Nature’s Role in CSO Control

Amsterdam International Water Week (AIWW)十一月六日至九日, brings together global water leaders to 分享 best practices and bridge the gap between today’s challenges and future needs with water as an enabler to accelerate resilient and sustainable development. I am pleased to have the opportunity to participate in this important industry event to 分享 our experience with and lessons learned from our work in combined sewer overflow (CSO) projects.

遗留的联合下水道系统溢流对公众健康和环境产生负面影响. 作为整合的一部分， OneWater approaches to wet weather management, 基于自然的解决方案是减少溢流影响并为社区带来利益的一种方法.

在过去的20年里, nature-based solutions have helped utilities and communities in North America with addressing negative impacts from CSOs. Also referred to as green stormwater infrastructure, 低强度的发展, 自然首页, or sustainable urban drainage systems, nature-based solutions rely on integrating plant and soil systems with human-made infrastructure to complement natural processes for managing and treating stormwater runoff. Nature-based solutions are an important tool in the toolbox of CSO mitigation solutions; however, there is no one-size-fits-all approach, 这些措施的成功与否往往取决于公用事业公司无法控制的因素. 在实践中, the integration of nature-based solutions depends on the unique conditions of local catchments; the characteristics of the existing collection system; land use and development patterns; stakeholder priorities; and existing governance structures.

During a workshop I’m leading at AIWW, I will talk about Nature’s Role in CSO Control. 在这节课中，我们将重点关注自然系统和联合下水道系统，特别是公民社会组织. 在我们的行业，“自然系统”和“联合下水道系统”是两个经常不重叠的术语. 在其他领域，这两个术语可能没有多大意义. 

Natural systems are what we had. No matter where we are in the world, at some point in history, 那里有流域，没有我们，没有人口的集中, without the natural systems we permanently changed, without the impervious surfaces we built, and without vast infrastructure networks of pipes, 坦克, 植物, 和池塘. Watersheds, without us, worked. 他们转达了. 他们存储. 他们被淹. 他们对待. 他们回收. 他们重用. They supported everything. The natural systems that made up the pre-settlement watershed were the true essence of the water cycle, the lifeblood of our planet.  

In hundreds of cities around the world, combined sewer systems replaced these natural systems, and they made sense at one point in time. They removed used water from our cities, 使我们能够大幅降低人口密集城市地区的公共卫生风险. 它们还通过取代自然溪流系统来支持我们城市的发展, opening up new land for development, 管理雨水径流——至少在我们把自然区域变成屋顶和人行道之前, forever changing the watershed hydrograph. The impacts of a changing climate, 表现为降雨事件的频率和强度增加, 是否影响到我们的联合污水收集系统的峰值流量和容量, 使问题进一步恶化，并对公众健康和环境造成风险.

下水道和公民社会组织的结合是潮湿天气管理漫长而复杂历史的一部分. 每年, billions and billions of gallons of stormwater, 与污水混合, discharge to our waterways, 未经处理的. I’m hoping we can expand how we leverage nature, through nature-based solutions, to reduce these impacts.  Our communities and our environment deserve more. If we are spending money, ratepayer or taxpayer money, 然后，我们必须考虑应对这一挑战的所有选择. 

我觉得我们在美国的经验有很多可以分享的.S. working collaboratively across the public sector, 私营部门, and communities to reduce impacts from CSOs. 我们已经经历过了. 我们正在经历它.  We’ve built projects to not only control CSOs, but also to reconnect natural hydrologic patterns within watersheds and provide valuable co-benefits for communities. 为了实现这一目标，我们花了数年时间研究合适的土壤混合物和合适的植物类型. We’ve formed unexpected partnerships. 加强与非水部门伙伴的机构间协调. 在某些情况下，我们花的钱比灰色的少. We also learned very important lessons about maintenance; about performance; about collaboration; about long-term costs; and about public expectations and perceptions. 

We've also seen the tremendous benefits of combining nature-based and data solutions for CSO control. 正规博彩十大网站排名 Global Water Director 苏珊Moisio will also be attending Amsterdam Water Week and hosting a workshop that will highlight the best practices in managing and mitigating CSOs and the digital innovations available to tackle concerns such as safety, cybersecurity and workforce limitations. Her workshop is called 'AI on the Prize - Transforming aging infrastructure into more resilient systems with smart water solutions'. 不要错过!

这些解决方案、经验教训和经验可以应用于全球各地的项目. 虽然我们还有更多的工作要做，但我很高兴与大家分享来自美国的例子.S. 并更多地了解世界其他地区，如欧洲和美国的公用事业公司面临的障碍.K., face with addressing CSOs. With this knowledge, we can uncover how OneWater approaches like nature-based solutions and digital innovations benefit our watersheds and our communities.