Development Versus Infrastructure

The economy is thriving in 2019 and everyone is attempting to make the most of it, including developers.  Land prices are increasing as large tracts are not as readily available near municipalities. Whether commercial or residential, development increases the tax base for municipalities, which helps fund the local and state infrastructure programs.

City of Alcoa Celebrates Its Centennial

The City of Alcoa was chartered by the Tennessee General Assembly on July 1, 2019.  Only two months later, the City began its first paving and sewer program.  As the City of Alcoa celebrates this centennial year, LDA Engineering salutes the City and its Public Works and Engineering Department, which envisions a quality community built on foundations of the past … Read More

Tax Increment Financing

By Kim Chaney-Bay Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is an economic development tool used by local governments to pay for public infrastructure and other improvements related to a particular development project.

Nashville’s Central Wastewater Treatment Plant

By Bart Netherland, EI For the past year and a half, a small team of LDA engineers has been using innovative design approaches to help transition an existing mid-century wastewater treatment plant to a more efficient, durable, environmentally sensitive facility. At the center of this large project is the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was built in 1958 in Nashville … Read More

HEC-RAS Innovations

By Tara Mallison, PE Watershed modeling utilizing Hydrologic Engineering Center – River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software has come a long way over the past four years.

Sanitary Solutions: KUB / Loves Creek Sanitary Sewer Improvements

By Taylor Hagood, EI Underground sewer infrastructure is an often-forgotten piece of the public infrastructure puzzle that creates the opportunity for us to live and build strong, happy communities. Although it’s not something we think about daily, it is one thing that provides value to the quality of our daily lives. We don’t worry about sewer infrastructure on a daily … Read More

2018 – Reflecting Why We do What We do

By Jason Brooks, PE What is our why at LDA Engineering? Simply put… We serve communities to help make them stronger and happier. Hmmm…so what does that look like? Strong communities have reliable, adequate and accessible infrastructure for basic needs and mobility, along with good capital improvement plans to meet the growing needs of today and well into the future.

2018 TCAPWA & SWANA Conference

By Steve Drummer, PE The Tennessee Chapter of the American Public Works Association (TCAPWA) and the Solid Waste Association of America (SWANA) held their annual conference from October 21 – 23, 2018.  Hosted by the TCAPWA Middle Branch, the event was held at the Doubletree Downtown Hotel in Nashville.

FUNDING YOUR DRINKING WATER OR WASTEWATER PROJECT WITH STATE REVOLVING FUND LOANS

By Emily Kelly, PE While we wish there were a free lunch, or in the case of drinking water and wastewater project funding, a grant, those days appear to be gone forever.  Increasingly, financially strapped communities find themselves looking at repairing aging infrastructure. In many cases, however, the aging infrastructure can no longer be repaired; it is unsafe for public … Read More

Global Streets: Part 2

By Stephanie Livingston, PLA, EI Our last blog post, “Global Streets: Part 1”, focused on how streets around the world are transitioning to become quality spaces for all.   As we continue to examine the National Association of City Transportation Official’s (NACTO) Global Street Design Guide, it is important to consider how these concepts can be applied to our local communities … Read More