Master Planning Program Notes

By Ben Urbonas, P.E., Manager, Master Planning Program

Staff Changes
After 15 years with the District and the Master Planning Program, John Doerfer decided to move to Kalamazoo, Michigan with his wife to be closer to his wife’s family and grandchild.  We wish him continued success in his personal and professional life and thank him for the wonderful work at the District.  We will miss his expertise, especially in water quality and regulatory dealings. 

Ken MacKenzie, P.E. now occupies the position John held in the Master Planning Program.  Ken started with the District in 1995 as a student intern and after he graduated we hired him as a project inspector in the South Platte River Program.  When a Project Engineer’s position opened in the Design and Construction program he successfully competed for it and moved to that department.  The same happened when the position opened in the Master Planning Department earlier this year and he is now a Project Engineer with this program.  Since he first joined us in 1995, Ken has been very productive in helping to develop standard engineering details and in the development of “intelligent” spreadsheets, all of which are available for download from our web site.  I am very happy to have him on my staff and look forward in working with him. 

Planning Projects
Nine planning projects were completed in 2006; seven projects were under way; and we hope to begin five new planning projects in 2007. We now have a total of over 135 completed watershed-level major drainageway and outfall system plans in our inventory, including updates of master plans completed in the past. 

Urban Storm Drainage Criteria Manual
All three volumes of the Urban Storm Drainage Criteria Manual (USDCM) are posted on our web page www.udfcd.org for you to download.  If however, you would like to order a printed three-ring binder for Volumes 1 and 2 we have a limited supply still in our inventory and you can purchase them by contacting our front office. Each chapter is marked with the revision date and I encourage you to check for the latest updates.  This year we posted several updated chapters to Volumes 1 and 2 as well as many of the figures in the Manual in AutoCAD format.  Each update of the manual is accompanied by an update of the supporting spreadsheet, if one exists.

Software and Criteria Manual Users Support Group 
To help us support the Criteria Manual and the District’s supported software and spreadsheets we set up a user group with a website address titled:  UDFCD Computational Tools and USDCM Support Group athttp://groups.google.com/group/UDFCD-support.  We will post notices through it whenever a new version of the spreadsheets, software or Manual updates are uploaded to the District’s web site. 

In setting up this support group we are looking forward to a free exchange of ideas by users and questions they may have.  Through it you will be able to share any problems you encounter in the use of the software or spreadsheets or in understanding of the recommendations in the Manual.  In other similar user support groups, many of the solutions and “fixes” are suggested by the users themselves.  Regardless, if they are posted, we will be able to address them should the need arise.  It will also provide us an vehicle to reach Manual holders and software and spreadsheet users with suggestions on how to address problems they encounter or questions they may have. 

If you have not already done so, go to the above “groups” website and sign on.  We suggest that you check the option to receive one of the e-mail formats to stay in the loop with notices and current developments.  It is a simple matter to delete the ones that you are not interested in, but unless you get these e-mails, you may miss important announcements or information. 

District’s Software
As reported last year, we have completed our effort to  integrate the District’s CUHP software with the new, Windows-based, EPA SWMM 5.0.  To download EPA’s SWMM software free of charge go to the EPA’s web page http://www.epa.gov/ednnrmrl/models/swmm/index.htm.  To download the District’s new CUHP 2005 go to our website at www.udfcd.org and then select “Downloads” followed by “Software”.

We continue to examine the CUHP model, especially how it simulates surface runoff from smaller catchments.  By early 2007 we are hoping to have completed that task and have an updated version of the CUHP 2005 software available for your use.  

Ken MacKenzie has authored more refinements to the spreadsheets for the design of stormwater inlets, analysis of street flow (UD-Inlet.xls), open channels (UD-Channels.xls) and detention basins (UD-Detention.xls).  If you have not yet had a chance to download these spreadsheets or others, I urge you to do so. 

Ken, in cooperation with many cities and counties within the District, has also been working  with Colorado State University to do scale modeling for the types of inlets used in the Denver region.  We hope this will improve on the design guidance that is in practice today.  CSU’s progress has been slow, but we hope to have this testing program completed in 2007. 

In addition to the above, new versions of UDPOND and UDSEWER that contain corrections and updates, including a profile plotter for the latter, are now available for downloading.  
 
District’s Annual Seminar
According to those who attended, our April 11, 2006 seminar was a success.  We had over 250 registrants, with over 240 actually attending. The proceedings are available for download from: http://udfcd.org/conferences/conferences.htm.

On February 20, 2007 we will have our next annual seminar.  The program is still in development, but we know that it will be at the Stapleton Doubletree Hotel and the registration fee will be $50.00.  Register early and join us.  We promise you a diverse and timely program.  

Denver has updated its Stormwater Design and Technical Criteria
Denver’s Wastewater Management Division and the District have cooperated to update Denver’s Stormwater Design and Technical Criteria.  The consultant, Wright Water Engineers, Inc., has completed this effort and the manual is now available through Denver’s web site.