Living with Water

“Glacier preservation” is the focus of United Nations World Water Day 2025 on March 22, a reminder that every water-related project can have consequences that impact frozen water resources.

WSP is making sure that its impact is a positive one.

Six of our water experts shared their experiences on water projects, perspective on water management trends and how their work benefits glacier health worldwide.

Pinar Balci, PhD, senior vice president, New York City water lead New York, New York As lead for our design contract on the New York City Housing Authority’s Cloudburst Management Program project, Balci uses “blue-green” infrastructure to address high-intensity rainstorms that overwhelm the city’s sewer systems.

Robert Cipolletti, AIPG, senior vice president, senior technical director, geology Alamonte Springs, Florida Cipolletti helps clients develop cost-effective ways to manage PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) issues, particularly soil management during construction, remediation and foam transition from aqueous film-forming foam to fluorine-free foams.

Sarah Lingley, vice president, Oregon water business lead Portland, Oregon Lingley leads water system risk and resilience assessments in the northwest, including the Carolina Sewer Trunk Replacement Project for Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services. She recently delivered the design to replace a 42-inch sewer tunnel in an area with steep topography and urban congestion.

Sarah Merrill, PE, lead consultant, senior water and wastewater engineer Portland, Oregon Merrill served as lead engineer for the water improvement portion of the East Marginal Way project, which increased system resiliency, providing uninterrupted water to critical users, including fire-fighting systems, port terminals and the Coast Guard, after a seismic event.

Joshua Palmer, senior vice president, West water development director Salt Lake City, Utah Palmer is leading or working with multiple teams that are pursuing improvements to drinking water, wastewater, surface water and dams, as well as mitigating impacts from emerging contaminants and several other water protection efforts.

Sonia Wu, PE, PMP, senior lead water resource engineer Baltimore, Maryland Wu is project manager for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Parkway Water Resource Recovery Facility Effluent Channel Replacement, leading design and permitting for a project to upgrade aging infrastructure with a focus on sustainability and regulatory compliance.

Balci: Improved visibility. Traditionally, stormwater management involved hidden infrastructure like underground retention/detention tanks or temporarily storing runoff in basins or ponds to control peak runoff and reduce flooding. Now the focus is on making these systems visible and multifunctional. These spaces can serve as recreational areas during dry weather and stormwater storage during heavy rainfalls while incorporating stormwater harvesting/re-use for purposes of water supply augmentation. This holistic approach changes the way cities deal with water—moving from “getting rid of water” to “living with water and reusing it” to benefit our communities and improve resiliency.

Merrill: More public agencies will start implementing seismic design criteria in their standards for future pipeline designs. Implementing seismic and hazard resiliency into our work is already helping our clients provide rapid service to the public following a hazardous event and allow flow to remain continuous without disruption after a seismic event.

Wu: Integration of smart water technologies and digital monitoring systems is a game-changer for the water industry. Real-time data analytics, AI-driven predictive maintenance and digital twins can help utilities detect issues early, reduce operational costs and extend the lifespan of critical infrastructure.

Cipolletti: New developments in sustainable remediation approaches to PFAS will help clients manage their liabilities without resorting to marginally sustainable approaches, reduce remediation costs and promote development of off-the-shelf technologies that can be deployed easily.

Lingley: As utilities integrate increasingly complex treatment systems into their facilities to address water quality and safety, it will drive innovation that will require cost-efficient and effective solutions as regulatory frameworks evolve, pushing the industry to adopt new technologies and practices that ensure safer drinking water.

Palmer: The marriage of civil and software engineering best practices will deliver a project delivery experience that is more transparent, accountable, efficient and effective. AI will play a critical role in this, providing ways to predict with greater accuracy equipment failures and maintenance needs, anticipate future flooding risk and use data to analyze future water quality patterns to protect drinking water from potential contamination. We are integrating these principles and technologies on several projects and it has built trust, adding a user experience that makes our clients’ lives easier.

Wu: Glaciers are vital freshwater resources and their loss disrupts water availability and intensifies extreme weather. Our stormwater and flood mitigation efforts address increased runoff and erosion linked to glacier melt. By designing climate-resilient, energy-efficient water infrastructure, we support communities while managing glacier loss impacts.

Palmer: Water is the planet’s most precious resource. We have to rethink how we build communities to be part of the solution. For example, in the water-starved west, drought-resilient vegetation often has 80 percent less water demand. Replacing non-use turf with pollinator friendly water-wise landscaping can be a part of the water supply and emissions reduction solution.

Lingley: Our projects align with sustainability and resilience principles through our Future Ready® program that indirectly benefit glaciers. This program emphasizes designing and constructing projects that minimize negative climate impacts while meeting project goals, which benefits glacier preservation efforts.

Balci: Stormwater management projects incorporate nature-based approaches that promote a holistic approach to environmental sustainability. WSP’s initiatives—such as designing green infrastructure, wetlands and living shorelines—contribute to greenhouse gas emission reductions, supporting global efforts to combat glacier loss.

Merrill: I am currently working on a master plan for a project to evaluate ways to reduce the amount of freshwater pulled from a river by using treated wastewater for more beneficial applications, such as irrigation canals and crop land. These non-standard water uses helps navigate the reduced freshwater availability resulting from glacier loss.

Cipolletti: The aviation work we do helps U.S. airports achieve greenhouse gas reductions, which helps reduce carbon emissions, thus reducing the climate impact on glaciers. It is an indirect, but positive, impact.