Underground Construction - May 2021 - 33

REHABTECHNOLOGY

I&I elimiNation Returns
at UCT 2021 in Nashville

In 2019, rehabilitation industry representatives created a unique,
pre-show specialty conference at the Underground Construction
Technology International Conference & Exhibition (UCT) that was
focused on the bane of sewer systems: infiltration and inflow. The
overwhelming success of that event has led to another event to be
held in conjunction with UCT on July 12 at the Music City Center
in Nashville, Tenn.
A persistent and potentially highly damaging industry problem,
I&I in sewer systems is often misunderstood and frequently
underestimated. This will be an intense and highly informative
program featuring some of the industry's best experts sharing
their knowledge regarding I&I.
The pre-UCT conference, aptly named I&I elimiNATION, will
explore root causes of infiltration and inflow into sewer systems,
revealing both the short- and long-term destructive impacts upon
sewer pipelines, and examine possible solutions.
This educational forum is geared for municipal stakeholders,
consulting engineers, regulators, technology and service providers
and contractors converging on the challenges of removing I&I for
the preservation and performance of wastewater collection systems.

Once is not enough
The I&I elimiNation chairman is Don Rigby of Logiball who was
also instrumental in helping to organize the initial conference.
" The importance of that first I&I program led organizers to believe
it was definitely needed again.
" We anticipate by bringing together municipalities learning
simultaneously with their specifying engineers and contractors,
that they will learn better together, " Rigby emphasized

One of the primary presenters at the elimiNation Conference
will be Robert G. O'Dette of the division of water resources for the
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, who
explained that " I&I is important because it costs utilities millions
of dollars per year to treat large volumes of diluted wastewater.
" I&I causes collection system overflows and bypasses which
constitute illegal and harmful discharges that usually results in
property damage, " he stressed. " Furthermore, I&I reduces the
efficacy of the wastewater treatment plant in terms of biomicrobial kinetics causing problems meeting their NPDES permit
limitations. The dilution effect alone, makes achieving percent
removals for TSS and BOD a challenge. "
James Shelton of Arcadis is another well-known industry
expert participating in the conference. He pointed out that " I&I is
important for two reasons. First, it causes our sewers to overflow,
often into people's basements and almost always along the very
rivers and streams the sewers were first installed to protect. Toilet
paper hanging from tree branches along a stream bank indicates
we are not protecting ours streams and human health.
" Second, I&I is the proximate cause of most of the structural
deterioration in our sewers, as the movement of water triggers
the movement of pipe bedding, which triggers the eventual
structural failure of the mains, laterals, taps and manholes. "
Lee R. Haessig, Cretex Specialty Products, has been on the
front lines fighting I&I for many years. " I&I is one of the most
significant problems facing owners and operators of sanitary
sewer systems.
" I&I is excess water from rain and groundwater that reduces
system capacity and often limits growth or expansion of the
system. This excess flow which is part of dry weather and wet
weather flow increases operating, treatment and maintenance
costs. There are also environmental issues caused by CSO's
and SSO's as well as potential property damage caused by
flooding and basement backups. "
Registration for I&I is only $25 and a networking
mixer immediately follows. See the agenda and register at
UCTonline.com. *

SPONSORS MAKE CONFERENCE POSSIBLE
I&I elimiNATION committee Chairman Don Rigby stressed that without the support of key industry companies, the event would not be possible.
" Thanks to the generosity of several key companies who are willing to invest in I&I education and solutions, we're able to not only produce an important and extremely
beneficial conference but are planning on filming the presentations and posting online via the Underground Construction UCTV YouTube site.
" Our special thanks to Avanti, Cretex Specialty Products, Michels and Madewell for their willingness to support this project, " Rigby said.

Madewell

" THE NAME SAYS IT ALL "

UCONonline.com | MAY 2020

http://www.UCTonline.com http://www.UCONonline.com

Underground Construction - May 2021

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