Charlotte, NC
City of Charlotte Stormwater Services
Failing Infrastructure as an Opportunity for Future-Thinking
status
Ongoing
client
City of Charlotte
expertise
Public Infrastructure
services
Civil Engineering
A Partner to the City of Charlotte in Addressing Critical Infrastructure Needs
As Charlotte’s infrastructure reaches its capacity, the City of Charlotte is turning to LandDesign to provide feasible and implementable stormwater solutions that accommodate long-term growth.
The City of Charlotte is experiencing exponential growth, which is creating a significant strain on the city’s infrastructure. As the systems began to reach its capacity, the city saw an increase in stormwater-related task orders from both established neighborhoods and urban infill sites and had to consider alternative ways to resource the rapidly growing backlog. They created an ongoing services contract that would allow them to engage private engineering firms to lead the response and management of stormwater improvement task orders of varying scales.
Since 2010, LandDesign has been a consultant-of-choice for the city’s ongoing services contract for maintenance, minor, and major stormwater improvement projects. As a partner to the city on this contract, we have gained immeasurable knowledge of the stormwater challenges that are impacting public and private development in Charlotte. In leading maintenance, minor, and major stormwater improvement task orders, we can quickly evaluate site issues, analyze contributing factors, and provide feasible solutions that not only bring systems up to code but ensure the city’s infrastructure can evolve with new growth.
Maintenance Task Order: Before Conditions
Maintenance task orders, which tend to occur in residential neighborhoods, present challenges such as flooding, sinkholes, and small pipe replacements. These small-scale stormwater failures pose severe economic, social, and environmental impacts to residents.
Maintenance Task Order: After Conditions
Solutions like rightsizing pipes and upgraded catch basins are essential to preventing larger infrastructure failures. We have a dedicated team of 15 engineers, including four staff who sit directly in the city’s office, to support the management and delivery of maintenance task orders.
Minor Task Order Conditions
Minor task orders, which tend to occur in urban areas, present challenges such as complete pipe system reconstruction and stream restoration. These task orders require us to consider the future zoning of a site to understand the potential pervious surface and engineering improvements that will accommodate long-term development.
This includes potential upsizing of closed pipe systems and increasing capacity of open channel systems to accommodate the level of service needs for the city for future land uses and growth.
Charlotte’s failing infrastructure was proving to be a far greater challenge than internal resources alone could solve. The city needed a consultant partner that would come to the table with technical expertise, implementation solutions, and a high regard for responsiveness. As a firm, we believe the foundation of any successful client relationship begins with trust. From the start, we envisioned ourselves as an extension of city staff, working with them to understand their priorities for the contract, desired workflow, and technical approach for the different task orders. Over the last decade, we have built a studio of 15+ engineering professionals dedicated to servicing task orders and developing the technical skills and expertise needed to manage and deliver contracts on time and on budget.
A True Client Liaison
In 2019, LandDesign was afforded the opportunity to be part of the city’s contract that fully integrates our engineering staff into the Stormwater Services Department. Working with the city in this expanded capacity has allowed us to streamline communication, elevate efficiency, and have access city-wide resources, including the City Arborist Group and Water Quality team. This close working relationship has allowed our entire team to be acutely attuned to the needs of staff and enhanced our ability to collaborate across city departments.
The community is directly affected by the failing infrastructure. Flooding, sinkholes, and construction all impact the daily lives of residents, businesses, and property owners. As a liaison of the city, we are responsible for communicating directly with those dealing with a true inconvenience and reassuring them the issue will be resolved in an efficient and timely manner. From one-on-one coordination with homeowners to ensuring pedestrian safety during construction, we take a thoughtful approach to ensure we clearly communicate the plan and process to address the task order.
Stormwater Improvement task orders require extensive coordination with private utility agencies. We maintain close relationships with Duke Energy, Piedmont Gas, Spectrum, and Google to expedite the process for review and approval.
Through the City’s contract with LandDesign to complete minor stormwater improvement projects, they have exceeded expectations in both quality of work and swift turnaround of submittals. Aaron Wagoner and Kevin Heimbrook provide excellent customer service and we look forward to continuing our work with them.
— Allen Feemster, Project Manager | City of Charlotte Engineering & Property Management, Storm Water Services
