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There has been a proliferation of IoT (Internet of Things) devices that are used by municipalities to collect data from Collections Systems, including data from Pump Stations, flow meters, level meters and rain gauges. Integrating this Collection System data with data from numerous other sources is part of the desire by Municipalities to create “Smart” Cities, but that integration has proved to be a daunting task. This presentation will therefore focus on what is available and can be done today, to collect flow/level/rain data, then send it to a cloud-environment where it can be analyzed, which leads to informed decisions, whether on a near-real time basis for operational control, or for more long-term planning by engineers for infrastructure decisions. Topics discussed will include: - Goal of “Smart” Cities, and obstacles to date. - Current monitoring technologies for Flow, Level and Rain meters. - Data collection methods. - Cloud-based software platforms for Data Storage, Analysis and Machine Learning applications. - Sharing data with other software platforms via the use of API's and other transfer methods. - Uses of Collections Systems flow, level and rain data for Operations and for Engineering.

In recent years, the escalating challenges posed by more frequent and intense intermittent droughts have heightened concerns about water supply in the Western Canadian Provinces. As part of the development of Manitoba's Water Management Strategy, stakeholders emphasized a pivotal measure to improve water supply availability: the initiation of a sector-by-sector analysis of water needs. This analysis is vital for informed decision-making in meeting basic human needs, sustaining healthy ecosystems, ensuring food security, generating energy, and fostering economic growth. In alignment with this strategy, Manitoba Environment and Climate Change engaged Associated Engineering to conduct a resiliency assessment on 100 water systems across the province. The objective was to gain a deeper understanding and document risks within the municipal water supply sector (municipalities, water cooperatives, etc.) for effective drought planning and response. The presentation will offer insights into the project methodology, the engagement of 100 Public Water Systems through a comprehensive questionnaire and interview process, and the presentation of high-level overview findings from the assessment.

Inner City neighbourhoods are often some of the oldest developments in a large metropolitan area. Due to the vintage of the area, their drainage infrastructure is often limited in it's performance and does not meet modern standards. The often do not contain any defined overland drainage paths. Implementation of drainage upgrades are often difficult due to the retrofit nature of the setting: set underground drainage inverts, utility congestion, poor record information, and mature trees. Stantec was retained to provide engineering consultant services to EPCOR for the design of a flood mitigation project in the mature Parkdale neighbourhood of Edmonton, including sewer separation and a dry pond, and had to over come many of the difficulties with inner City drainage upgrades. The Parkdale Dry Pond and Sewer Separation Project has many components that showcase EPCOR's commitment to providing storm water management services that protect communities long term. The Parkdale neighborhood was identified through EPCOR's Stormwater Integrated Resource Plan (SIRP) as being exposed to significant health and safety, environmental, social and financial risks caused by stormwater impacts. This project aims to reduce the risk posed to this community through separating targeted combined sewers into dedicated sanitary and storm sewers, installing a dry pond supplemented with underground storage, and installing absorbent landscaping and low-impact development in the area to provide stormwater management for varying rainfall conditions. 2D modeling was completed under a variety of storm scenarios to better understand the areas of surface ponding concern and sewer surcharge. This in combination with EPCOR's data on floods reported by residents played a part in selecting the location of the dry pond and the areas targeted for sewer separation. The dry pond will be located within an existing Parkdale school field (constructed in 1912) and the decision was made to incorporate underground storage as this would allow the dry pond bottom to be raised up and create a larger space for community activities and recreation. New storm sewers in the area direct surface runoff first to the underground storage system before surcharging into the dry pond. For the majority of storm events, runoff will be stored in the underground storage system and only in very large events will it surcharge into the dry pond. This combined storage system then outlets to a deep existing storm trunk at a controlled release rate to damped the impacts to the downstream system. It is anticipated that there will be new residential development downstream of this site and by creating this storage opportunity, capacity in the storm trunk will be made available for these future developments. In the vicinity of the dry pond and sewer separation, absorbent landscaping was installed in public boulevards to help manage the road runoff from smaller storm events (approximately the first 17mm of rainfall) and will be planted with shrubs and grasses. Minimal ponding will be allowed in these facilities and a primary function will be the storage of runoff in the soil media and the plants themselves.