Renewing the Music City, One Sewer Pipe at a Time

Renewing the Music City, One Sewer Pipe at a Time
Metro Water Services Nashville, Tennessee, USA
The Clean Water Nashville Overflow Abatement Program will reduce sewer overflows and improve Nashville’s wastewater system by 2023.

Nashville is known for its monumental contributions to the music industry, but with parts of a sewer system older than the rise of country music itself, a major transformation was needed. To facilitate a billion-dollar budget covering more than 70 projects varying in size and complexity, the Nashville Metro Water Services (Metro) launched the Clean Water Nashville Abatement Program (Clean Water Nashville) in 2011. The program will reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) to ultimately improve water quality along the Cumberland River and its tributaries.

This consent decree-driven program is laid out in two main documents: the Corrective Action Plan/Engineering Report (CAP/ER) and the Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP). Developed by CDM Smith, the CAP/ER directly addresses how to meet consent decree requirements. It outlines the main causes of SSOs and was developed beginning with an evaluation of Metro’s sewer system, followed by recommended projects to address the system’s capacity limitations and sources of infiltration and inflow. Some of the recommendations include infrastructure rehabilitation, additional conveyance capacity and storage of wet weather flows. An update to the LTCP was developed to address decreasing CSOs to the nearby Cumberland River during wet weather events and to improve water quality.
lateral connections renewed
manholes rehabbed
miles of repaired and replaced sewer pipe
Setting up the Right Structure

Prior to any shovels hitting the ground, it was important to understand whether Metro had the right logistical structure and resources in place to implement such a grand program. CDM Smith investigated the existing processes and procedures Metro used to complete capital projects and then determined the process and procedure requirements typically needed for a large program like Clean Water Nashville. Being on the same page on all logistical fronts has helped Metro be as efficient as possible in everything from using the same process to procure designers and contractors to using the consistent formats to document records for easier future reference.

The robust controls and procedures established at the beginning of the program have allowed us to carefully track budgets and schedules, which has resulted in multiple successful program audits and ensured that the program will achieve its goals.
Ron Taylor, P.E., Program Director of Clean Water Nashville
Following Through with the Right Tools

Capturing the many moving parts of Clean Water Nashville and, more importantly, keeping the overall program on track to meet its purpose is facilitated by a program management information system (PMIS). The PMIS was developed and implemented by CDM Smith using the Primavera Unifier platform and was rolled out in the spring of 2012 to the Metro team and all others involved in completing the program. Since its start-up, the PMIS has captured more than 40,000 documents, 2,000 construc­tion submittals, 500 requests for information and documented approx­i­mately $150 million in expen­di­tures on program projects.

According to Michael Krabacher, PE, BCEE, CDM Smith Discipline Leader for Project Delivery Services, “The imple­men­ta­tion of the PMIS has allowed us to run the Clean Water Nashville more efficiently and deliver the necessary controls and reports to allow Metro management to make informed decisions that have contributed to the overall success of the program.” The PMIS has also been used to verify compliance with program policies and procedures, which have been confirmed by Metro’s third-party auditor for the past several years.

Advancing Towards A Renewed City

As the imple­men­ta­tion of Clean Water Nashville continues, much has been accom­plished to renew sewer system infra­struc­ture and improve the water quality in Nashville’s creeks, streams, and the Cumberland River. The number of SSO and CSO events have dropped signif­i­cantly since the start of the program, and additional improve­ments are expected as projects are completed. CDM Smith’s deputy program manager, Kimberly Martin, PE, is very pleased with the progress: “Working collab­o­ra­tively with Metro and the rest of the program team, we’ve aggres­sively moved projects from the planning phase through design and construc­tion, addressing overflows, renewing infra­struc­ture and improving system reliability.” Thirteen major construc­tion projects have been completed and another 19 are slated for completion by 2018. As each project is completed, the Music City is moving one step closer towards having a first-class wastewater system by 2023.

Michael Krabacher Michael Krabacher
Having the right processes and tools is critical to the successful implementation of a large, complex program like Clean Water Nashville.

Robust PMIS System

The PMIS has captured more than 40,000 documents, 2,000 construction submittals, 500 requests for information and documented approximately $150 million in expenditures on program projects.

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