Utilities Engineering

Our Utilities Engineering team has the expertise to deliver water and wastewater projects from the master planning phase through engineering design and construction. Every project is guided by a registered professional engineer to navigate the unique design limitations, permitting, funding concerns, and needs of each individual project.

Our team is supported by engineers, planners, designers, field technicians, and inspectors in all divisions of Draper Aden Associates to provide the best solutions to a variety of water and wastewater problems. Our Utilities Engineering work is enhanced by our understanding of the communities we serve. Together we are committed to providing innovative solutions for the health, safety, and comfort of the communities around us.

Hydraulic Modeling

Water and wastewater hydraulic modeling services include initial development and calibration of both water and wastewater system models, maintenance of and updates to existing models, and model analysis under both steady state and dynamic conditions. Using these models, we can identify problem areas within a system, plan for future growth, and help utilities prioritize future capital improvements. Draper Aden Associates uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to better manage resources, plan strategies, manage geographic data, track environmental compliance, assess environmental impacts, and perform statistical analyses with the unique visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps. We offer complete GIS services and can provide final products in a format that can be integrated into our client’s existing GIS data.

Water & Wastewater Design

Water and wastewater design has been a foundation of the engineering services provided by Draper Aden Associates since we were founded in 1972. We offer our clients a broad range of technical expertise in treatment plants, pipelines, and pump stations over a range of services from preliminary to final design, permitting assistance, bid assistance, construction management and administration, project inspection, and facility start-up.

Asset Management

Draper Aden Associates assists municipalities with asset management program implementation, affording owners the opportunity to move from a state of reactive operations and maintenance to one that is more proactive and sustainable. We can help with the development of data collection and management, development of preventative maintenance programs, implementation of work order tracking and reporting systems, and development of risk-based Capital Improvement Plans. Our approach relies upon direct coordination with Operations and Maintenance staff, completion of baseline physical and performance condition assessments, identification of probabilities of failure and criticalities of the assets, and calculation of risk scores to prioritize rehabilitation and/or replacement.

Rate Studies

Draper Aden Associates has a long history of providing water and sewer rate analysis to municipal clients. Our understanding of the operation of utilities, the regulatory environment, and the needed capital investment enhances our ability to analyze current revenues and expenses and project the user charges that will be needed in the future. Our rate studies have focused on adjusting rates to incorporate increases in operating expenses, developing rates that enable the utility to finance capital programs, and restructuring rates to better suit the usage patterns of the customers. Further, we understand the financial benchmarks lenders are using in reviewing the utility’s ability to borrow. Draper Aden Associates is a recognized expert in the field of municipal user rates, and we pride ourselves on our ability to present the data and the recommended rates to elected officials in a way that is not only easy to understand, but in a way that enables both the public and the elected officials to support the rate increases.