The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIB) will put Rhode Islanders back to work, improve energy efficiency, and make our state more economically competitive. As the central hub for existing and new green infrastructure financing initiatives, the RIIB will focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that will save money for residents, businesses, and municipalities on their energy bills.
Yaz Emrani, M.S., P.E., Vice President of Carollo Engineers, Inc., and Co-chair of the OC Infrastructure Report Card Executive Committee, discussed the results of the Report Card and the ‘C+’ average grade awarded based on the 12 categories: Aviation (A-); Electric Power (C-); Flood Control and Levees (C-); Ground Transportation (C); Natural Gas (B-); Oil (B-); Parks, Recreation, and Environment (C+); School Facilities (C); Solid Waste (B); Surface Water Quality (D+); Wastewater (B); and Water Supply (B).
A new smart river water management system that can allocate water to states in a dynamic, equitable and efficient manner.
The current system relies on court-administered water quotas, which is broken and dysfunctional. We are proposing to replace it with a system where states get a basic water entitlement and have to pay a Kaveri River Fund for more, and receive payouts from the Fund during drought years. It can change the issue from an emotional-political one to an ordinary-economic one, as well as give the first incentives for water conservation in the basin at the state-level.
The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIB) will put Rhode Islanders back to work, improve energy efficiency, and make our state more economically competitive. As the central hub for existing and new green infrastructure financing initiatives, the RIIB will focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that will save money for residents, businesses, and municipalities on their energy bills.
Yaz Emrani, M.S., P.E., Vice President of Carollo Engineers, Inc., and Co-chair of the OC Infrastructure Report Card Executive Committee, discussed the results of the Report Card and the ‘C+’ average grade awarded based on the 12 categories: Aviation (A-); Electric Power (C-); Flood Control and Levees (C-); Ground Transportation (C); Natural Gas (B-); Oil (B-); Parks, Recreation, and Environment (C+); School Facilities (C); Solid Waste (B); Surface Water Quality (D+); Wastewater (B); and Water Supply (B).
A new smart river water management system that can allocate water to states in a dynamic, equitable and efficient manner.
The current system relies on court-administered water quotas, which is broken and dysfunctional. We are proposing to replace it with a system where states get a basic water entitlement and have to pay a Kaveri River Fund for more, and receive payouts from the Fund during drought years. It can change the issue from an emotional-political one to an ordinary-economic one, as well as give the first incentives for water conservation in the basin at the state-level.
Authors: Serena Cocciolo, Selene Ghisolfi, Ahasan Habib, and Anna Tompsett
Abstract:
Community-driven development projects often require communities to contribute collectively towards project costs. We provide the first experimental evaluation of a community contribution requirement for a development intervention, as well as the first experimental comparison between cash and labour contribution requirements of similar nominal value. Imposing a cash contribution requirement greatly decreases program take-up, relative to a contribution waiver, but imposing a labour contribution does not. Program impact is correspondingly lower under the cash contribution requirement than under the labour contribution requirement or the contribution waiver. Higher take-up under the labour contribution requirement appears to be the consequence of the low real value that communities place on their time. Our results suggest that there may be substantial welfare gains to be made by allowing households in poor rural communities to contribute in labour rather than cash.
Attention! Please keep in mind; the research paper is still work-in-progress. The current paper will be presented during the Brown bag seminar hosted by SITE.
Swim Drink Fish's submission on Preserving and Protecting our Environment for...LOWaterkeeper
This submission outlines Swim Drink Fish's six recommendations to the Government of Ontario for its provincial environment plan and a model sewage-alert policy.
Presentation made at the 7th High Level Session (HLS) Ministerial Forum of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C).
Presentation by Mr. Glenn A. Khan, Deputy Executive Director of the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC).
Authors: Serena Cocciolo, Selene Ghisolfi, Ahasan Habib, and Anna Tompsett
Abstract:
Community-driven development projects often require communities to contribute collectively towards project costs. We provide the first experimental evaluation of a community contribution requirement for a development intervention, as well as the first experimental comparison between cash and labour contribution requirements of similar nominal value. Imposing a cash contribution requirement greatly decreases program take-up, relative to a contribution waiver, but imposing a labour contribution does not. Program impact is correspondingly lower under the cash contribution requirement than under the labour contribution requirement or the contribution waiver. Higher take-up under the labour contribution requirement appears to be the consequence of the low real value that communities place on their time. Our results suggest that there may be substantial welfare gains to be made by allowing households in poor rural communities to contribute in labour rather than cash.
Attention! Please keep in mind; the research paper is still work-in-progress. The current paper will be presented during the Brown bag seminar hosted by SITE.
Swim Drink Fish's submission on Preserving and Protecting our Environment for...LOWaterkeeper
This submission outlines Swim Drink Fish's six recommendations to the Government of Ontario for its provincial environment plan and a model sewage-alert policy.
Presentation made at the 7th High Level Session (HLS) Ministerial Forum of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C).
Presentation by Mr. Glenn A. Khan, Deputy Executive Director of the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC).
The Town of Colchester is currently undertaking a Clean Water Initiative. The Initiative would represent the most comprehensive effort ever taken by the community to improve and protect our water resources.
Deanna’s Input for Question 3As Chief Financial Management Of.docxedwardmarivel
Deanna’s Input for Question 3:
As Chief Financial Management Officer of Riverside County, water resources are a top priority to ensure public needs are adequately being met for all county communities. The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, springs, and wells. It is extremely important to eliminate as many contaminants in drinking water for the public health. As such high demands in the county for clean drinking water, there is a need to create a new water management policy, which includes the development of a new drinking water treatment plant to respond to this critical need. The proposed drinking water treatment plant could produce close to 3 million gallons of drinking water per day diminishing the water crises. In addition, the county could potentially sell water to neighboring counties and the agricultural sector to help increase local revenue to the county. The policy requires an initial outlay of $20M and subsequent annual outlays of $5M for the foreseeable future.
How would I approach this task?
The first step would be to convene an interdepartmental capital allocation committee to examine the proposed policy in combining existing capital improvement projects and the overall county master plan for land use. If committee members agree to the feasibility of moving forward the next step would be to update the existing capital improvement plan (CIP), which spans multiple years to ensure adequate resources are available for the proposed water management policy and new facility. Edits to the existing CIP would include the follow:
1. Capital budget manual – contains a calendar or flowchart of the process, instructions, and forms for departments to use when completing requests
2. Cost projections – determining exact costs of each project
3. Revenue estimations – detailed estimate and availability of revenue, both reoccurring and from bond sales
4. Debt planning – outlining debt needs; scheduling voter referendum to authorize debt funding; obtaining voter approval on bond sales
5. Public hearing – schedule public hearing, prior to capital budget approval
6. Prepare final executive budget request
Information, I would need to know:
· Goals, timeliness and identification of various funding sources
· Financial analysis to include: 1) Cost-Benefit analysis – cost v. overall net benefit;
· Financial Condition Analysis
I. Existing long-term debt commitments/obligations
II. Population Growth Trends (e.g., housing, business)
· History of existing and recent user and property taxes – provides insight into existing taxes currently being levied on the community; property sales and tax info would be instrumental in helping to determine trends in sales and ability to generate revenue through levies (impose, “a tax, fee, or fine) and regional commerce activity.
· Fiscal S.
Sustinable water Infrastructure Through Innovative FinancingIwl Pcu
Purpose: To quantitatively understand the future needs for water investment to:
Address U.S. population growth/economic needs, and renew existing aging infrastructure.
Estimates were made for water and wastewater, investment, cost and payments (2000-2019).
The project involves finding the intersection between major global economic and social challenges and business’s unique ability to resolve them. It is about creating value – value that endures -- through an interconnected system of stakeholders where business takes the lead
Deanna’s Input for Question 2As the legislative assistant to t.docxedwardmarivel
Deanna’s Input for Question 2
As the legislative assistant to the Chief Administrator for Riverside County some of the key functions include monitoring pending legislation, conducting research, drafting legislation, giving advice and counsel, and making recommendations.
Identify the policy issues;
Riverside County has experienced negative propaganda on our water quality. However, Riverside County provides an annual drinking water quality report to ensure full transparency, clear communication, and information on how the county’s water met or surpassed all state and federal drinking water quality standards each year. Although Riverside County meets the quality standards each year, California’s booming population growth is impacting Riverside County drinking water quality sustainability. The following is a brief for a new water management policy to help sustain water quality in the County, which includes the development of a new drinking water treatment plant. The proposed drinking water treatment plant will also reduce the region’s dependence on imported water and eliminate as many contaminants in drinking water for public health. In addition, the county could potentially sell water to neighboring counties and the agricultural sector to help increase local revenue to the county.
Identify the stakeholders (public and private) and concerns
· Government agencies and agents – Local and state elected officials (e.g., mayors, county supervisors, etc.); local municipal water board; Western Municipal Water District; the State Water Resources Control Board, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Water Resources, Water Management Group, Public Health Officials, Water Utility Company in Riverside County, State water quality control board, and local land management and recreation agencies. Potential concerns may include the following: jurisdiction disputes; competing and conflicting existing public policies and regulations; differing political opinions regarding solutions to water crises; access to needed capital to develop and run proposed drinking water treatment plants; and unanticipated future operating expenses.
· Private sector – water study groups; local business and landowners; energy companies; and agricultural land groups; and legal counsel and experts. Potential concerns may include the following: land-right disputes; competing energy industries (traditional vs solar) and loss of revenue; operational constraints due to potential new regulations; and fear of increased operating costs due to added taxes to help offset costs of new drinking water treatment plant.
· Non-profit sector – environmental organizations, preservation and advocacy groups. Potential concerns may include the following: safety and water quality, and the capacity to support a three percent growth every year through 2045. Management of hazardous waste and environmental pollutants and impact on climate change due to large amounts of electrica.
Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission’s latest report, Only the Pipes Should be Hidden, assesses how well-designed user fees can improve the financial and environmental sustainability of our municipal water and wastewater systems. These systems treat and deliver water for millions of Canadian households and businesses, and are vital to our health, the economy, and the environment. Building on the progress that many municipalities have already made, the report provides a set of 10 best practices that encourage water conservation, fund infrastructure, and improve our water quality.
In this webinar Jonathan Arnold will go through the findings and recommendations of the report, and answer questions.
Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission’s latest report, Only the Pipes Should be Hidden, assesses how well-designed user fees can improve the financial and environmental sustainability of our municipal water and wastewater systems. These systems treat and deliver water for millions of Canadian households and businesses, and are vital to our health, the economy, and the environment. Building on the progress that many municipalities have already made, the report provides a set of 10 best practices that encourage water conservation, fund infrastructure, and improve our water quality.
In this webinar Jonathan Arnold will go through the findings and recommendations of the report, and answer questions.
Sustainability and the Cost of Compliance with the Clean Water Act: Implement...Judith Marquez
Stormwater programs have contributed to significant improvement in our nation’s water quality. However, while very important, stormwater programs are also very costly. This paper describes the difficulty in adequately funding the stormwater program in Huntington Beach, CA with general funds. While water and wastewater fees have become the norm, stormwater fees have not, but are being developed in cities nationwide, and should be developed in Huntington Beach. A review and comparison of other cities that have developed dedicated funding determined that it requires a change in policy. Through implementing a utility fee the City of Huntington Beach will be able to acquire necessary funds to adequately fund its stormwater program.
Encryption in Microsoft 365 - ExpertsLive Netherlands 2024Albert Hoitingh
In this session I delve into the encryption technology used in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Purview. Including the concepts of Customer Key and Double Key Encryption.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...Ramesh Iyer
In today's fast-changing business world, Companies that adapt and embrace new ideas often need help to keep up with the competition. However, fostering a culture of innovation takes much work. It takes vision, leadership and willingness to take risks in the right proportion. Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder of Builder.ai, has perfected the art of this balance, creating a company culture where creativity and growth are nurtured at each stage.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI support
Massachusetts Water Infrastructure: Toward Financial Sustainability
1. Recommendations of the Massachusetts
Water Infrastructure Finance Commission
Martin Pillsbury
Metropolitan Area
Planning Council
Boston, MA
2. The Water Headlines…
Massachusetts has a drinking water finance problem…..
….and a wastewater finance problem….
….and soon to have a storm water finance problem.
Water is one of our state’s greatest assets, but if we don’t
manage it well, it can be a liability.
What will it take to manage it well?
Smart, sustainable policies and regulations
Innovative approaches to water management
Sustained investment in critical infrastructure
3. Water Infrastructure Finance Commission
Established by the Legislature in 2009
Chaired by Senator Jamie Eldridge
Leading House member Rep. Carolyn Dykema
18 members from multiple water stakeholder groups
Convened in May 2010 and issued its final report in Feb. 2012
Charged with “developing a comprehensive, long-range
water infrastructure finance plan for the commonwealth and
municipalities”
4. Mind the Gap ($21.4 Billion of it)
The Commission estimates
that over the next 20 years
the Commonwealth faces a
$10.2 billion gap in funding
for drinking water and an
$11.2 billion gap in funding
for wastewater projects,
for a total gap of
$21.4 billion.
5. Mind the Gap ($21.4 Billion of it)
The Commission’s estimate of the gap is based on 20-year
revenue estimates minus EPA capital needs surveys and
costs for O&M and debt service:
6. Total Projected 20-Year Funding Gap
While stormwater
costs are more difficult
to project, the gap
could increase by
another $18 billion if
stormwater mitigation
costs are included
(depending on EPA
stormwater regulations)
7. What’s Behind the Gap?
Water utilities face many cost challenges:
1. Aging systems. Some systems were constructed in the 1800s. Federal investments
in the 1970s brought new plants, but many of these are nearing the end of their
service life.
2. Environmental and public health concerns need to be addressed. Many systems
face expensive regulatory requirements to address environmental or public health
needs.
8. What’s Behind the Gap?
Water utilities face many cost challenges:
3. Lack of state control over Clean Water permits. Massachusetts has not accepted
“primacy” to enforce the Clean Water Act. This may provide flexibility to prioritize
scarce resources.
4. Security and redundancy investments are required. Communities must invest to
protect the public during emergencies -- from natural disasters to system failures
to acts of terrorism.
5. Operating costs are rising. Water and wastewater operations use a significant
amount of energy, chemicals and manpower. As these costs rise, so does the cost
of providing clean water.
6. Many water utilities are not running at optimal efficiency. Best management
practices are used only partially by systems across the state. Many need technical
assistance and training.
9. What’s Behind the Gap?
Water utilities face many cost challenges:
7. Municipal debt is a growing burden. Municipalities have taken on increasing
debt to maintain their infrastructure. A significant portion of their finances is
now consumed by debt service.
10. What’s Behind the Gap?
Revenues are not keeping pace with needs:
1. Federal and state funding sources are trending downward. Both federal and state
funding have steadily decreased since the 1970’s. State Debt Service Relief was eliminated
for several years, then drastically reduced.
11. What’s Behind the Gap?
Revenues are not keeping pace with needs:
2. Rates vary widely and do not
always cover the full cost of
service.
Unlike other utilities, water
and sewer rates often do not
come close to covering the
full cost ser vice. As a result,
the public has grown
accustomed to low user rates
and can resist rates that
reflect the true cost of
service.
12. What’s Behind the Gap?
Revenues are not keeping pace with needs:
3. Unanticipated financial effects of water conservation have an impact on utilities’
bottom lines. Increasing levels of water conservation is good for the environment
and should be encouraged. Because water is billed based on volume sold,
however, it has led to reduced revenues for maintaining water systems.
4. Affordability is an important issue for many communities. Keeping water and
sewer service affordable is of particular concern to individuals on low and/or fixed
incomes. It is important to recognize that different communities have different
abilities to pay for improvements.
13. Recommendations of the Commission
1. Increase funds available for water-related infrastructure at all levels
Sustain current programs and investments at the state and federal level,
including in particular state and federal contributions to the Water and
Sewer State Revolving Funds
Establish a new Trust Fund, to be funded annually at $200 million and
used for a mixed program of direct payments to cities and towns, low
interest loans, and grants
Incent all communities, authorities and districts to utilize rate structures
that reflect the full cost of water supply and wastewater treatment.
14. Recommendations of the Commission
2. Reduce costs and find efficiencies
Provide strong incentives to use best management practices
Encourage enterprise funds for stormwater mitigation
Encourage appropriate regional solutions
Use a watershed approach when making funding decisions
Encourage efficient water and energy use
Encourage strategic public-private partnerships
15. Recommendations of the Commission
3. Assist municipalities, districts, and authorities in retiring their
existing debt
Commit to newly structured
debt assistance program
funded at $50-$60 million
annually through the General
Fund. While the Commission
strongly recommends that
communities approach future
debt by using full-cost pricing,
it recognizes that some
communities will continue to
need assistance in retiring
their debt.
16. Recommendations of the Commission
4. Address the issue of affordability
Identify creative ways to address affordability for municipalities and individual
ratepayers. Measure their local contribution and commitment using a ratio of
average household annual utility cost to the community’s Median Household
Income (MHI ratio).
Consider making SRF loan decisions more need-based by considering the MHI
ratio in the selection criteria for loans, grants, interest rates and principal
forgiveness
Seek new federal and state support to address affordability concerns
17. Recommendations of the Commission
5. Promote Environmental Sustainability
Promote water conservation and water reuse
Reduce the release of nutrients
Encourage energy efficiency
Prioritize solutions that keep water within its basin
Protect water sources through watershed protection programs
Encourage integrated resource management
Increase regulatory flexibility to better direct funding to projects
that deliver the highest public benefit
18. Recommendations of the Commission
6. Promote Innovation
Supporting pilot projects, proof of concept projects and new technology
Provide technical assistance to communities for innovative approaches
Reduce regulatory barriers to innovation
Address the economic risk of pilot innovative projects
Invest in Massachusetts as a hub of innovation in the field of water, wastewater,
and stormwater management and technology
19. Recommendations of the Commission
Strategies to Help Us Close the Gap
If municipalities, districts and authorities adopt full-cost pricing
combined with moderate, predictable rate increases and increase their
water and sewer rates to between 1.25 and 1.50 percent of their
Median Household Income, and
If the state creates and consistently funds a new Trust Fund with $200
million to provide a mix of direct assistance, low interest loans and
grants to assist towns with their water infrastructure needs, then
…the state will be able to reduce the gap substantially, perhaps by up to
80%, over the next 20 years.