CE 3372 Water Systems Design

1. CE 3372 Water Systems Design Lecture 002: Land Development Vocabulary; Design Manuals; DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, DRAWINGS, MAPS, REPORTS

2. Outline • Development Vocabulary • Municipal Utility Districts • Bonds • Design Guidelines • Cost Estimation • Bidding • Basics to Land Development Process

3. Easements • Easement – An easement is a permanent right authorizing a person or party to use the land or property of another for a particular purpose. • Right of Way (ROW) – Is the actual land area acquired for a specific purpose. • Can be acquired by grants/long usage agreements. • Most common for roads/paths. (example on board). • Landowners paid a one-time payment based on fair market value for easement rights. • Landowners continue to pay property tax on ROW. • Utility Easement - Acquires certain rights to build and maintain power lines. • Almost everyone’s backyard has a Utility Easement.

4. Lots and Plats • A lot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. • Plat – Is a scaled map that shows the divisions of a piece of land. • Done when landowner wants to divide land into smaller parcels (homes/apts/etc.) • Designates roads/ROW • Dedicates land for public uses • Ensures compliance with zoning • Done through Surveying – Metes and Bounds • After plat is filed, reviewed and approved, legal descriptions can refer to block and lot-numbers.

5. Plat

6. Metes and Bounds • Is a method for describing the lines which bound a parcel of real estate. • Begins at a known landmark for a place of beginning (POB), then follows a line according to the compass-needle, and traces the boundary returning to POB • Metes refers to a boundary defined by the measurement of each straight run, specified by a distance between the terminal points, with an orientation or direction. • Bounds refers to a more general boundary Condition

7. Metes and Bounds

8. Maps • Topographic map – is a type ofmap characterized by detailed, accurate graphic representations of features that appear on the Earth's surface showing quantitative representation of relief, using contour lines. • Features include: • cultural: roads, buildings, urban development, railways, airports, names of places and geographic features, administrative boundaries, state and international borders, reserves • hydrography: lakes, rivers, streams, swamps, coastal flats • relief: mountains, valleys, slopes, depressions • vegetation: wooded/cleared areas, vineyards and orchards. • Key Map – “Houston’s official atlas” • Helps clarify project location

9. FEMA, FIRM, BFE • FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency • Under Department of Homeland Security • Main focus is to coordinate response to a major disaster • FIRM – Flood Insurance Rate Map • The official map of a community on which FEMA has delineated both the special hazard areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community. • BFE – Base Flood Elevation • Is the regulatory requirement for the elevation or floodproofing of structures. The relationship between the BFE and a structure's elevation determines the flood insurance premium.

10. Municipal Utility Districts (Texas) • MUD - Municipal Utility District (MUD) • Is a political subdivision of the State of Texas authorized by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to provide water, sewage, drainage and other services within the MUD boundaries. • MUDs have authority to levy taxes within the MUD boundaries (and can even tax residents who do not receive any services)

11. How to Create MUD (1) • A majority of property owners in the proposed district petitions the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality to create a MUD. • The TCEQ evaluates the petition, holds a public hearing, and grants or denies the petition. • After approval, the TCEQ appoints five temporary members to the MUD's Board of Directors, until an election is called to elect permanent Board members, to confirm the MUD's creation, and to authorize bonds and taxing authority for bond repayment.

12. How to Create MUD (2) • Developers petition the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality to create a MUD. Developers are prohibited from serving or placing employees, business associates, or family members on the MUD Board of Directors. • Developers must pay for or put up a letter of credit equal to 30% of the cost of subdivision utilities. This requirement ensures against "fly-by-night operators" who are not committed to the success of the MUD. • The "30% rule" also offers protection to MUD residents in the event that a subdivision is not built according to schedule.

13. How to Create MUD (2) • After approval, the TCEQ appoints five temporary members to the MUD's Board of Directors, until an election is called to elect permanent Board members, to confirm the MUD's creation, and to authorize bonds and taxing authority for bond repayment. • Unless they are voting residents within a MUD, developers have no authority or control over the MUD's Board of Directors. • This “way of making MUD” is by far the most common in Texas. Developer creates the MUD, sells properties in the district, then when build out is complete, leaves MUD behind for the residents to operate.

14. MUD operations • The publically elected Board of Directors manages and controls all of the affairs of the MUD subject to the continuing supervision of the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality. • The Board establishes policies in the interest of its residents and utility customers. • A MUD may adopt and enforce all necessary charges, fees and taxes in order to provide district facilities and services.

15. MUD operations • If a MUD sells bonds (borrows money), those are repaid by charges, fees, and taxes. • MUD tax rates, like all property tax rates, vary according to property values and debt requirements. MUD rates generally decline over time as the MUD is built out and operating and debt service costs are shared by more homeowners.

16. Bonds • A municipal bond is a bond issued by a local government, or their agencies. • Municipal bonds are securities that are issued for the purpose of financing the infrastructure needs of the issuing municipality. • These needs vary greatly but can include schools, streets and highways, bridges, hospitals, public housing, sewer, water systems, power utilities, and various public projects.

17. Bonds • Municipal bond holders may purchase bonds either directly from the issuer at the time of issuance (on the primary market), or from other bond holders at some time after issuance (on the secondary market). • In exchange for an upfront investment of capital, the bond holder receives payments over time composed of interest on the invested principal, and a return of the invested principal itself (see bond).

18. Design Guidelines!

19. Design • Design is the management of constraints • Non-negotiable constraints are dictated by laws of physics, chemistry (and to some extent mankind). • Negotiable constraints are the design variables that can be adjusted to satisfy the non-negotiable constraints. • Negotiable • Money • Time • Aesthetics (Pipe Alignment/Channel geometry) • Performance • Non-negotiable • Physics (Water flows downhill, unless power & money are applied) • Chemistry

20. Frequency Based Design • Design to accommodate an event of some pre-determined probability (return frequency). • Assume that more frequent events are also accommodated. • You did frequency analysis in hydrology! • T-year event

21. Risk Based Design • Design to accommodate some pre-determined expected net loss. • Expected loss is product of the probability of failure and the cost of that failure. • Design to minimize the sum of initial cost and expected loss • You did elements of risk analysis in hydrology, namely the probability portion.

22. Critical-Event Design • Design to accommodate largest anticipated event. • Applied for systems where consequences of failure are huge (economically and/or politically) • Large dams, nuclear power plants • Assumes the event is anticipated • Earthquake + Tsunami + Pump Failure combined were not anticipated (actually they were, just no-one paid attention!)

23. Design Manuals • Where do we get the guidance documents? • Texas Administrative Code • Part 1, Chapters 30 and 31 cover nearly all of what we might do as municipal water engineers • Large diameter pipelines like the Lake Allen Henry to Lubbock are outside the scope of the code and are governed by broader guidance – these kinds of projects are uncommon and likely closely follow the intent of the TAC as appropriate.

24. Design Manuals • Where do we get the guidance documents? • Flood Control Districts

25. Design Manuals • Where do we get the guidance documents? • Local Jurisdictions

26. Design Manuals • Where do we get the guidance documents? • Professional Organizations Not everything is free – this MOP would be vital to a practicing engineer, but he/she would have to pay for it

27. Design Manuals • Where do we get the guidance documents? • Professional Publications • Often these publications are eventually integrated into jurisdictional design manuals. • The example shown is the source of minimum sewer velocity criteria in the USA

28. Design Manuals • Where do we get the guidance documents? • Vendor/Trade Organization Publications

29. Resources • Design uses hydrologic and geologic data and various analysis tools • USGS: topography, streamflow, computer programs • NRCS: soil maps, land use, computer programs • US EPA: rules, chemical properties, computer programs • NCDC: rainfall, snowfall, solar radiation • USBR: Western US water and energy supply • USACOE: Navigable waterways, computer programs • FHWA: design manuals, computer programs

30. Resources • TWDB: Funding (for cities and water districts) • TCEQ: Rules, guidelines, some data • TNRIS: Evaporation estimates, digital elevation models, digital ortho-quadrant maps, false IR images, etc. • TxDOT: Design manuals, some data, computer programs • County: Rules, design manuals, some operate rainfall-stage networks • Cities: Rules, design manuals

31. EXAMPLE DESIGN GUIDELINES • Design guidelines are in various manuals, and codes. • In Texas, distribution systems are covered at state level by a document called RG-195. • A copy is on the server.

32. DESIGN GUIDELINES • RG-195 is really a collection of applicable Texas Administrative Code rules

33. DESIGN GUIDELINES • RG-195 is really a collection of applicable Texas Administrative Code rules

34. DESIGN GUIDELINES • Design Standards; ANSI; NSF; ASTM; AWWA

35. DESIGN GUIDELINES • Pipe Sizes

36. DESIGN GUIDELINES • Pressure Requirements

37. DESIGN GUIDELINES • Estimating Demand (several methods)

38. Resources • Various analysis tools • Google • FEMA • River authorities • Drainage districts • Flood control districts • Irrigation districts • Council of Governments (COGs)

39. Data • Most data are NOT free • Agencies charge a fee for data, usually pretty small. • NCDC is worst offender of taking the fee, then providing the wrong data, so be sure you know what you want. • A lot of useful data are currently free, but don’t get offended if in the future you expected to pay for it.

40. Cost Estimating • Is the approximation of the cost of a program, project, or operation, estimated by the engineer. Includes: • Planning and feasibility studies • Engineering services (Design/Meetings/Reports etc.) • Surveying • Construction, including materials, equipment, and labor • Field inspection • To manage liability: • Some firms avoid “estimate” and use “Opinion of Probable Cost” • Recommend adding “Preliminary” to all estimates before final cost • A contingency is usually included in an estimate to provide for unknown costs which are indicated as likely to occur by experience, but are not identifiable. • Cost Estimate also pre-determines how much time and money you, the engineer, need to “finish” the project.

41. Cost Estimation • A cost estimate is usually prepared to submit a bid or tender to compete for a contract award. • How to build a cost estimate? • Educated guessing • RS Means • Practice and research! (Previous awarded bids, manufacturers) • NOTE* • Preliminary cost estimates are usually rounded to the nearest thousand. Gives developers a number to secure financing. • Final cost estimates for bids are exact.

42. Bids • What is a Bid? – A bid is an offer. • Engineers design and produce bid documents (lawyer jargon), including construction drawings and technical specifications, more commonly called “bid and specs” • Engineering firms are required to place an advertisement in the local paper two weeks before bid day • Upon receiving info, general contractors (if interested) will bid to construct the project. • Bidding Facts: • Bidding can be open or closed (selected contractors). • All bids must be turned in by time selected. • Bids are opened with contractors in the selected room by a PE only AFTER selected time. • Bids MUST be read aloud. • Required Documentation and any discrepancy must be noted. • Usually lowest bid is chosen or contractor based on history/preference • Developer has the right to refuse all bids.

43. Development Process • Developer/Municipality/Agency\ • Design • Engineering Firm • Feasibility Analysis • Preliminary Design/Report • Final Design/Report • Construction • Advertise • Bid • Operation

44. DRAWINGS, MAPS, REPORTS • Drawings • Water Distribution • Storm Drain • Wastewater Collection • Maps • Making Topographic Maps • QuickGrid • AutoCAD • Reports

45. Engineering DRAWINGS • Water System Plans are communicated in drawings as well as reports • The general notes and detail notes are important parts of the drawings • Look at 3 Examples: • Water Distribution • Sanitary Collection • Storm Drain

46. Water Distribution • Examine the water line plan and profile • WaterLinePlanProfile.PDF [Make a hyperlink]

47. Sanitary Sewer Collection • Examine the sanitary sewer plan and profile • SanitarySewerPlanProfile.PDF

48. Stormwater Collection • Examine the storm water plan and profile • StormSewerPlanProfile.PDF

49. MAPS • Navigational Maps • Examples from USAF SERE Manual • Plat Maps • Boundary survey – identifies areas on surface of Earth for “ownership” purposes • Topographic Maps • Elevation maps • Used because water flows downhill

50. TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS • 2D Representations of 3D Surfaces • Watershed delineation • Trenching specification • Grading design • Oil exploration • Similar concepts in subsurface: oil/gas/aquifer pressure/head maps • Similar concepts in atmospheric: rainfall contour plots