WE ARE SEEKING VOLUNTEERS

A rural community in Henry County, TN, is seeking to replace 1,150’ of
4” cast iron water lines that were installed in 1920 with 6” PVC pipes, improving the town’s fire
flow capacity and reliability of water service. As the existing main is over 100 years old, main
has deteriorated substantially and an operator has to flush daily to keep them free of rust.
Additionally, the community experiences substantial water loss from the main (30%), again as a
result of age and condition. Fixing the water lines would result in improved reliability, water
quality, and the switch to 6” main is believed to be able to bring the town in compliance for fire
suppression requirements.
The town is also seeking to implement a stormwater collection system, which would direct water
away from homes in historic flooding areas, into a collection area.

A city in Hempstead County, AR, is currently working on the
installation of a splash pad at a local park. Community members are concerned about
existing and potential drainage concerns as they have experienced stormwater flooding in
the past. When it rains, residents have issues accessing portions of the 25 acre park and
much of the amenities become unusable.

The town is also seeking to implement a stormwater collection system, which would direct water
away from homes in historic flooding areas, into a collection area.

A dam in a rural community in western Wisconsin experienced a failure in
April of 2023, resulting in the complete drainage of the village’s pond. The dam and associated pond
were a centerpiece for this community, providing many recreation opportunities for residents.
Located at a major intersection where many are entering the town, it provides natural scenery, but
also serves as a tourist attraction for an annual festival that draws hundreds of attendees.
The community is now looking for options for repairing/replacing the existing dam, and restoring the
pond, which will involve dredging the pond bed.
The town has been ordered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to either repair or
abandon the dam. The town wants to restore the dam due to the aforementioned benefits it
provides, but is unable to afford such a project as it is currently in the process of building a new
water treatment facility, which has been in the works for many years and is badly needed due to the
age and condition of the current plant.

An underserved community in Guadalupe County, TX, has experienced
significant challenges associated with their decentralized wastewater (septic) systems. It is believed
that the in situ soil conditions are not suitable to septic, leading to widespread failure throughout the
community and untreated sewage contaminating soil and ponding on the ground surface. This has
led to numerous residents becoming infected with gastrointestinal parasites thought long eradicated
in the US. Additionally, the area is prone to flooding, which the community suspects has enabled
untreated sewage to spread. The community is looking to address their wastewater challenges by
either regionalizing with the nearby City of San Marcos utility, or developing a centralized solution for
their community.

A non-denominational and culturally diverse church located in
Cook County, Illinois, has faced significant challenges due to excessive rainfall in the
summer of 2023. After experiencing what the National Weather Service considers a
500-yr storm, the city’s combined sewer backed up into their basement. In addition to
being a place of worship, the church is a non-profit that acts as a food pantry and
community shelter and their operations have been greatly disrupted by the flooding.
Currently, they experience basement flooding every time it rains and they are in need of
a long term solution.

A non-profit, Young Women on the Move (YWOM), helps middle and high school girls in Wyandotte County live healthier and more prosperous lives. They are operating out of a 100-year-old church donated to them in 2017. They have several needs stemming from that space as well as opportunities to expand their environmental justice impact and provide pathways to careers that support those goals. YMOM is planning to renovate a portion of the church. Additionally, adjacent to the church is a condemned property owned by the organization. YWOM is interested in having the property demolished to turn it into an outdoor classroom.

A small, rural community in Illinois experiences flooding issues throughout the community as a result of aging stormwater infrastructure and decades of unregulated drainage modification. The community, which is located in a food desert, has secured funding to develop a grocery store in the community. However, the lot the grocery store is planned to be built on experiences frequent flooding due to the aforementioned stormwater related drainage challenges.

The community has been conducting ongoing maintenance to the sewer system, with current progress including relining manholes, replacing manhole lids, and jetting out lines and replacing components as needed. However, this work is insufficient for what is ultimately needed to address the drainage challenges.

A city in Hempstead County, AR, is currently working on the
installation of a splash pad at a local park. Community members are concerned about
existing and potential drainage concerns as they have experienced stormwater flooding in
the past. When it rains, residents have issues accessing portions of the 25 acre park and
much of the amenities become unusable.

The town is also seeking to implement a stormwater collection system, which would direct water
away from homes in historic flooding areas, into a collection area.

A non-denominational and culturally diverse church located in
Cook County, Illinois, has faced significant challenges due to excessive rainfall in the
summer of 2023. After experiencing what the National Weather Service considers a
500-yr storm, the city’s combined sewer backed up into their basement. In addition to
being a place of worship, the church is a non-profit that acts as a food pantry and
community shelter and their operations have been greatly disrupted by the flooding.
Currently, they experience basement flooding every time it rains and they are in need of
a long term solution.

A small, rural community in Illinois experiences flooding issues throughout the community as a result of aging stormwater infrastructure and decades of unregulated drainage modification. The community, which is located in a food desert, has secured funding to develop a grocery store in the community. However, the lot the grocery store is planned to be built on experiences frequent flooding due to the aforementioned stormwater related drainage challenges.

The community has been conducting ongoing maintenance to the sewer system, with current progress including relining manholes, replacing manhole lids, and jetting out lines and replacing components as needed. However, this work is insufficient for what is ultimately needed to address the drainage challenges.

A rural community in Henry County, TN, is seeking to replace 1,150’ of
4” cast iron water lines that were installed in 1920 with 6” PVC pipes, improving the town’s fire
flow capacity and reliability of water service. As the existing main is over 100 years old, main
has deteriorated substantially and an operator has to flush daily to keep them free of rust.
Additionally, the community experiences substantial water loss from the main (30%), again as a
result of age and condition. Fixing the water lines would result in improved reliability, water
quality, and the switch to 6” main is believed to be able to bring the town in compliance for fire
suppression requirements.
The town is also seeking to implement a stormwater collection system, which would direct water
away from homes in historic flooding areas, into a collection area.

A nonprofit water utility district, which provides drinking water to a rural community in Kootenai County, ID, is looking to update its existing systems. The community’s drinking water infrastructure was developed in the 1960s, and has surpassed its useful service life. The utility is seeking Community Engineering Corps’ support to assist in the development of a Facilities Plan (Preliminary Engineering Report and Environmental Report), which will be used in an application for funding for the system’s rehabilitation. The utility is a small, community-owned water system that has not yet been able to find any assistance to finance a Facilities Plan.

This project is in partnership with the Rural Community Assistance Corporate (RCAC). RCAC plans on completing the Environmental Report component of the Facilities Plan.

A water supply company in rural Yavapai County, AZ, has an aging water system that is beginning to experience failure. One well stopped producing in the summer of 2023, and there are several aging subsystems that the company does not know how to operate, as the technology is outdated, and the associated documents were lost in a fire several years ago. The most urgent need is to replace the pump control systems, ensuring the pumps are able to turn on and off depending on tank fill levels.

Second, the amount of water in the storage tanks changes too rapidly during demand surges. To ensure a steady supply, the client is hoping to increase their storage capacity and replace the well that stopped producing last summer.

Lastly, the company has noted that to service parts of the system, sections need to be shut down, suspending water access to certain areas. The company is looking to install redundant pipes to allow a bypass, ensuring there is no interruption in service for clients.

A dam in a rural community in western Wisconsin experienced a failure in
April of 2023, resulting in the complete drainage of the village’s pond. The dam and associated pond
were a centerpiece for this community, providing many recreation opportunities for residents.
Located at a major intersection where many are entering the town, it provides natural scenery, but
also serves as a tourist attraction for an annual festival that draws hundreds of attendees.
The community is now looking for options for repairing/replacing the existing dam, and restoring the
pond, which will involve dredging the pond bed.
The town has been ordered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to either repair or
abandon the dam. The town wants to restore the dam due to the aforementioned benefits it
provides, but is unable to afford such a project as it is currently in the process of building a new
water treatment facility, which has been in the works for many years and is badly needed due to the
age and condition of the current plant.

A non-profit, Young Women on the Move (YWOM), helps middle and high school girls in Wyandotte County live healthier and more prosperous lives. They are operating out of a 100-year-old church donated to them in 2017. They have several needs stemming from that space as well as opportunities to expand their environmental justice impact and provide pathways to careers that support those goals. YMOM is planning to renovate a portion of the church. Additionally, adjacent to the church is a condemned property owned by the organization. YWOM is interested in having the property demolished to turn it into an outdoor classroom.

Residents of Livingston County Michigan, near the Huron river, experience extreme flooding 2-5 times a year. A group has formed within these townships and has partnered with two organizations to facilitate more landscape-level planning and discussions. In addition, the community group has worked with the individual township to facilitate relocation assistance packages for some residents and to explore grant assistance options through FEMA for raising homes above flood waters.

In 2021 the community applied for a state-funded FEMA grant through the township requesting assistance to elevate 6 homes. They were not awarded the grant due to insufficient information, and sought assistance with development of the technical analysis and reports needed to apply again. Part of the grant application includes engineering designs for these homes. The community worked with a university to develop the technical documents required to apply for FEMA funding and developed a material cost estimate, but the community is needing support with identifying the total construction costs (including contingencies).

An underserved community in Guadalupe County, TX, has experienced
significant challenges associated with their decentralized wastewater (septic) systems. It is believed
that the in situ soil conditions are not suitable to septic, leading to widespread failure throughout the
community and untreated sewage contaminating soil and ponding on the ground surface. This has
led to numerous residents becoming infected with gastrointestinal parasites thought long eradicated
in the US. Additionally, the area is prone to flooding, which the community suspects has enabled
untreated sewage to spread. The community is looking to address their wastewater challenges by
either regionalizing with the nearby City of San Marcos utility, or developing a centralized solution for
their community.

A small, rural community in Illinois experiences flooding issues throughout the community as a result of aging stormwater infrastructure and decades of unregulated drainage modification. The community, which is located in a food desert, has secured funding to develop a grocery store in the community. However, the lot the grocery store is planned to be built on experiences frequent flooding due to the aforementioned stormwater related drainage challenges.

The community has been conducting ongoing maintenance to the sewer system, with current progress including relining manholes, replacing manhole lids, and jetting out lines and replacing components as needed. However, this work is insufficient for what is ultimately needed to address the drainage challenges.