Elizabeth Toot-Levy (Ohio) co-authored an article entitled "The Case for Integrated Wastewater and Stormwater Planning for Ohio"s Communities" published in the Ohio Water Environment Association"s Buckeye Bulletin Volume 91:2, Issue 2 on May 18, 2018.

The article covers integrated planning and includes a section from the recently published User's Guide, available free of charge, from the Water Research Foundation "User's Guide for integrated Stormwater and Wastewater Planning." Elizabeth managed this research and Adrienne Nemura, P.E. (Michigan) was Principal Investigator. Elizabeth's co-author for the Buckeye article was Adam Blandford of the University of Cincinnati Economics Center.

Elizabeth has 17 years of experience working in the field of environmental and regulatory compliance. Her expertise includes Clean Water Act (CWA) compliance, water quality standards, water quality and environmental monitoring, risk communication, watershed management, industrial and municipal pretreatment, integrated planning and many other aspects related to local, state, and federal compliance with the CWA.

Adrienne is a Senior Principal Water Resources Engineer with 33 years of experience focused on helping clients identify cost-effective and sustainable solutions to meet their water quality goals. She has worked for more than 40 cities and wastewater utilities and also state and federal regulatory agencies, industrial facilities, airports, attorneys, consulting firms, non-profit organizations, and trade associations.

The Ohio Water Environment Association is a non-profit, wastewater related organization with over 2000 members dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of water. Founded in 1926, OWEA is one of the early members of the Water Environment Federation (WEF), an international federation of member associations with over 35,000 members worldwide and 81 affiliated Member Associations. WEF represents an additional 50,000 water quality professionals throughout the world. As a member of WEF, OWEA works to achieve the mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment.

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers, ensure water quality, and improve water services to the public. WRF is a nonprofit, charitable and educational organization which funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater collection, treatment, and supply systems.

Project Description

In 2012, the U.S. EPA published the Integrated Planning Framework to assist communities in addressing Clean Water Act requirements while allowing greater flexibility to facilitate consideration of "sustainable and comprehensive" solutions. While many communities are considering using the Framework, there is uncertainty surrounding what it takes to develop a cost-effective, implementable integrated plan. The Water Research Foundation funded a research project, led by Geosyntec"s Adrienne Nemura and Elizabeth Toot-Levy, to collect as much information as possible regarding important tools, problems, and data gaps associated with integrated planning.

This research included a survey of communities who were somewhere in the process of conducting or considering integrated planning. The survey responses provided valuable insight into the status of integrated planning and provided for the selection of representative communities for in-depth case studies. Case studies communities were selected to represent the range of experience, from not pursuing integrated planning to having a completed plan that has been accepted by the regulators. The survey and case study findings were used to develop an interactive integrated planning User"s Guide that is now available.

More Information

Read the article: Integrated Wastewater and Stormwater Planning (1MB PDF).
Read the whole newsletter at: http://www.ohiowea.org/docs/May_BB_18_web.pdf (20MB PDF).
Obtain the Users" Guide at: User's Guide for integrated Stormwater and Wastewater Planning
For consultation regarding integrated planning, contact Elizabeth Toot-Levy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Learn more about Beth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-toot-levy-48402518/
Learn more about Adrienne: https://www.geosyntec.com/people/adrienne-nemura