TRACK 2, DAY 2
Watercourse Collector App: Results from a Multi-year Watercourse Deficiency Monitoring Program in the City of Hamilton
Thursday, March 27, 2025 | 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | Hall F
ABSTRACT
Presently, Ontario communities invest billions of dollars constructing, maintaining and operating their water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure to minimize impacts on waterways and reduce risk to public property and assets.
Understanding and mitigating these hazards is paramount as the impacts are far-reaching, costly, and critical to the vulnerability of assets. Cities are in need of mitigation strategies that are both successful and cost effective.
A key question that must be answered is where and when to act in terms of investing in the rehabilitation and/or maintenance of watercourses, which include the infrastructure and erosion control structures found within.
The City of Hamilton, together with AECOM, developed the Watercourse Collector App and accompanied training manual that provides the foundation to properly identify deficiencies, and subsequently rank and prioritize risks to private property and City assets.
This presentation will discuss the development of the aforementioned app and the key watercourse attributes used within to identify deficiencies. Case studies will be presented to illustrate the different deficiencies identified over three years of watercourse monitoring data, along with the process used to prioritize and rank them.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Hector Quintero, City of Hamilton
Hector Quintero is an experienced professional with over 15 years of municipal expertise and a proven track record in project management, infrastructure maintenance, and water resources management.
A graduate of McMaster University with a degree in Civil Engineering, Hector has further honed his skills with specialized project management training from Sheridan College.
Throughout his career, Hector has built a diverse portfolio of work, combining both consulting and municipal experience. He spent the majority of his career with the City of Hamilton, where he has held a variety of technical and leadership roles.
His experience spans a wide range of projects and responsibilities, from designing and managing large-scale operational initiatives to leading teams in the operations, maintenance and enforcement of municipal water/wastewater/stormwater systems.
In his current role as Project Manager for Stormwater Operations and Maintenance, Hector is responsible for the management and upkeep of the City of Hamilton’s stormwater management ponds, watercourses, shorelines, and other related drainage assets.
He plays an integral role on the assumption of new assets, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations, and driving efforts to improve the City’s drainage infrastructure. He is also the Council-appointed Drainage Superintendent, overseeing the upkeep of municipal drains and supporting new drainage petitions.
With a strong commitment to sustainable infrastructure management and a deep understanding of the technical and regulatory challenges involved, Hector brings a strategic perspective to every project he undertakes.
His leadership and expertise have been integral to advancing the City of Hamilton’s environmental and stormwater management objectives, and he continues to play a key role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the City’s drainage systems.
Meghan Sauro, AECOM
Meghan Sauro is a graduate from Western University with over five years of research and field experience in aquatic environments, specializing in both fluvial geomorphology and stream ecology.
Her Master’s research focused on particle movement and scour dynamics in the San Juan River, British Columbia.
Meghan has worked as a fluvial specialist with AECOM for over a year, contributing to a range of projects involving geomorphic assessments, meander belt studies as well as channel design and construction monitoring.
Meghan is consistently expanding her expertise and applying practical knowledge in the field of fluvial geomorphology.