Urban Watersheds Research Institute Inc

DURING 2021 URBAN WATERSHEDS RESEARCH INSTITUTE (UWRI) CONTINUED TO WORK WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN (UT) IN ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CENTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE MODELING AND MANAGEMENT (CIMM) ESTABLISHED BY A GRANT FROM THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (U.S. EPA). THE U.S. EPA GRANT ESTABLISHED UT AS THE GRANTEE AND UWRI AS A SUB-GRANTEE, THE PURPOSE OF THE GRANT WAS TO ADVANCE THE SOFTWARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE U.S. EPA STORM WATER MANAGEMENT MODEL (SWMM) AND U.S. EPA'S DRINKING WATER DISTRIBUTION MODEL (EPANET) TO PROVIDE THE NEXT GENERATION OF TOOLS FOR COST EFFECTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT. THE GRANT ALSO SUPPORTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF NECESSARY ANCILLIARY SOFTWARE APPLICATION AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR BOTH MODELS THROUGH TRAINING AND OTHER OUTREACH ACTIVIES SUCH AS ENGAGEMENT OF THE COMMUNITY OF PRACTITIONERS USING THESE MODELS. SWMM AND EPANET ARE TWO FOREMOST TOOLS FOR ASSESSMENT OF URBAN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, NOT ONLY IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT WORLDWIDE. SWMM ADDRESSES WATERSHED HYDROLOGY AND DRAINAGE HYDRAULICS, WHILE EPANET ADDRESSES PIPE NETWORK HYUDRAULICS AND WATER QUALITY FOR DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS. BOTH MODELS ARE UNPARALLELED EXAMPLES OF TECHNICAL COMMUNITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS CONDUCTED AS A PARTNERSHIP OF STAKEHOLDERS FROM ALL AVENUES OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE. BUILT OVER DECADES WITH PARTICIPATION FROM REGULATORY, ACADEMIC, CONSULTING, OWNER/OPERATOR, VENDORS, AND INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT. U.S. EPA HAS PROVIDED SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE YEARS FOR THESE TOOLS RESULTING IN THESE TOOLS BEING USED THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND EXTENSIVELY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AS BEST PRACTICE TOOLS FOR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE ANALYSIS AND DESIGN. WITH RESOLUTION DATA ON WATER INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS, U.S. EPA RECOGNIZED THE VALUE OF HAVING A SUSTAINABLE CENTER CHARGED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OVERSEEING THESE TOOLS TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THESE AND OTHER CHANGES RELEVANT TO PRACTITIONERS WORLDWIDE, HENCE, THE U.S. EPA SELECTED UT AND UWRI (ALONG WITH ADDITIONAL UNIVERSITIES) TO ESTABLISH SUCH A CENTER. SINCE THE INAUGURATING GRANT IN 2016, THE UT AND UWRI TEAMS HAVE PLANNED TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE CENTER AND EXPANDED EFFORTS TO INCLUDE A WIDE RANGE OF ACADEMIC, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR ENTITIES. AS A STARTING POINT, THE TEAM HELD DISCUSSIONS AND INVITED REPRESENTATIVES FROM SEVERAL INSTITUTIONS. OTHER ENTITIES THAT ARE PART OF THIS EFFORT INCLUDE BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY, TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY AND NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY. IN 2019 THE BOARD OF UWRI DIRECTORS APPOINTED BOB BRASHEAR TO BE THE NEW PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR FOR UWRI TO CONTINUE THE EFFORT STARTED IN 2019 BY CHARLES ROWNEY, FORMER KEY PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR FOR UWRI, TO SEEK WAYS TO FUND THE CENTER IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. TO DO THIS HE MET WITH COLLEAGUES IN IRELAND AND ENGLAND AND RE-ESTABLISHED CONTACTS WITH SEVERAL KEY PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE AN INTEREST IN SEEING THESE MODELS BE ADVANCED AND MAINTAINED IN THE FUTURE. IN ADDITION TO CIMM ACTIVITIES, UWRI ARRANGED FOR SEVERAL TRAINING CLASSES RELATED TO THE URBAN WATER RESOURCES FIELD.