Working with the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, Barr developed a risk-based program to help HCRRA manage its stormwater infrastructure and evaluate the likelihood of stormwater infrastructure failure and the possible consequences of failure. The risk assessment used spatial data of HCRRA’s stormwater infrastructure and other parameters related to topography, hydrology, soils, and other county and public infrastructure (such as roads, trails, railroads, and structures) as well as stormwater infrastructure condition assessment and inspection data.
Barr developed a methodology that ranks the relative consequence and likelihood of failure of all HCRRA's stormwater infrastructure. A risk matrix was created using the results of those rankings to help identify and prioritize recommended actions related to ongoing inspection, maintenance, and replacement of HCRRA's stormwater infrastructure. In addition to providing inspection frequency recommendations for each risk-based category, Barr also identified potential municipal, watershed district, and watershed management organization partners and developed planning-level cost estimates to remove and replace failing infrastructure. We also conducted a screening-level evaluation of water-quality improvement opportunities in relation to future culvert maintenance or replacement efforts and developed high-level cost estimates to remove, repair, and replace failing infrastructure.