March 10, 2025, New York, NY – CSA Group, a leading provider of Water Resources Engineering, is pleased to announce that it will be presenting at the American Water Works Association New Jersey 2025 Conference. The event will take place from March 18-21, 2025, at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ.
CSA Group’s Subject Matter Expert, Samuel Rivera, a Water Resources Engineer, and Hans Figueora, Corporate Water and Resiliency Practice Leader, will present insights and expertise on the value of hydroinformatics tools. They will discuss designing district metered areas in water distribution networks using “dirty data” during the Artificial Intelligence track. This presentation is part of the conference’s program, which is designed to provide attendees with valuable insights and knowledge to help them stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the industry.
Joining Samuel Rivera and Hans Figueroa will be Sharisha Daita, Senior Program Manager; Alex Pasini, Vice President of Business Development; and Steven Marsich, Water Discipline Manager. The conference, which runs for three days, will feature a range of technical sessions covering the latest topics and issues related to the water industry. In addition, an exhibition hall will showcase the latest products, services, and technologies available to the water community.
“We are excited to participate in this year’s American Water Works Association New Jersey 2025 Conference,” said Samuel Rivera. “We believe this conference is a valuable opportunity for us to connect and engage with other professionals who share our commitment and dedication to leveraging technological advancements in transforming water services and improving decision-making. By embracing and adopting innovative solutions, we strive to address water management challenges more effectively, ensure the provision of clean water for our communities, and enhance the resilience of our aging infrastructure systems.” For more information about the conference, please visit the American Water Works Association New Jersey website, www.njawwa.org.
Presentation Title: Value of hydroinformatics tools: Designing district metered areas in water distribution networks using “dirty data”
Abstract: Over the last decade, the water industry has experienced exponential growth in the availability of hydroinformatic tools and services (i.e., the combination of simulation and decision-making models with information and communication technologies) to support the integrated, adaptive, and sustainable planning and management of water infrastructure over time. Nevertheless, despite these technological advances, their use for design and decision-making in water infrastructure projects is often hindered by steep data requirements and an inability to consider unique project needs. To date, many of the readily available tools/software were designed to aid and enhance the processes associated with completing specific tasks (e.g., creating and maintaining a hydraulic model, detecting potential failures in the system by analyzing large amounts of data, etc.). As such, these tools/software often have a limited ability to be modified and repurposed to consider the unique complexities of different water systems. Moreover, they frequently lack the ability to consider different degrees of completeness and uncertainty associated with the available data for the system. Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the increasing availability of open-source software have made many of the underlying algorithms used in hydroinformatic tools/software more broadly available and accessible to the public. This situation provides an opportunity to develop and offer customizable hydroinformatic tools that can respond to the specific needs of the planning and design workflows used to deliver water infrastructure projects. In this presentation, we will discuss the value of integrating hydroinformatics tools into the design process as a way to bridge the gap between specific project needs (e.g., incomplete data) and decision-making. Using the water distribution system of a municipality that serves a population of 17,246 as a case study, we show how hydroinformatics tools were used to enhance the planning of district metered areas (DMAs) when considering different degrees of data completeness and project objectives. The results highlight the value of offering hydroinformatics services as an integrated part of the design process by enabling a more holistic evaluation of the system and the optimization of the strategic plan for its implementation.
About Samuel Rivera
Samuel Rivera serves as a Water Resources Engineer in the Water Department. Prior to his current role, he was an Assistant Professor at the School of Construction and Civil Engineering at Oregon State University. Samuel’s research at the University focused on the development and application of water resources systems analysis, cyberinfrastructure, and urban hydroinformatics. His work utilized “Big Data” and spatiotemporal data-driven models to address complex hydraulic and hydrologic challenges, including green stormwater infrastructure design, combined sewer overflows, urban flooding, and the planning and management of resilient water distribution networks. Samuel earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. He also holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he specialized in Hydroinformatics and Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems.
About Hans Figueroa
Hans Figueroa, PE, BCEE, ENV SP is CSA’s Corporate Water and Resiliency Practice Leader. During the past 20 years, Hans has evolved professionally from a staff water engineer to a discipline manager, leveraging his technical process and water/wastewater treatment background. He has led numerous water resources and utility engineering projects, including subject matter expert work for notable water utilities in North America, including: NYCDEP, DC Water, WSSC, South Florida Water Management District, and Puerto Rico Water and Sewer Authority (PRASA). In his previous position, he was the Pre-Construction Program Manager for CSA’s CIP management contract with PRASA, where he led a team of 15 people in the planning and design management of 50 linear and vertical infrastructure rehabilitation projects. Hans also has a strong background in sustainability and resiliency, adding dimension and depth to his expertise.
About American Water Works Association
Established in 1881, the American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the world’s most vital resource. With approximately 50,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life.