Thought Leadership

How the DNR’s flood risk review could affect Minnesota communities

By Earth Evans, Director of Water Resources, WSB

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in coordination with local watershed districts, has developed updated draft Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood risk maps and hydrologic and hydraulic analysis. The affected area includes the floodplains in the hydrologic unit code 8 (HUC8) subbasin. HUC8 includes portions of Ramsey, Washington, Anoka, and Hennepin Counties.

The updated hydrologic and hydraulic analysis is based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 precipitation events across the United States. The draft flood hazard maps may expand existing FEMA regulated floodplains within the Twin Cities metro due to the higher precipitation depth and frequency. The FEMA map updates will likely take effect in 2023. This is the first step in the process to develop updated FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps.

It is important that city officials pay close attention to these updates. The draft FEMA floodplain boundaries may increase with this analysis, which may reduce developable area in a municipality, increase the number of properties that are required to purchase flood insurance, and require property owners to change the type of flood insurance they possess. Additionally, the DNR is requiring that each community update their ordinance to require mitigation for fill in the modeled storage areas upstream of FEMA floodplains. 

Currently, the maps are for city officials only. City staff should cultivate a strong understanding of the implications now, before the maps become open for public comment. During the next month, there will be opportunities for city staff to connect with the DNR staff, review floodplain limits, and understand the implications on developable area and properties that will require flood insurance within the community. 

WSB can help navigate this process and facilitate meetings with DNR Floodplain Staff. City officials are encouraged to reach out to Earth Evans, WSB’s Director of Water Resources with questions.

5 ways Strategic Planning can improve your organization

By Bart Fischer, Sr. Public Administrator, WSB

As organizations evolve and change over time, it is important for leadership to reflect on the past, evaluate the present, and prepare for the future. This can be done through a regular strategic planning process. The following are five important reasons to conduct a routine strategic planning process.

Set a Clear Direction & Priorities

As organizations change over time, it is essential that leadership, stakeholders, and new staff joining the organization understand where the organization is headed and how it is getting there.  This direction and priorities will serve as a road map for future success.

Build Trust & Relationships

For the prolonged success of any organization, there needs to be trusting relationships.  Bringing leadership and stakeholders together regularly to truly listen and understand one another, helps lead an organization to consensus on their vision, mission, and priorities for the future.  Consensus does not always mean 100% agreement; however, it means a spirit of understanding and collaboration around the culture and direction of the organization.  This process allows for teams to be on the same page and drives alignment.

Set Agendas & Simplify Decision-Making

Refocusing on the long-term view can be beneficial as short-term gains often slow long-term growth.  Having a strategic plan means that despite hardships, the focus is on the end goal and not changing course to avoid short-term hurdles.

Focus & Budget Limited Resources

A strategic plan helps focus limited resources such as staff, time, and money.  It prioritizes where the organization can be most effective in creating a sustainable community for the future.

Communicate the Message

With a strategic plan, each leader has a consistent message and is better able to communicate that message across stakeholder groups.  Everyone is “singing the same tune.”  Those in charge of individual parts of an organization, know roughly the direction other departments are heading without needing to know the details of how they are accomplishing it.

Landscape Architecture Month | Q&A

To celebrate World Landscape Architecture Month, members of our Landscape Architecture team reflect on their time in the profession.  

JA: Jason Amberg – Director of Landscape Architecture

CA: Candace Amberg – Senior Landscape Architect

SN: Shaunna Newton – Landscape Architectural Designer

JG: Jordan Gedrose – Landscape Architect

What led you to a career in landscape architecture?

JA: I truly ‘found’ landscape architecture during my second year of exploring both architecture and engineering in college. I was intrigued by the opportunity to utilize my creativity to design outdoor spaces through grading design, colors, textures, site elements, circulation, and other systems to meet the unique needs of users.

SN: I was first inspired by the idea of becoming a “steward of the land” as originally coined by Frederick Law Olmsted’s iconic work and establishment of the field. It was through painting landscapes and studying horticulture that I then became inspired by the possibilities of the landscape becoming its own canvas. I then went on to pursue a Master of Landscape Architecture degree.

JG: Growing up I loved being outdoors, playing sports in my neighborhood parks, and spending time along the Missouri River. I also enjoyed sketching and admiring all the different styles of architecture while traveling on family vacations. I found landscape architecture to be a wonderful blend of natural environments and built architectural features.

Why are you passionate about landscape architecture?

JA: Growing up on my family’s multi-generation farm gave me a strong appreciation for land and nature. My parents encouraged me to find a career path that I enjoyed and luckily, I found landscape architecture to blend form and function in an artistic way that the users will enjoy for years into the future.

CA: It’s hard to not be passionate about projects that truly improve the health and overall well-being for people of all ages and abilities.  

JG: I am passionate about partnering with clients to create parks, trails, and outdoor amenities that provide recreational opportunities for communities. Designing spaces that reflect the existing landscape and honor natural features provide unique opportunities that inspire and challenge me.

Which project are you most proud of?

CA: The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park playground project. This was truly a community led project from its initial inspiration to create a playground that would commemorate the efforts of Dr. King, the American Civil Rights Movement and the contributions of so many African Americans that were not previously acknowledged. Working with public artists and residents highlighted how a community came together to create a fun and meaningful playground project that also started the process of healing previous wounds.

SN: The Ohuta Beach Project in Lake City, MN. It was true team collaboration that pushed the limits of creative design solutions.

JG: Woodhaven Park in Eagan, MN. The park includes a large inclusive playground and a Bankshot basketball course. The inclusive playground provides a safe and inviting space for kids of all abilities to play and interact with one another. The Bankshot basketball course is a play feature that has a series of stations (think of a mini golf course, but with basketball hoops) that is fun for many ages. I am grateful that I could be a part of a project that will provide so many opportunities for the community!

How does landscape architecture benefit our communities?

JA: Landscape architecture is a profession that focuses on creating outdoor spaces, which shapes the look and feel of the world we live in through principals of design and sustainability. Some of our most cherished memories are created in places designed by landscape architects.

CA: How does it not? We work to mediate or correct damages that others have inflicted on our environment; we create meaningful places for reflection and healing; we create opportunities to improve our physical and mental health; we create places to play and have fun; and most importantly, we bring people together.

SN: Landscape architecture responds to social needs, creates social connectivity and gathering spaces, increases the health and wellbeing of our environments for not only for ourselves but wildlife and natural resources. Landscape architecture is adaptive and continually leading to opportunities in our ever-changing environment.

What is something most people don’t know about landscape architecture?

JA: This question makes me laugh because most people falsely think that a landscape architect’s main role is to tell them what kind of tree they should plant in their yard. Realistically, the selection of plant materials represents just a small fraction of the time we spend designing spaces.

CA: Thankfully people’s knowledge of Landscape Architecture has come a long way since I first began. Most of my career was spent trying to get people to understand that yes, I do in fact work during the winter months, and no, I don’t just do planting plans for people’s yards. I explain that architects design structures and Landscape Architects design sites. It’s a mixture of planning and design with a solid understanding of engineering, science and math combined.

SN: I still find myself explaining that landscape architecture is not just garden design, it’s so much more. Landscape architecture originally started as a painting term and has now become a unique skillset to improve built and natural environments.

JG: Landscape architecture has a wide variety of project types and scales. Projects types can vary from residential landscape design to a wildlife land bridge over a busy highway. The profession also requires an understanding of large-scale systems, such as pedestrian circulation patterns throughout an entire park while also needing an understanding of small scale detail, such as how to construct a retaining wall within the park.  

Defining Sustainability at WSB

Amy Fredregill, WSB’s senior director of sustainability shares WSB’s approach to sustainability.

At WSB, as well as for many other thought leaders, sustainability simultaneously advances economic, social, and environmental outcomes, thereby meeting the needs of current and future generations. Each aspect – economic, social and environmental – is like a leg on a three-legged stool. If one leg is shorter or weaker than another, the stool is not stable. No part of the stool exists in a silo, but instead is connected as a system to serve any number of purposes.

Modern sustainability is key to finding opportunities in 21st-century challenges like waste generation, soil, air, and water pollution, and a limited supply of resources. Stakeholders are working on each challenge by designing and piloting new approaches. Community needs constantly change and often involve complex infrastructure challenges that span many systems. For example, every community requires transportation systems, sewage, water, and electric systems for quality of life.

Communities can start or scale up today, toppling the barriers to sustainability and reaping the benefits, which include cost and risk reduction, access to new markets, providing cost-effective products and services to meet consumer demand, attracting businesses and top talent to your region or company, keeping communities healthy and creating economic development. Through innovation and collaboration, maintaining each leg of sustainability- economic, social and environmental- communities are prepared to meet the needs of people now, and people tomorrow.

Sustainable solutions are realistic, cost-effective and already being used by WSB clients across the country. In the city of Hugo, Minn., a northeast Twin Cities suburb, a citywide stormwater reuse program is saving tens of millions of gallons of water a year by irrigating land with stormwater instead of water pumped from a local aquifer. The municipality and its residents save money on water and power bills, effectively turning what was once a waste stream into a revenue stream. On the heels of a one-in-100-year weather event that knocked out the power grid across all of Texas, Fort Bend County is building solar power infrastructure on over 3,200 acres of property, minimizing energy consumption and maximizing energy efficiency. In these and many other communities, we are delivering sustainable solutions, such as water reuse, stormwater and flood management, municipal resiliency and comprehensive planning, native landscaping, and renewable energy.

Sustainability enhances regional competitiveness and furthers economic development. Today, businesses and people are seeking out communities with a smaller, lighter footprint, eager to pump money into sustainable economies. Investing in solar energy can lower energy costs and improve environmental outcomes. Prairie restoration in a community park can increase ecological diversity and create a welcoming recreational area. Economic, social and environmental benefits are co-benefits, and businesses and people see them. By improving the outcomes of one, you improve the outcome of another. 

Sustainable approaches build strength into the infrastructure that supports our lives as community needs change. Through innovation and collaboration, maintaining each leg of sustainability- the economy, society and the environment – communities are prepared to meet the needs of people now and people tomorrow.

How pavement management is like owning and caring for a backyard deck

A Q&A with Bart Fischer, Senior Public Administrator and Mike Rief, Sr. Vice President of Construction Services.

With summer fast approaching it’s comforting to know that we’re free of icy road conditions for the next several months.  As I drove over a recent pothole and began noticing the sand and salt being swept off the roads in my community, I wanted to learn more about pavement management and its impact on city budgets and plans. I sat down with Mike Rief, WSB’s Sr. Vice President of Construction Services to better understand the importance of pavement management in our communities.

BF: Why is pavement management so important for communities?

MR: It all comes down to planning and budgeting. The predictability that a pavement management plan brings a community is the biggest benefit. If a pavement management plan exists, minor improvements and maintenance can potentially double the lifespan of a roadway.  Without any maintenance or improvements, a typical road will last about 20 years. Instead, with a pavement management plan, a community could extend that lifespan to about 40 years, maximizing their investment.

BF: That’s interesting. What exactly does a pavement management plan entail?

MR: I’ve found that comparing pavement to caring for a backyard deck has a lot of impact. We start by building a deck – similar to how we start building a road.  We form the foundation, wood for the deck and pavement for the road.

BF: We love our outdoor spaces in Minnesota! This is a great comparison. So, there is a preventative maintenance component after the foundation is formed?

MR: Exactly. Once the foundation is formed, we perform preventative maintenance.  In the case of a deck, we stain and seal it. For pavement, we seal the pavement cracks and perform surface treatments.

BF: What happens if a board rots out? How would you compare that in the pavement scenario?

MR: I like to call this the preservation stage of the pavement management plan. The best comparison to replacing a rotting board would be performing a mill and overlay on the road. A mill and overlay is a type of street maintenance that requires the removal of the top 2” of a street and the addition of a new layer of bituminous pavement in it’s place.

BF: When does it make sense to do a full road reconstruction?

MR: Yes, the reconstruction phase of the process is inevitable, but can be extended through preventative maintenance and preservation. Eventually, we’ve repaired the deck so many times and it makes sense to stop investing more dollars into it.  At some point, reconstruction is necessary, but through pavement management, it’s decades out and has been budgeted for.

BF: It really makes a lot of sense when you explain it in that way. Any other benefits of pavement management?

MR: I mentioned it above, but predictability is invaluable. There are huge capital investment benefits to implementing a pavement management plan.  It helps with budgeting, planning for development and growth and also can increase property values. I recommend any community, regardless of size, consider pavement management in the future.

Partnering with the city of Hugo to create a sustainable water reuse strategy

By Mark Erichson, Pete Willenbring, Kendra Fallon and Ray Theiler, WSB

About 10 years ago, the City of Hugo was looking for feasible options to reduce the amount of potable water used to irrigate green spaces within the city. At that time, approximately one-half of the water the city pumped from its municipal wells was used for irrigation. The city was also facing the need to add wells, water towers, and treatment to provide enough capacity for this use. Studies indicated the cost for these facilities was going to increase water bills significantly, and the MDNR was reluctant to grant additional groundwater appropriation permits in the area.       

To address this issue, the city and WSB staff developed a list of potential options, and the city commissioned WSB to focus on completing  a series of studies to determine if it would be technically, financially, and politically feasible to collect, store, and re-use stormwater runoff instead of city well water for this purpose. Furthermore, the study was focused on potentially utilizing existing stormwater retention and treatment ponds that are currently in-place throughout the city for this purpose. As part of these studies, initial evaluations focused on the ability to implement this type of program for the city’s largest irrigation users. These evaluations found that providing stormwater for re-use to these users was indeed feasible, and furthermore, when properly set-up, residents were enthusiastic supporters of the practice and program. Following these initial successes, our team began to coordinate with city staff and local partners to fund, design, and construct other reuse systems. 

Reducing, reusing, and replenishing water resources is now a city prioritized conservation practice. All new development projects are required to collect and treat stormwater, and install stormwater reuse systems for irrigation when feasible and practical. This reuse also significantly reduces the volume of stormwater and the pollutant load that is discharged downstream of the sites, further benefiting downstream natural resources such as wetlands, lakes, and rivers. 

We continue to offer guidance about sites that may be a good fit for reuse systems. When these are identified, we work with city staff and the local watershed district to identify and secure grant funding for new projects and encourage developers to implement water conservation practices such as stormwater reuse. Several private developments have been able to take advantage of this partnership, including the Oneka Ridge Golf Course and the Water’s Edge Homeowners Association, a 1,000 unit housing development.  Grants have funded between 25 and 85 percent of reuse projects. Where projects utilize water reuse which exceeds what is required for stormwater management, volume reduction credits are banked. These credits are tracked by the City and can be purchased by developers for future projects where site constraints make onsite stormwater treatment difficult. 

Shifting the public perception of water reuse is important to a project’s success. We partnered with city officials to facilitate neighborhood meetings to educate residents on water reuse and its benefits. Public living in proximity to these reuse projects will benefit greatly by improved water quality in adjacent downstream water bodies, while also reducing reliance on our stressed groundwater resources.

Stormwater reuse offers a number of financial and environmental benefits to the city of Hugo and its residents. By identifying and utilizing alternate water resources to reduce potable water demands, the city is able to reduce the stress placed on its water system, possibly postponing or eliminating the need for additional water infrastructure improvements such as wells, towers and size of trunk watermain facilities.

As groundwater demands increase, Hugo and WSB will continue to work together to change local water use practices and attitudes towards water reuse and water conservation. 

Please contact us to learn more about how to incorporate more water reuse strategies in your community.

Starting a sustainable cycle

A virtual webinar on launching sustainable initiatives.

Organizations of all types and sizes are taking a more proactive stance on sustainability issues to meet evolving customer needs and making sustainably minded changes that can increase their revenue, reduce costs and build new markets and service. But for many one question complicates their efforts; how to get started?

In partnership with Finance & Commerce, WSB recently hosted a virtual webinar that provided examples of sustainable processes and how they came to be.

Panelists included:

• Bryan Baer, City Administrator, City of Hugo, MN
• Steve Compton, CFO and EVP at Sevana Bioenergy
• Bruce Loney, Board Manager, Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District
• Moderated by: Amy Fredregill, Director of Sustainability, WSB

During the webinar, our panelists led us through their proactive approaches to sustainability initiatives including:

• How the city of Hugo is using less water and reducing costs despite its growing population
• How a dairy farm is increasing their revenue by making and selling biogas
• How mitigating invasive carp is leading to improved water quality in a Watershed District

Watch the webinar

Download the presentation

For more information on sustainability, contact Amy Fredregill.

COVID-19 Testing & Vaccination Assistance

By Andi Moffatt, Vice President of Environmental Services, WSB

As the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread through the country, WSB was called on by the Minnesota State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to assist in COVID-19 testing logistics. As project managers in the AEC industry, our team is used to working under pressure – and this task was no exception. We welcomed the chance to assist the state in testing Minnesotans and to do our part in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

A LARGE EFFORT THAT SPANNED ACROSS THE STATE.

The size and scale of this project was enormous. Representatives from the state, cities, counties, local public health organizations and staff at the vaccination and testing venues came together as a coalition to get this project off the ground and operational. To support these efforts, several WSB team members from across the company stepped in to assist on the emergency contract to set-up and manage the logistics of the state’s no barrier COVID-19 testing sites. We provided project management, IT, site mapping and drone photography, visual documentation and information gathering, and general logistics on behalf of the state.

GETTING MINNESOTANS VACCINATED.

As vaccines became available throughout the state, the SEOC asked WSB to manage the logistics associated with COVID-19 vaccine sites. We continue to work behind the scenes to help Minnesotans get vaccinated.

TACKLING CHALLENGES HEAD ON.

This project has been rewarding for many of us at WSB. It reinforces our commitment to supporting our communities and the challenges they face, no matter what they may be. Internally, we’ve also reminded ourselves that nothing is too big for us to tackle together and that we will work across departments, teams and offices to deliver for our clients.

“We are honored to have been able to play a role in such a dedicated, committed and passionate network across the state,” said Andi Moffatt, vice president of environmental services. “Public health is a priority, and we will continue to work with the state and our local communities to help deliver this critical support.”

United States Postal Remediation Efforts

In the wake of the civil unrest following the death of George Floyd, the United States Postal Service (USPS) experienced significant damage to two post offices in south Minneapolis.

WSB’s Environmental Remediation and Structures team assisted USPS with their emergency response and environmental and structural needs. Our team worked to identify and analyze any potentially harmful materials that may have been released into the environment that could pose an immediate risk to emergency responders, the public or postal workers.

Riots and protests in the area brought many U.S. Marshalls, Secret Service agents and FBI investigators to the scene. Determining the structural and environmental safety of the buildings was paramount to USPS’s emergency response. The structures were deemed a total loss and the team identified many hazardous materials caused by the fire and destruction of the buildings. USPS is currently in the process of rebuilding one of their facilities and performing environmental clean-up at both sites. Our team will continue to partner with USPS on several other environmental clean-up projects throughout the Midwest.

The future of Utility GIS: Understanding the Utility Network

By Alex Johnson, GIS Solution Architect, WSB

Organizations have been using GIS to manage utility assets for years. Historically, GIS has been utilized as a system-of-record for mapping and asset management within organizations tasked with managing utilities, pipeline and telecommunications. It’s not only important to know the where and what of your utility assets, but also their condition and how they relate to each other.

GIS has evolved into a system of engagement that creates easy access to your organization’s data and the ability to integrate it with asset management systems through the web. This provides organizations systems for recording that encourages easy access to data and data sharing. As GIS continuously advances, so does its ability to manage your utility infrastructure. The release of ESRI’s Utility Network provides a new fundamental approach to utility management; a smarter, faster, and more accurate way model your system.

The Utility Network gives organizations a full platform to manage their system that is based on industries like water, electric and natural gas. ESRI has created data models that simplify the data structure and provide a foundational platform for companies to start with.

These data models will:

• Organize utility information into a cleaner and better structured database.
• Provide a solid foundation and allow for customization to better meet the needs of each organization.
• Give users a streamlined editing experience that extends beyond normal desktop applications and into mobile and web applications.

Quality data entry is key when editing an organization’s GIS database. The Utility Network focuses on data quality through enforcement of industry standard rules and allows organizations to set requirements for how data is entered and edited. These requirements are fully customizable to meet the needs of each individual client and give more control over data ensuring that quality information is being entered.

In addition to new data models, the Utility Network offers new features and functionality. Users can now view and interact with data in ways that resembles reality including new data concepts such as assemblies, containers, and associations. In earlier systems, GIS assets had to be snapped on top of each other to enforce connectivity. Now, assets can be spread apart and shown in a more logical and easier-to-view way while maintaining connectivity. These new formats allow building a GIS system that is more flexible, connected, and easier to understand.

Performing analysis of utility systems is nothing new to organizations, but with the Utility Network it has been greatly expanded. New tracing tools allow for more specific analysis; users can experience greater understanding of how their system works and improve decision making. These tools were built for the ArcGIS Pro environment, users can expect quicker responsiveness and greater data processing capabilities.

Preparedness is an important step to getting ready to migrate to the Utility Network.

• It’s about more than simply preparing the data but ensuring the appropriate system architecture in place to allow for a smooth transition.
• Confirm the existing GIS systems will accept these new data formats.
• Become familiar with ArcGIS Pro, this new system was built specifically for it.

Since this is ESRI’s model for the next 15+ years it is important to start preparing now, proceeding with care will help ensure a successful transition. Navigating to the new Utility Network does not have to be a daunting process. Experts at WSB help by creating road maps to facilitate the smoothest possible transition into the future of utility management.