Kasey M. Faust

Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Management in Shrinking Cities

Population decline in once vibrant cities has introduced challenges to managing civil infrastructure. These challenges, such as fiscal constraints, reduced personnel, and increasing regulatory standards, are identified in this article in the context of water and wastewater infrastructures when cities do not follow a trajectory of growth. Following the discussion surrounding consequential issues arising from urban decline, retooling alternatives to mitigate challenges are explored. The study uses a mixed method approach, incorporating qualitative analyses of data collected from 4 U.S. shrinking cities, subject matter expert interviews, and statistical analyses of survey data from residents of 21 U.S. shrinking cities. Our analysis indicates that more than 70% of residents are willing to pay increased rates for improved services that may be accomplished through implementing retooling alternatives. Statistical modeling is used to identify the demographic variables that increase an individual’s propensity toward implementing five alternatives, revealing city-specify variations in support for different alternatives.

Energy loss modeling of water main breaks : a hybrid system dynamics-agent based modeling approach

According to the United States Government Accountability Office Energy-Water Nexus Report, the water pipeline infrastructure system is nearing the end of its service life. Up to 50 percent of water is lost, as evidenced by the 240,000 water main breaks that occur each year, estimated by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Water loss in the distribution system leads to additional expenditures for extracting water from natural resources, treatment, pumping, and transporting water into the distribution pipeline network system. Minimizing water losses has the potential to curb the increase in operating costs throughout the distribution system. This paper describes a conceptual System of Systems (SoS) framework for estimating the energy footprint resulting from water main breaks that considers the full cycle of providing drinking water to customers. The paper focuses on the interactions between the water loss in the distribution system and the energy-intensive operational components of the water infrastructure. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge and practice by developing a methodology to quantify the impact of water main breaks on energy consumption and by creating a tool that assists the water utilities as decision-makers in their assessment of the effects of water main breaks on the satisfaction of customers and the revenue loss of water utilities.

Building Water and Wastewater System Resilience to Disaster Migration: Utility Perspectives

AbstractThis paper leverages expert knowledge from leaders in water and wastewater utilities to anticipate water and wastewater infrastructure impacts in communities that host populations displaced...

Coupled Human and Water Infrastructure Systems Sector Interdependencies: Framework Evaluating the Impact of Cities Experiencing Urban Decline

AbstractWater, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure systems are intrinsically interdependent, impacting the performance and operations of each individual infrastructure. The demands placed on ...

Transitioning from a Human Right to an Infrastructure Service: Water, Wastewater, and Displaced Persons in Germany

Water and sanitation utilities across Europe have recently been challenged to provide services to asylum seekers and refugees fleeing complex humanitarian disasters. We explore public perceptions regarding how secondary disaster impacts (mass migration into an undamaged area) has impacted the utilities. We show that the hosting population is typically willing to provide water and sanitation services to displaced persons for a set period of time, even if the displaced persons are unable to pay (water and sanitation as human rights). However, as time passes, displaced persons are eventually expected to pay for access (water and sanitation as infrastructure services). Drawing from statistical modeling of survey data from German residents, we find the average length of time for this transition in 2016 Germany was 2.9 years. The data also show statistically significant demographic and locational attributes that influence this time frame, indicating the normative length of the transition from a right to a service is contextually dependent. Regardless, this is a significant period of time that the public expects utilities to provide services to unexpected displaced persons. To be able to meet this kind of demand, utilities, engineers, and policy makers must consider the potential for displaced populations in their regular, long-range utility planning.

Infrastructure epistemologies: water, wastewater and displaced persons in Germany

Abstract Recent years have seen historically unprecedented global disaster migration; in 2016 Germany received 1.3 million displaced individuals. Regardless of past resources and future potential, disaster migrants are a new, vulnerable population. This new population increases demand for water and wastewater infrastructure services, despite being temporarily unable to pay for services. As such, this kind of sudden population increase is a resiliency challenge for the receiving infrastructure systems. Qualitative analysis of 1,884 open-ended survey responses was blended with a statistical analysis to discover how and why the German public perceives water and sanitation services have been provided to the disaster migrants. Unprompted, 36% (112/314) of respondents referenced at least one of three infrastructure epistemologies, including water and wastewater as a service, as a basic need, and as a human right. These epistemologies share statistically significant relationships with how long respondents feel water and wastewater should be provided to displaced persons. A temporally limited, normative perception of water and sanitation as a humanitarian good functions to enable water and wastewater infrastructure to deliver a high level of service despite the significant disruption of the large and vulnerable population influx, and has practical implications for the structure of cost recovery.

Empirical Assessment of Unobserved Heterogeneity and Polyvinyl Chloride Pipe Failures in Water Distribution Systems

AbstractAn understanding of the failure patterns of pipes in water distribution systems is critical to cost-effective system-maintenance planning. Failure patterns, which typically measure the freq...

Statistical modeling of public attitudes towards water infrastructure retooling alternatives in shrinking cities

Many US cities, such as Gary, Indiana and Detroit, Michigan, have and continue to experience substantial population decline. The footprint of the built infrastructure in these cities does not contract with urban decline, but remains relatively unchanged, consequentially resulting in underfunded and underutilized infrastructure. Right sizing the physical footprint for the current and projected population needs has the potential to stabilize or reduce the rising per capita cost of services. While unilateral infrastructure decisions may save time and money, they pose risks, such as inefficient or unsuccessful implementation or unsustainable infrastructure projects, due to public opposition. The objective of this paper is to assess the public attitude concerning water infrastructure management alternatives. In November 2013, a voluntary survey was deployed to residents of 21 medium or large US shrinking cities. Binary probit models were estimated to determine the demographic and geographic variables influencing the support (or opposition) of five water infrastructure management alternatives. The statistical models indicated that different alternatives have different probabilities of support (or opposition) in varied geographic locations. Demographic variables, such as age, employment status, and income, have a propensity towards (or against) select management alternatives. This study demonstrates a method for understanding and incorporating public opinion into the pre-planning process for potentially reducing public opposition. Potential opposition regarding infrastructure management decisions may be alleviated through participatory processes and targeting identified demographic groups for involvement in new infrastructure projects and decisions.