Location
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
50 E. Freedom Way
Cincinnati, OH 45202
The museum is located in the heart of The Banks, a thriving entertainment district along Cincinnati’s waterfront. Conference attendees may choose to stay nearby and walk to the venue, hop on the free Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar which stops adjacent to the museum, or drive in and park in the convenient Central Riverfront Parking Garage.
Continuing Education
Conference attendees have an opportunity to earn continuing education credits for this conference. The following sessions/tours are eligible for either Ohio EPA contact hours1, Professional Development Hours (PDH), or both:
- Lick Run Greenway tour on Monday, September 26 or Tuesday, September 27
(1.5 PDH, 1.5 Ohio EPA) - Presentations on Tuesday, September 27 and Wednesday, September 28
(1 PDH, 1 Ohio EPA per session)
To receive PDH or Ohio EPA contact hours, you will need to complete and sign a Conference Training Credit Form. The forms are available at the Check In/Info table. To receive Ohio EPA contact hours, please include your Core ID Number.
At the end of the conference, please return your completed form to the Check In/Info table or email the form to msdtrainingrequest@cincinnati-oh.gov. Attendees will receive a certificate via email by or before October 21, 2022, as proof of attendance. Awarded Ohio EPA contact hours will also be uploaded to the Ohio EPA at this time.
1Attendees who hold a Plant Operator’s License from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) are eligible for contact hours.
Schedule & Presentations
The theme of this year’s conference is “All Rivers Lead to Change.” The tentative schedule for the conference is outlined below. Please check back periodically for updates.
Room assignments for breakout sessions may change based upon the results of the Attendee Session Preference survey, which will be sent to registered attendees in early September. Note that all room locations will still be within a short distance of each other at the Freedom Center.
Presentations from the conference are now available. Find links to each in the listings below.
Monday, September 26, 2022
- 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Lick Run Greenway Tour
You must be pre-registered for this tour. We are offering a second Lick Run Greenway tour on Tuesday afternoon from 1:15 – 3:15 p.m. See below for more details.
- 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Rhinegeist Brewery tours
You must be pre-registered for these tours.
- 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Welcome Cocktail Reception
Sponsored by Stantec
AC Hotel Cincinnati at The Banks, Upper Deck (rooftop)
135 Joe Nuxhall Way (45202), The Banks in downtown Cincinnati
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
- 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Check In and Welcome Breakfast
Sponsored by Brown & Caldwell
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Grand Hall & Terrace (2nd Floor) - 8:30 – 8:45 a.m. Welcome from MSD Director Diana Christy and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval
Grand Hall & Terrace (2nd Floor) - 8:45 – 9:00 a.m. Break
- 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. Breakout Session #1 – choose one:
- Recovering from a Ransomware Attack
Doug Wells, Director of IT, Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky (SD1), Fort Wright, Kentucky
SD1 experienced a ransomware attack on March 19, 2022. Find out how the ransomware attack happened and learn lessons on how to be better prepared for these types of events.
Harriet Tubman Theatre (2nd Floor)
Download presentation
- Keeping the Funds Flowing
Jennifer Bailey, Director of Treasury, Citizens Energy Group, Indianapolis, Indiana
Facing a $2 billion Consent Decree Program plus normal operations and capital expenditures, this presentation will share how Citizens Energy Group’s multi-faceted approach has proactively funded these projects. The presentation will explain the funding mechanisms used and cover lessons learned that have helped Citizens keep the funds flowing.
4th Floor Meeting Room
Download presentation
- Recovering from a Ransomware Attack
- 9:45 – 10:00 a.m. Break
- 10:00 – 10:45 a.m. Breakout Session #2 – choose one:
- Lower Olentangy Tunnel (LOT)
Jeremy Cawley, P.E., Project Manager, Department of Public Utilities, Division of Sewerage and Drainage, Columbus, Ohio
Jeff Coffey, P.E., Director of Water Practice, DLZ Ohio Inc.
The Lower Olentangy Tunnel (LOT) is another major component in the City of Columbus’s efforts to reduce combined sewer and sanitary sewer overflows. This presentation will provide an overview of the tunnel alignment, shaft locations, and connections, detail how operational controls are coordinated with the City’s other CSO tunnel and will provide a current construction status update.
Harriet Tubman Theatre (2nd Floor)
Download presentation
- Instituting a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program within a Utility
Kellie Stallard Watson, Esq., Equity and Compliance Officer, Louisville/Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), Louisville, Kentucky
Instituting a diversity, equity and inclusion program within a utility is a transformational program that is connected to the organizational values and integrated within the strategic plan. We have all experienced and witnessed the social injustices within our communities, and the reactions to them. Instituting a diversity, equity and inclusion program through the development of an equity assessment and tool can become a part of the healing of the community. In addition, we will discuss the lessons learned through our implementation of the program.
4th Floor Meeting Room
Download presentation
- Lower Olentangy Tunnel (LOT)
- 10:45 – 11:00 a.m. Break
- 11:00 – 11:45 a.m. Breakout Session #3 – choose one:
- Muddy Creek and Westbourne (Assessing Performance and Upgrading a 20-year-old HRT)
Nick Jones, P.E., Project Manager, Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD), Cincinnati, Ohio
Lindsey Hassenauer, P.E., Hazen and Sawyer
The Muddy Creek and Westbourne HRT is a 20-year-old HRT managed by the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati. As part of the Wet Weather Improvement Plan, MSD performed a study to evaluate the treatment capacity and quality of the HRT and upgrade the operability and reliability of the facility. This presentation covers all the steps taken to improve water quality on discharge while also improving hydraulic capacity and facility maintenance and reliability.
Harriet Tubman Theatre (2nd Floor)
Download presentation - Wellness of Streams and Citizens
Jenna Jarvis, P.E., Green Infrastructure Manager, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD), St. Louis, Missouri
This presentation will discuss the impacts of the Green Infrastructure Large and Small Grant program on local parks, trails, and bike paths that have improved the aesthetics and environment of St. Louis. The presentation will also provide details on grant management and CSO volume reduction to date.
4th Floor Meeting Room
Download presentation
- Muddy Creek and Westbourne (Assessing Performance and Upgrading a 20-year-old HRT)
- 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Networking Luncheon
Sponsored by RA Consultants
Grand Hall & Terrace (2nd Floor) - 1:15 – 3:15 p.m. Lick Run Greenway Tour
- Join us for a walking tour of the Lick Run Greenway in the Cincinnati neighborhood of South Fairmount. This $111 million green infrastructure project looks and functions like a park with a stream running through it but it’s eliminating more than 800 million gallons of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) into the Mill Creek each year and helping rejuvenate the South Fairmount community. The tour starts at the headwaters, follows the mile-long stream to the pond, and then takes a peak at the outfall into the Mill Creek.
Important Details: Tour will take place rain or shine. Participants should wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes and be able to walk one mile.
Transportation: Bus transportation will be provided from the Freedom Center to the Lick Run Greenway and back.
Maximum # of participants: 30
More Info/Questions: www.msdgc.org/LickRun or contact Deb Leonard at (513) 557-7095 or deb.leonard@cincinnati-oh.gov.
Meet at the Info/Check In Table (2nd Floor)
- Join us for a walking tour of the Lick Run Greenway in the Cincinnati neighborhood of South Fairmount. This $111 million green infrastructure project looks and functions like a park with a stream running through it but it’s eliminating more than 800 million gallons of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) into the Mill Creek each year and helping rejuvenate the South Fairmount community. The tour starts at the headwaters, follows the mile-long stream to the pond, and then takes a peak at the outfall into the Mill Creek.
- 1:15 – 2:00 p.m. Breakout Session #4 – choose one:
- SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Monitoring in An Urban Sewershed, Louisville, Kentucky
Daymond M. Talley, Operations Director – Treatment Facilities, Louisville/Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), Louisville, Kentucky
Building upon previous research partnership with wastewater sampling, Louisville MSD and the University of Louisville worked together to determine sewer locations across Metro Louisville neighborhoods and regional water quality treatment centers (WQTCs) to monitor community SARS-CoV-2 trends, in addition to the Co-Immunity individual clinical testing the University of Louisville conducted in the greater Metro Louisville community. COVID-19 wastewater testing and variant tracking in Louisville has been an innovative tool to anticipate and prepare for possible future public health emergencies.
Harriet Tubman Theatre (2nd Floor)
Download presentation
- Blueprint Columbus Community Engagement: Our Equity Journey
Tiffany Conn, Community Relations Coordinator, Office of Sustainability, Department of Public Utilities, Columbus, Ohio
Mataryun “Mo” Wright, President and CEO, RAMA Consulting Group
Blueprint Columbus is different than any infrastructure project the Columbus Department of Public Utilities has ever done. Because green infrastructure is such a visible leave behind, using an equitable approach in our community engagement strategy has been critical to long-term community buy-in and effective solution development. In addition, creating the intention of equity throughout our project has resulted in important design and policy decisions that will help us to implement our program equitably throughout the city.
4th Floor Meeting Room
Download presentation
- SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Monitoring in An Urban Sewershed, Louisville, Kentucky
- 2:00 – 2:15 p.m. Break
- 2:15 – 3:00 p.m. Breakout Session #5 – choose one:
- NIMBE (Not in My Basement Ever)
Lydia Watkins, P.E., Director of Infrastructure and Capital Planning, Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky (SD1), Fort Wright, Kentucky
Lindsey Hassenauer, P.E., Senior Principal Engineer, Hazen and Sawyer
Property owners of homes located along S. Jefferson Street in Alexandria, KY have experienced sewer gas odors inside their homes and at nearby manholes when the chemical system at an upstream pump station fails. It was hypothesized that the odor problems are related to negative pressure in the sewer cause by high velocities during pump station operation. An odor study was conducted to assess and identify the probable root causes of the odor complaints and to identify potential solutions by analyzing and interpreting historical and field-testing data.
Harriet Tubman Theatre (2nd Floor)
Download presentation
- Adopting a Pragmatic Approach to Cyber-Security Risks
Ginny Kienstra, CTO/Assistant Director of Technology, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD), St. Louis, Missouri
Water Utilities and government entities have been in the crosshairs for ransomware attacks by state actors and cyber criminals since 2019 due to geo-political tensions. It is increasingly difficult to sift through the plethora of security tools and services and select a cost-effective solution to address cybers security risks. The solution may not require high dollar acquisition of security tools and services but instead can be solved through a cost-effective pragmatic approach using standards and policies.
4th Floor Meeting Room
Download presentation
- NIMBE (Not in My Basement Ever)
- 3:00 – 3:15 p.m. Break
- 3:15 – 4:00 p.m. Breakout Session #6 – choose one:
- Upper Pogues Run CSO Abatement Project
Mike Miller, P.E., Manager DigIndy Capital Program
Vincent Stewart II, Manager, Wastewater Maintenance, Citizens Energy Group, Indianapolis, Indiana
The Upper Pogues Run CSO Abatement project is part of Citizens Energy Group’s $2.4B DigIndy program. This project entails constructing a two-million-gallon CSO storage tank beneath one of Indianapolis’ most popular parks. The tank will prevent over 95% of CSO overflows from entering Pogues Run annually.
Harriet Tubman Theatre (2nd Floor)
Download presentation - The Low Down on Akron’s High-Rate BioCEPT Treatment System
Steve Baytos, Superintendent, City of Akron Water Reclamation Services, Akron, Ohio
Brian Gresser, P.E., Burgess & Niple
The City of Akron was required by consent decree to install a biological chemically enhanced primary treatment (BioCEPT) facility to achieve a minimum capacity of 60 MGD. The Akron Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) is designed to treat peak flows up to 220 MGD through primary and secondary treatment systems. The purpose of the project was to construct flow equalization and biological high rate, wet weather treatment, for flows above 220 MGD and up to the design peak flow of 280 MGD.
4th Floor Meeting Room
Download presentation
- Upper Pogues Run CSO Abatement Project
- 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception
Sponsored by Black & Veatch
Grand Hall & Terrace (2nd Floor)
Museum exhibits will be open to attendees during the reception.
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
- 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. Closing Breakfast – Continental Style
Sponsored by Indiana Kentucky Ohio Concrete Pipe Association (IKOCPA)
Grand Hall & Terrace (2nd Floor) - 8:45 – 9:00 a.m. Welcome from MSD Director Diana Christy and Stephanie Summerow Dumas, President of the Board of County Commissioners of Hamilton County, Ohio
Harriet Tubman Theatre (2nd Floor) - 9:00 – 9:45 a.m. MSD Cincinnati Presentation
- MSD: A Utility of the Future…Today!
Moderator:
Reese Johnson, Superintendent of Compliance Services Division (CSD), Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD)
Presenters:
John Barton, Principal Engineer, Compliance Services branch, CSD, MSD
Scott Bessler, Assistant Superintendent, Compliance Programs branch, CSD, MSD
Andy Brougham, Supervisor of Industrial Waste, Commercial Waste section, CSD, MSD
Jennifer Plemons, Computer Systems Analyst, IT, MSD
Rob Schneider, Engineering Technician Supervisor, Remote Monitoring section, CSD, MSD
Robin Shafer, Chemist, Lab, CSD, MSD
Todd Trabert, Principal Engineer, Assessment/Cleaning section, Wastewater Collection Division (WWC), MSD
Matt Van Doren, Supervising Engineer, Optimization section, CSD, MSD
All of us face growing pressure to improve our service and meet the new expectations of an inter-connected world. New technologies and process improvements abound that can help all of us meet these challenges, however as separate utilities, we struggle to leverage the benefits across our industry. Come learn about 7 such innovations that MSD has successfully implemented here in Greater Cincinnati. They will be explained by the ones that have dreamed them up, implemented, or nurtured them to the benefit of MSD. In the true spirit of the Five Cities Plus organization and this conference, our hope is that everyone can learn from our efforts, make connections, and find at least one innovation they can take home to try at their utility.
Harriet Tubman Theatre (2nd Floor)
Download presentation
- MSD: A Utility of the Future…Today!
- 9:45 – 11:35 a.m. Utility Director Updates & Closing
Harriet Tubman Theatre (2nd Floor)- Diana Christy, Director, MSD Cincinnati (download presentation)
- James A. “Tony” Parrott, Executive Director, MSD Louisville (download presentation)
- Adam Chaney, Executive Director, SD1 of Northern Kentucky (download presentation)
- Brian Hoelscher, Executive Director/CEO, MSD St. Louis (download presentation)
- Rob Priestas, Acting Administrator, Division of Sewerage & Drainage, Department of Public Utilities, City of Columbus (download presentation)
- John Trypus, Director of Underground Engineering and Construction, Citizens Energy Group, Indianapolis (download presentation)