City of Columbus Blueprint

Blueprint Columbus is an integrated planning approach to eliminating sanitary and combined sewer overflows. The program involves the use of green infrastructure, roof water redirection, sanitary lateral lining, and sump pump installation. These four components are referred to as the “pillars” of Blueprint Columbus and collectively work to store and treat stormwater while also reducing inflow and infiltration (I&I) into the sanitary and combined sewer systems.

Coldwater has been involved with Blueprint projects since the beginning of the program and continues to assist the City and prime engineering firms with CIP projects as well as with program and planning support. CIP project support has involved roof water/downspout surveys, GIS siting analyses, conceptual design and renderings, alternatives analyses, preliminary design, and detailed design for potential green infrastructure solutions within the public right-of-way and on vacant parcels. These CIP projects are in varying stages of completion and located in the Hilltop, Linden, Clintonville, Livingston-James, Parsons, Southern Orchards, Fifth by Northwest, and Near South neighborhoods.

Coldwater is also assisting with Professional Construction Management (PCM) services for the initial round of Blueprint projects in Clintonville as well as the second round of projects in the Linden area. Coldwater has assisted with construction-phase public outreach and green infrastructure standards development, preparation of planting plan standards, planting palette optimization, and reviewing resident plant species requests. Coldwater is also assisting the City with various Blueprint Program planning tasks as a subcontractor on the Overall Engineering Contract (OEC) and the Stormwater Strategic Plan Phase 2 project. Tasks under these projects have included assistance with the preparation of a green infrastructure operations, maintenance, and inspection manual; evaluation of regional bioretention opportunities; and public/private partnership support.