The contract will help update the city’s aging sewer system and prevent future sewer overflows.

WARR ACRES, Okla. (May 17, 2024) — The city of Warr Acres, Okla. has contracted Smith Roberts Baldischwiler (SRB) and Woolpert to provide sanitary sewer evaluation survey services to update its existing sewer system and prevent future sewer overflows. The city’s sanitary sewer system was primarily constructed between the late 1950s and the 1980s, and many of the existing pipes and manholes have reached the end of their planned service life.

SRB Project Manager Amanda Way said that the SSES will provide a comprehensive investigation of the Warr Acres sanitary sewer system using a closed-circuit television camera to inspect approximately 100,000 linear feet of pipe. Additionally, SRB and Woolpert will investigate approximately 900 manholes and perform roughly 240,000 linear feet of smoke testing. The project is fully funded by American Rescue Plan Act funds.

“The city has experienced overflows in some areas, and this investigation will help identify problem areas and what is causing these issues,” Way said. “The cleaning will help remove years of dirt, grease, and debris that have gotten into the system, while smoke testing will help identify where there may be leaks that allow for inflow into the system.”

Woolpert Vice President Carla Muscarella said that this effort will provide a comprehensive condition assessment of the city’s sewer system and establish a baseline that will be used to develop prioritized rehabilitation recommendations for Warr Acres.

“It is always exciting to be an integral part of a project from the initial data collection through the final recommendations for our clients,” Muscarella said. “Our partnership with SRB has allowed both our firms to expand our service offerings in Oklahoma and the Midwest.”

This contract is underway.

Rivers and their floodplains change over time, requiring regular floodplain mapping. Nevertheless, comprehensive floodplain mapping projects are no small undertaking—the United States alone has over 3.5 million miles of rivers and streams.  

Surveyors have attempted to map the waterways and floodplains of U.S. rivers for hundreds of years. Despite the advent of advanced geospatial technologies, like lidar and photogrammetry, many floodplain maps remain outdated. Today, failure to map a floodplain in an accurate and timely manner can have serious consequences.  

Consider that many communities knowingly or unknowingly live within the boundaries of historic floodplains. People and their property are at risk whenever an unexpected flooding event occurs, especially during a 100-year flood, underscoring the need for consistent floodplain mapping.  

Floodplain Maps in Action: Notable Examples of What They Support  

Up-to-date floodplain mapping databases support a range of public and private projects, from architecture and engineering to agriculture and storm preparation.  

• Flood risk mitigation: Floodplain mapping increases residents’ safety by enabling communities to model and simulate flooding events based on elevation, rainfall, and other historical data. With these models and maps, decision-makers can minimize flood damage by designating safe building areas, restricting development in high-risk zones, and employing other flood mitigation planning strategies. 

• Design and construction: Floodplain mapping is valuable for design and construction firms working in areas with seasonal flooding. Whether building a rock jetty or developing a bridge across a strait, floodplain mapping helps architects place, design, and construct infrastructure to withstand potential floodwaters. In terms of scheduling, it can also inform teams of the most optimal times of the year to undertake their projects. 

• Agriculture: Floodplain mapping enables farmers to reduce costly water usage, mitigate crop damage, perform land use planning, and identify dangerous geohazards—ultimately boosting farm efficiency and safety. Moreover, it can reveal lowlands on agricultural properties suitable for seasonal flooding, creating opportunities for landowners to lease their property for activities such as duck hunting.  

The Importance of Accurate, Up-to-Date Floodplain Data 

Agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provide datasets that are foundational for floodplain mapping. These organizations and their partners use geospatial technologies and techniques, such as aerial lidar and photogrammetry, to feed geographic information systems, as well as hydrologic and hydraulic models.  

These models are only as accurate as the data they rely on. Rivers and floodplains are constantly changing, especially in the wake of natural disasters like hurricanes. Consequently, many key hydrological and topographical databases are outdated. Thankfully, agencies like the USGS are working with strategic partners to update this vital information.  

Recently, the USGS selected Woolpert to collect new data across Arkansas through aerial lidar to refresh the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) baseline. The elevation data obtained by Woolpert will help farmers manage rice field flooding and identify wooded lowlands that could be converted into green tree reservoirs. This data will likewise enhance stormwater flow modeling, optimizing the planning of construction projects.  

Some databases, like the 3DEP, can be updated. Others, however, are long overdue for a replacement, as is the case with the USGS’s century-old National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Presently, Woolpert is collaborating with the USGS on the 3D Hydrography Program (3DHP), which will replace the outdated NHD with a more accurate, lidar-based hydro layer across the continental U.S. The 3DHP will support applications in floodplain estimation, infrastructure planning, and water volume modeling. 

What Must Those Living or Working in Floodplains Do? 

Any community, business, government agency, or other entity located in or near a historic floodplain must leverage floodplain mapping data—whether preparing for future floods, managing farmland, or undertaking a new construction project. It’s also essential to verify that this data is up to date. 

They should likewise consider utilizing machine learning-based flood prediction models alongside floodplain mapping databases. These advanced models can provide near real-time data, making them highly effective tools for flood mitigation efforts.  

Let’s Start with the Misconception 

If you say you’re a planner, surveyor, or engineer working in critical infrastructure, such as roads, water systems, or power grids, you’ll rarely get the same wide-eyed reaction that a software engineer or biotech innovator might get at a dinner party. 

But here’s the irony: While tech gets the spotlight, infrastructure holds the world together. 

Literally. 

And right now, it’s cracking. Not just in its physical form, but in its talent pipeline. 

It’s time we reframe the story. Civil infrastructure isn’t boring. It’s breathtaking. It’s not outdated, it’s overdue for reinvention. And the people who build it aren’t just planners, surveyors, engineers, technologists, or inspectors, they’re unsung community architects. 

But without a new wave of talent, we risk losing the very people needed to carry that torch. Our industry doesn’t need a rebrand—it needs a renaissance. 

Because while infrastructure may not trend on social media, it quite literally holds society together. It’s where climate adaptation, national resilience, and community engagement meet the real world. And right now, we’re running out of people who know how to build it. 

Infrastructure Is the Unsung Hero of Modern Life 

Let’s define our terms. Critical infrastructure refers to the systems and assets so vital that their disruption would have a debilitating impact on national security, economic security, public health or safety, or any combination of those. We’re talking about: 

• Drinking water systems. 

• Airports and transportation networks. 

• Stormwater and wastewater infrastructure. 

• Electric grids and substations. 

• Communication and emergency services. 

These systems are critical not just because they exist—but because they quietly enable everything else to exist. And the velocity of change is accelerating. 

That’s not boring. That’s extraordinary. 

America’s Infrastructure: Trending Up, but Treading Water 

According to the 2025 ASCE Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, the overall national grade has improved from a C- to a C. That’s encouraging—especially given the historic investment of $580 billion made possible through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act (White House Briefing on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, 2021). But let’s not mistake momentum for victory. 

• Nine of the 18 infrastructure categories are still in the “D” range. Stormwater and transit both retain Ds. Roads and wastewater? D+. Levees, dams, and schools? Also scraping by. 

• America’s 10-year infrastructure investment gap still sits at a staggering $3.7 trillion, even if current funding levels are maintained through 2033. 

• If funding snaps back to pre-IIJA levels? The economic impact could hit $5 trillion in lost GDP and over 340,000 jobs lost in a single year. 

So yes, the needle is moving. But the weight behind that movement is immense, and the clock is ticking. 

Infrastructure Isn’t Boring. It’s Existential. 

Woolpert operates at the nexus of these challenges, offering geospatial precision, engineering design, and planning services that help communities adapt and thrive. 

• When we help an airport remain operational through a 100-year flood by retrofitting its drainage network, we’re not just checking a box—we’re safeguarding the economic engine of a region. 

• When we modernize a wastewater treatment plant to meet nutrient reduction targets under stricter environmental regulations, we’re preserving public health and aquatic ecosystems. 

• When we engineer substation expansions to support hyperscale data center development, we enable the infrastructure behind your smartphone GPS, telemedicine appointment, and cloud backup. 

This is where infrastructure shows its teeth. It’s the place where public health, sustainability, economic mobility, and climate resilience intersect. 

The 2025 ASCE Report Card points out that aging infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events. What used to be unthinkable disasters are now annual line items in capital improvement plans. Designing infrastructure to withstand those risks is no longer optional—it’s urgent. 

The Hidden Emergency: We’re Running Out of Builders 

Here’s where the warning lights really start to blink. The infrastructure workforce is shrinking—and aging fast. 

According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, nearly 50% of current public sector infrastructure workers are eligible to retire in the next 10 years (Renewing the National Commitment to the Interstate Highway System: A Foundation for the Future, 2019). And in many public agencies, it’s even worse. 

Meanwhile, enrollment in civil engineering programs is stagnating, particularly among underrepresented groups. Less than 20% of U.S. civil engineers are women, and only about 14% are people of color (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Civil Engineering Occupational Outlook, 2025). We’re not just lacking numbers, we’re lacking variety of thought, perspective, and lived experience. 

And that’s happening at the same time infrastructure needs are exploding. 

We have historic federal investment pouring into the system. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act committed $1.2 trillion, with $550 billion in new spending over five years for water, transportation, broadband, and energy. 

But money doesn’t pour concrete. People do. 

If we can’t attract, train, and retain the workforce to deliver these projects—particularly within the public sector and the firms that support it—this investment won’t meet its full potential. 

In other words, we have the money and we have the need. But we don’t have the people. 

What the Talent Renaissance Looks Like 

The new infrastructure workforce isn’t just about more boots on the ground. It’s about diverse, digitally fluent, interdisciplinary teams who understand that a pump station is as much about community trust as it is about concrete. 

Here’s where we go from here: 

• Make the invisible visible. From airports to aquifers, we need to tell better stories that show how infrastructure touches lives. The ASCE report rightly emphasizes that public understanding and support starts with education and communication. 

• Open the door earlier. Let’s get students into job sites, behind SCADA screens, and inside enterprise asset and work management dashboards before they hit college. Infrastructure shouldn’t be a backup plan; it should be the dream job. 

• Reward cross-discipline collaboration. We need water engineers who think like data scientists, and planners who understand geospatial systems. At Woolpert, we live at that intersection. 

• Champion resilience and sustainability as core values. As the ASCE report reminds us, long-term investment and resilient design must go hand-in-hand. 

What Woolpert Is Doing to Lead 

At Woolpert, we’re not just reacting to the market, we’re reshaping it. 

• Our leadership development framework creates intentional pathways for emerging talent. 

• Our internships and early-career programs focus on real-world problem-solving, not coffee runs. 

• We foster partnerships across aviation, transportation, and water utilities to give our teams exposure to every facet of the infrastructure ecosystem. 

And most importantly, we believe that building infrastructure is a mission, not a job. That belief shows up in the way we mentor, promote, and empower our people—at every level. 

The Call to Action 

If you’re a city manager, program director, high school teacher, or student who’s never heard the term “stormwater utility fee,” this message is for you: 

You are the future of infrastructure. 

We don’t just need more workers—we need more believers. People who understand that laying a pipe is laying the foundation for health, opportunity, and resilience. People who see infrastructure not as a backdrop, but as the stage. 

Critical infrastructure isn’t boring. 

It’s bold. It’s brilliant. And it’s waiting for its next generation of builders. 

Woolpert has been working with Gwinnett County on their sanitary sewer collection system since 2005. Woolpert has developed the County’s long-term monitoring plan and has been using temporary flow monitoring studies to advance this plan. These temporary studies have included selecting locations and installing the meters, performing monthly maintenance, and data acquisition and processing.

Challenge

The main challenge is to identify, prioritize, and implement a find-and-fix program to reduce infiltration and inflow (I/I) in the County’s system, which includes over 2,140 miles of pipeline ranging from 8 to 72 inches in diameter and contains 197 pump stations and 8 water reclamation facilities.

Solution

For the past 18 years, Woolpert has provided flow monitoring, smoke testing, dye flooding, CCTV inspections, manhole inspections, data review, report preparation services, and technical advisement. Between 2014 and 2015, these activities included smoke testing over 1.5 million feet of sanitary sewer and the inspection of over 6,000 manholes.