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Project Type

Water

Wastewater

Table of Contents

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Customer Reference

Mikita K. Browning
Commissioner | Atlanta Department of Watershed Management

Key Points

  • Balancing grey and green infrastructure investment

  • Targeting basins to maximize triple-bottom-line co-benefits

  • Multi-objective analysis

Prior to the optimization study, DWM identified a range of potential projects in the North Avenue, Clear Creek, and Intrenchment Creek basins to improve hydraulic performance and water quality. The projects involved grey (pipes, tanks etc.) and green infrastructure projects (rain gardens, swales etc.). Having identified these projects, DWM needed to determine which were the most effective to meet performance goals.

Using the Optimizer™ platform, the project team was able to develop a multi-objective optimization framework where three separate objectives could be utilized simultaneously:

  • Identify critical pipelines and assess the impact of population growth
  • Determine necessary interventions for both current and future scenarios
  • Enhance solutions to provide better outcomes for customers and the community
  • Ensure GWW meets its compliance responsibilities to ultimately build network resilience
Infographic showing Green Infrastructure & Grey Infrastructure

The incorporation of the TBL objective allowed for the green infrastructure projects to be more fairly weighted in the optimization and is more beneficial than grey infrastructure.

Graph showing CoBenefits, Cost, & Hydraulic Performance Penalties

Analysis Outcomes

The project was able to produce hybrid LTCP solutions that cost $65M less than previously proposed greyonly solutions while achieving the same level of hydraulic performance. The proposed solution also scored well for the monetized TBL objective.

The multi objective optimization approach produced excellent results for the North Ave, Clear Creek, and Intrenchment Creek basins. This resulted in a cumulative cost savings of $65M from a previously developed LTCP strategy that was developed using traditional design methods.

Conclusion

The success of the optimization effort can be contributed to the following:

  • Produced LTCP solutions that saved significant capital costs for DWM and provided benefits to the environment and community through the incorporation of green infrastructure projects.

  • Established a repeatable framework that can be used by the City of Atlanta or other municipalities, to incorporate TBL benefits into collection system optimizations.
Map showing water renewal plan

“The Optimizer software allowed the Department of Watershed Management to identify the best solutions that aligned with the City of Atlanta ‘One Water’ Vision.

I look forward to our continued collaboration with Optimatics and Stantec Consulting, as we work together to provide and protect the City’s infrastructure & resources while supporting innovation and sustainability.”

Commissioner Mikita Browning | The City of Atlanta DWM

About

Optimatics is changing the trajectory of public utility economics, powering outcome-driven analytics strategies that achieve new levels of operational and community impact. With Optimatics, infrastructure leaders leverage an intelligent platform combined with their engineering judgment to explore the full range of options and tackle complex decision-making with confidence.

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