in the community
• Construction, Installation, Excavation, Inspection
• Support Positions – Office clerks, community relations staff, project managers, etc.
• Products & Materials • Maintenance and Monitoring
START PREPARING YOUR WORKFORCE
Blueprint creates 4.5x more jobs than the traditional “gray” solution.
Significant benefit to local small businesses
“The advantage of Blueprint over a 30-year period is an additional $2.3 billion in regional output, $900 million in earnings, and 700 additional jobs.”
GI WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
Sponsor/Owner PrimeProgram Development
Recruitment Training
Economic Impact Analysis
Community Outreach
TrainingRecruitment
LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE COMMUNITY AMENITIES Vacant Lot Repurposing
Sidewalks/traffic improvements
Public Art Spaces
Community Gardens
Outdoor classrooms/Demonstration Parks
Southside Settlement House Project (Before & After)
GI Ranked by Popularity1. Regional Rain Gardens2. Pervious Paving3. ROW Rain Gardens4. “Bump-Outs”
Top Concerns
• Maintenance• Mosquitos• Property Values
1. WE’LL SAVE YOU SOME TIME…
2. OUTREACH IS NEEDED AT EACH PHASE OF THE DESIGN PROCESS.
PROJECT MILESTONE IMPLICATIONS
Mainline Cleaning/Lining “I don’t know what they are doing, but now all my utilities are messed up because of this work.”
Initial Surveying “Why are these people taking photos of my house?”
30% Design “Hey, my neighborhood could really use a sidewalk!”
60% Design “Can you shrink the size of this rain garden so there is spaceto put in a walkway to my house?”
90% Design “When will construction start and what is that going to look like?”
Implementation “Hey, I’m dealing with a lot of construction issues!”
3. BE FLEXIBLE IN YOUR DESIGNBe prepared to make ongoing process improvements and design changes to cultivate community acceptance and buy-in.
4. LEVERAGE OTHER COMMUNITIES’ EXPERIENCES!
• Contact other communities EARLY!
• This is just a taste of the lessons learned – but there are many more!
QUESTIONS?
Learn more at: Columbus.gov/Blueprint
Leslie Westerfelt Blueprint [email protected]
(614) 645-5970