View Important Policies and System Requirements for this course
Interested in registering 5 or more engineers for a course? Contact us for information and rates.
INSTRUCTORS:
Aric Farnsworth, P.E.
Karem M. Carpio, P.E.
Purpose and Background
These presentations were recorded at the UESI Pipelines 2025 Conference.
Moving Water Over Mountains (23 minutes)
This presentation explores the engineering challenges of conveying water across regions with significant elevation changes, using projects from the western United States as case studies. Unlike flatter areas where one pressure zone can serve broad regions, mountainous terrain requires complex designs involving multiple booster pump stations, pressure zones, and strategically placed storage tanks. The speaker discusses hydraulic considerations such as static head, acceptable operating pressures, fire flow requirements, and material selection. Attendees will see how project teams balance cost, water quality, and operational reliability while ensuring adequate service across diverse topographies. Real-world examples from Nevada highlight how utilities navigate steep static head, friction losses, and fire flow demands. The presentation emphasizes the trade-offs engineers must consider in pipe sizing, pumping strategies, and long-term system maintenance.
Possible Effects of New Accessory Dwelling Units in Water Distribution Systems (36 minutes)
This presentation examines how zoning changes allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) impact water distribution systems, with a focus on Montgomery County, Maryland. The speaker outlines how county ordinances have accelerated the permitting of attached and detached ADUs, raising concerns for utilities about system capacity, infrastructure stress, and equitable cost allocation. Using permit data, hydraulic modeling, and fire flow analysis, the presentation shows how concentrated ADU growth in older, capacity-limited neighborhoods could strain water systems by 2030. Key issues include untracked attached ADUs, coordination gaps between utilities and planning agencies, and challenges with aging infrastructure. Attendees will gain insight into how utilities can adapt permit processes, improve modeling practices, and work with local governments to balance housing goals with sustainable water service delivery.
Benefits and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the hydraulic and operational challenges of supplying water in mountainous regions compared to flatter areas.
- Explain how booster pump stations, storage tanks, and pressure zones are used to overcome elevation and maintain reliable service.
- Identify how increased ADU development can affect water distribution system capacity, reliability, and planning.
- Discuss strategies utilities can adopt to integrate ADU growth into hydraulic modeling, permitting, and long-term infrastructure planning.
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-test assessment (true-false, multiple choice, and/or fill in the blank questions).
Who Should Attend?
- Utility and Pipeline Engineers
- Design and Consulting Engineers
- Construction Contractors
- Project Managers
- Academic and Professional Researchers
- Early Career and Pipeline Professionals
How to Earn Your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion
To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.
How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?
1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]