Edward Burgess

SWMM 5 - the Next Generation of EPA's Storm Water Management Model

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Supply and Water Resources Division is partnering with the consulting firm of CDM to redevelop and modernize t…

Exfiltration in sanitary sewer systems in the US

Many municipalities throughout the US have sewer systems (separate and combined) that may experience exfiltration of untreated wastewater. A study was conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to focus on estimating the magnitude of leakage of sanitary and industrial wastewater from sewer pipes on a national basis. The method for estimating exfiltration amounts utilized groundwater table information to identify areas of the country where the hydraulic gradients of the wastewater are typically positive, i.e. the wastewater flow surface (within pipelines) is above the groundwater table. An examination of groundwater table elevations on a national basis reveals that the contiguous US comprises groundwater regions (established by the US Geological Survey) that are markedly different. Many parts of the northeastern, southeastern, and midwestern US have groundwater tables that are higher than the wastewater flow surface, resulting in inflow or infiltration. Conversely, the combination of a relatively low groundwater table and shallow sewer systems creates the potential for widespread exfiltration, a situation more commonly found in communities located in the western US.

SSOAP A USEPA Toolbox for SSO Analysis and Control Planning

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has identified a need to use proven methodologies to develop computer tools that help communities properly characterize rainfall-derived infiltration and inflow (RDII) into sanitary sewer systems and develop sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) control plans. To accomplish this goal, the USEPA entered into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) in 2003 with a technology partner Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM) Inc. to develop a public-domain Sanitary Sewer Overflow Analysis and Planning (SSOAP) Toolbox. The CRADA also prepared a technical guide for analyzing RDII, performing capacity analyses of sanitary sewer systems, and developing SSO control plans using the toolbox. This paper describes the CRADA outcomes and individual tools in the SSOAP Toolbox to perform capacity analyses of sanitary sewer systems and develop SSO control plans.

Runtime Comparisons between SWMM 4 and SWMM 5 using Continuous Simulation Model Networks

The Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) is a dynamic rainfall-runoff model used for continuous simulation of runoff quantity and quality. SWMM has recently been…

Regression Analysis of the Variation in Rainfall Derived Inflow and Infiltration

Rainfall derived inflow and infiltration (RDII) into sanitary sewers is often a major factor contributing to sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) and water in basemen…

Comparison of RDII Unit Hydrograph Approaches for Continuous Simulation using SWMM 5

Continuous simulation of collection systems allows the modeler to quantify the frequencies of overflows, runtimes of pumps, utilization and dewatering duration…

Integrating Sewer Inspection Data into SWMM Model Calibration

Developing and calibrating a large scale SWMM model in coordination with sewer cleaning and CCTV inspection can be a challenging, labor-intensive and time-cons…

Design of the SWMM Data Translation and the Testing of SWMM 5 Engine

This chapter presents a graphical user interface (GUI) for the translation of SWMM 4 input files to SWMM 5 input files developed under a Cooperative Research …

Exfiltration in Sewer Systems: Is it a National Problem?

Many municipalities throughout the United States have sewerage systems (separate and combined) that may experience exfiltration of untreated wastewater. This study was conducted to focus on the magnitude of the exfiltration problem from sewer pipes on a national basis. The method for estimating exfiltration amounts utilized groundwater table information to identify areas of the country where the hydraulic gradients of the wastewater are typically positive, i.e., the wastewater flow surface (within pipelines) is above the groundwater table. An examination of groundwater table elevations on a national basis reveals that the contiguous United States comprises groundwater regions (established by the U.S. Geological Survey) which are markedly different. Much of the northeastern, southeastern, and midwestern United States has relatively high groundwater tables that are higher than the wastewater flow surface, resulting in inflow or infiltration. Conversely, a combination of relatively low groundwater table and shallow sewer creates the potential for widespread exfiltration in communities located in the western United States.

An Approach for Estimating Groundwater Infiltration Rates into Wastewater Collection Systems under Typical Year Conditions

The performance of combined sewer systems is often assessed on the basis of a typical year approach. In this approach, the typical year is defined as a one-yea…