MWS hosts mobile workshop

Originally Published 12/14/2015

In November 2015, Nashville was home to the National League of Cities 2015 Congress of Cities, and Metro Water Services (MWS) proudly hosted a contingent of the visiting municipal officials for a workshop about the Clean Water Nashville Overflow Abatement Program (Program).

The National League of Cities 2015 Congress of Cities is the nation's largest annual gathering of mayors and elected officials who represent cities across the United States. MWS conducted a mobile workshop, titled “Clean Water, Healthy Environment,” to showcase Nashville's Program to address combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) in order to improve water quality in the Cumberland River and Nashville's network of streams, creeks, and tributaries.

“Because many cities are facing the need for dedicated, large-scale efforts for water quality improvements, the Clean Water Nashville Program is a good model for city leaders to study. A comprehensive water quality and infrastructure improvement program is a complex, major enterprise. We provided our guests with practical information about the Program - how it was developed and how we are making progress toward the goals of clean water for our community and regulatory compliance,” said Clean Water Nashville Program Director Ron Taylor, P.E.

MWS is several years into the implementation of this Program and shared numerous lessons that could be applicable to other communities regardless of their size or whether the utility is facing regulatory enforcement. The lessons focused on the Program's implementation, communication efforts, and collaboration with other groups.

Former Metro Councilman Peter Westerholm provided the introduction for the mobile workshop, and Ron Taylor, MWS's Program Director; Kimberly Martin, Deputy Program Manager from CDM Smith; and Mark Warriner, Construction Manager from Gresham Smith & Partners, provided details about the Clean Water Nashville Program.

Since Nashville's initiatives to improve water quality are not limited to the work of the Program, Michael Hunt from MWS's Stormwater Division provided information about stormwater and watershed management work, such as grading permits, illicit discharge investigations, and water quality sampling. Mekayle Houghton, Executive Director of the Cumberland River Compact (CRC), described how the CRC works with MWS to educate and engage community members to make strategic, positive impacts to improve water quality.

The presentations were held at the Cumberland River Compact, and after the presentations, the mobile workshop continued to the sites of two completed projects, the Driftwood Equalization Facility and the Mill Creek Equalization Facility Phase II.