Phillips, John, Phillips

Phillips, John

John has been working in the water industry since 1999 and is the Director of Integrated Watershed Management with Parametrix. John has experience in emergency planning, long range planning, climate change science, climate adaptation, wet weather issues, green infrastructure and co-benefit analysis. John has an extensive background in climate adaptation and applying climate science to pro-active actions. John has spent many hours working with the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group scoping specific studies to better understand how science impacts urban planning and utility planning. Johns work has been featured in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report and the 2014 National Climate Assessment. In addition to climate adaptation, John has been a national leader in the use of green infrastructure for addressing combined sewer overflows (CSO) and integrating green infrastructure into long-term CSO control plans.

Titles from this speaker

Description: Roadmap! Taking Integrated Planning for Municipal Wastewater and Stormwater on the...

Roadmap! Taking Integrated Planning for Municipal Wastewater and Stormwater on the Road

Abstract

Current Clean Water Act regulations affecting municipal wastewater and stormwater discharges inhibit collective efforts as individual stakeholders are forced to address rigid and narrowly focused regulations. EPA’s Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Planning Approach Framework (EPA, 2012) applies systems thinking based on a one water principle, coupled with local accountability. A more effective one-water regulatory framework can create more economical and sustainable outcomes that result in better overall water quality. Integrated planning is a concept that supports prioritization of capital investments in all forms of water infrastructure designed to protect human health and the environment, and to incorporate societal objectives in the most cost-effective, affordable way. Integrated planning also provides more coordination and up-front planning at the local level along with local stakeholder accountability. The result is less overall cost to achieve ultimate goals, compliance with regulations, and successful outcomes. While the framework has existed for a decade and is now part of the Clean Water Act, less than 0.5 percent of municipalities are taking advantage of it.

This paper was presented at WEFTEC 2023 in Chicago, IL.

SpeakerNemura, Adrienne

Presentation time

08:30:00

10:00:00

Session time

08:30:00

10:00:00

SessionRoadmap! Taking Integrated Planning for Municipal Wastewater and Stormwater on the Road

Session locationRoom S401a - Level 4

TopicFundamental Level, Stormwater and Green Infrastructure, Utility Management and Leadership, Watershed Management, Water Quality, and Groundwater

Author(s)

Nemura, Adrienne

Author(s)A. Nemura 1; B. Koltz 2 ; J. Phillips 3; S. Dominick 4; S.W. Vallabhaneni 5;

Author affiliation(s)Geosyntec Consultants 1; Brandon Koltz Water and Environmental Consulting, Carthage College and Milwaukee School of Engineering 2 ; Parametrix 3; Hazen & Sawyer 4; AECOM 5;

SourceProceedings of the Water Environment Federation

Document typeConference Paper

PublisherWater Environment Federation

Print publication date Oct 2023

DOI10.2175/193864718825158979

Volume / Issue

Content sourceWEFTEC

Word count13

Description: When It Rains, It Pours: Organizational Learning In The Face Of More Extreme...

When It Rains, It Pours: Organizational Learning In The Face Of More Extreme Precipitation

Abstract

Preparing for more heavy rain is difficult, even when rain is your claim to fame. Utilities in Western Washington and Oregon are responsible for a considerable amount of stormwater, wastewater, and flood infrastructure that protects human health and the environment. Understanding climate change impacts on that infrastructure and the differing agency missions driving infrastructure investment is essential to ensuring effective service delivery now and in the future. In 2016 the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group developed updated precipitation scenarios to guide long-term decisions related to stormwater management, wastewater conveyance, and flood risk reduction. The new scenarios, and the subsequent hydrologic and hydraulic analyses based on those scenarios, suggest that current infrastructure design standards may be undersized relative to future conditions. This is an important consideration, as most infrastructure is typically intended to last several decades-if not 'indefinitely' if well maintained. Equally important is acknowledging the amount of uncertainty in the projections when it comes to design and management of infrastructure. The work also pointed to important differences in land use to managing changes in heavy precipitation. Climate changes scenarios for Western Washington and Oregon project changes in heavy precipitation intensity, duration, and frequency, although there is considerable uncertainty in those projections, based on changes in carbon emissions and modeling uncertainty (Figure 1). At the same time, the region is investing millions in infrastructure designed to reduce river flooding, stormwater runoff, and combined sewer overflows. In this region some of the area's most at-risk for current and projected increases in urban flooding, sewer overflows, and river flooding are home to predominantly low-income communities and communities of color. As utilities work to reduce the impacts of more extreme precipitation, that work must be (and is being) seen as an opportunity to address social and racial inequities that create disproportionate impacts on overburdened communities. For example, capital projects deigned to address climate risks are evaluated using an equity and social justice framework that outlines pro-equity practices, processes, and outcomes. While the presentation in this session is based in the Northwest, all utilities face common challenges: potentially large increases in heavy rain events, aging and undersized infrastructure, impacts to overburden communities, limited funding, and the expectation that 'business as usual' will not work in a changing climate.
This presentation shows how research on changes in heavy precipitation is being leveraged across different programs to reduce climate change vulnerabilities while also pointing to ways to 'institutionalize' climate preparedness within decision making processes. Utilities are faced with having to make near-term policy and decisions while balancing costs and long-term uncertainty. With pressure from the public and decisions makers utilities are often put in a position to make hasty decisions and policy that may be costly and lead to unnecessary use of limited resources (money, land, etc.).
This presentation demonstrates how hydrologic and hydraulic modeling results can be used to better understand the implications of projected changes in precipitation on infrastructure design and performance. Changes in design standards are being assessed, allowing decision makers to evaluate the tradeoffs between (for example) doubling the size of stormwater retention ponds or conveyance pipes versus integrating a grey/green infrastructure approach to balance performance needs, costs, and uncertainty. The effectiveness of these choices will be evaluated using established criteria and metrics, including the ability to meet water quality targets, minimize or avoid combined sewer overflows, and minimize or avoid damaging flood flows. Along with an understanding of the impacts of affordability and addressing historical inequities in land use and infrastructure investment. Utilities will need to use a variety of available regulatory tools, such as integrated planning, to help shape long-term investments in grey and green infrastructure, and how those initial assessments should be led by the development of an adaptive decision-making framework designed to help manage uncertainty. This presentation provides a case study of how different organizations moves from knowledge to action on climate preparedness, and how that journey can drive deeper organizational learning. The presentation will explore how utilities can use investments in research to deepen its understanding of climate impacts on stormwater, wastewater, and flood management. The presentation will also discuss adaptation approaches to addressing these impacts and how this work prompted the development of a new adaptive management framework for managing more intense precipitation.

Preparing for more heavy rain is difficult. Utilities in Western Washington and Oregon are responsible for a considerable amount of stormwater, wastewater, and flood infrastructure that protects human health and the environment. Understanding climate change impacts on that infrastructure and the differing agency missions driving infrastructure investment is essential to ensuring effective service delivery now and in the future. Adaptation approaches are being used to address these impacts.

SpeakerPhillips, John

Presentation time

15:35:00

15:50:00

Session time

15:30:00

17:00:00

TopicAdvanced Level, Resilience, Disaster Planning and Recovery, Stormwater and Green Infrastructure, Wet Weather

Author(s)

Phillips, John

Author(s)John Phillips1

Author affiliation(s)Parametrix, Seattle, WA1