Date
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Time
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Location Name
Room 300C
Name
Supporting Sustainable Community-Driven Water & Wastewater Infrastructure Solutions Through Equity
Track
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Description
There are over an estimated 2 million Americans who live without running water and basic plumbing, with Black, Lantix, and Native American households being disproportionately impacted by this lack of adequate infrastructure. It is probable that these estimates are under-reported of the issue based on the lack of data and information available within the Domestic WASH Sector. This challenge presents an opportunity for technical volunteers to work hand-in-hand with these communities on the development of solutions that help them secure their right to safe, accessible, and affordable drinking water and wastewater. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, there are millions of dollars allocated to be used for infrastructure improvements, with a subset of that specifically set aside for underserved communities. However, this money is not free and often requires preliminary engineering documents to be included within the application. For many communities, the cost of hiring a consultant to complete the preliminary engineering is a burden too high to bear. Our program works as the missing puzzle piece between these communities and the available funding. The Community Engineering Corps program works to strategically pair technical volunteers with underserved communities to work together to identify and recommend solutions that work best for the community’s needs and constraints. This allows for the communities to receive engineering services pro-bono, eliminating the concerns around the affordability of preliminary engineering. By providing these pro-bono consulting services, the program is able to assist communities in unlocking funding that can then be used to design and construct their infrastructure improvements while providing a meaningful way for technical professionals to give back. The session will provide an overview of the Community Engineering Corps program. This includes outlining the project process, types of scopes the program takes on, and explaining how volunteers can get involved with the program. Additionally, the session will highlight a case study of the program with a project for a kids extracurricular camp that serves as a full time home for the camp staff. The camp’s water source is a spring with a clear well. The well’s foundation had been degraded due to constant overflow of chlorinated water. This overflow was being caused by the well being undersized and having no bypass present. The degrading infrastructure has caused chlorinated water to discharge into the nearby lake. These issues brought the camp’s system out of compliance with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. One of our partner organizations, Communities Unlimited, brought this project to us to assist the camp with the development of the preliminary engineering documents needed to apply for funding to improve their infrastructure and be in compliance with regulations. Community Engineering Corps paired this project with professional volunteers from the Kentucky-Tennessee AWWA Section. These dedicated volunteers are working side by side with the community to identify and develop a solution that both addresses brings the system into compliance and is feasible for the camp to implement.