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AECOM’s New York Water Business Leader Says Climate Change Threatens Area’s Waste and Water Infrastructure

Parul Dubey on May 13, 2019 - in News, Water

Promotes Public Private Partnerships as Way for Communities to Upgrade Vulnerable Systems

New York, NY (May 13, 2019) – With climate change threatening the stability of critical infrastructure in municipalities around the world, Paul Storella — AECOM’s Chief Strategy Officer and Water Business Leader in Metro New York — highlighted the need for New York-area localities to modernize their centuries-old water and waste systems. 

Storella spoke at a Monday workshop entitled “Innovative Water Solutions: Leveraging Engineering, Technology and Finance” — part of the 2019 Smart Cities Conference.

He said sea-level rise and extreme weather events could destabilize already-fragile water infrastructure, leading to contaminated drinking water and severe public health repercussions. Storella added that public private partnerships are one of the best ways for local governments to leverage the expertise and financial capacity of the private sector to boost resilience in communities.

“A community’s resilience is fundamentally dependent on access to clean safe drinking water because it is the most essential element of human life. But historic communities like those in the New York metro area are often living with vulnerable water and waste infrastructure that was built decades or even centuries ago. The futures of these communities will greatly depend on the steps they take now to fortify these critical systems against the looming threat of climate change, and they should consider the design and consulting experts at AECOM as willing partners in these efforts,” said Paul Storella.

Mr. Storella will speak again at the Smart Cities Conference this Wednesday May 15 as part of a panel entitled, “Innovative Investment in Water Infrastructure to Adapt to Climate Change.” That panel will be held at Pier 36 from 12:55 PM to 1:30 PM.

On Thursday May 16, Mr. Storella will speak at the Infraday East Conference on a panel entitled, “Water and Environment Infrastructure – Increasing Resiliency.” That discussion will take place at 4:20 PM at the Harmonie Club in Manhattan.

About Paul Storella

Paul Storella leads overall strategy for the New York Metro and also oversees the Water group at AECOM. The Water group provides planning, design, and construction/program management services for large-scale water and wastewater infrastructure projects throughout New York and New Jersey. In this capacity, he also provides executive oversight of key clients, including the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

Under Storella’s leadership, the water group’s portfolio has expanded to include flood hazard risk reduction and is currently working on many of the major coastal resiliency projects in the region, including Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency, Rebuild By Design–Meadowlands, Rebuild By Design–Hudson, and Battery Park City South.

In his more than 30-year career, Storella has worked on many significant water and wastewater projects including the Deer Island Sewage Treatment Plant, the centerpiece of the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority’s program to protect Boston Harbor; the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center in Atlanta, a tertiary treatment facility; and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s expansion of the wastewater collection system in Alexandria, Egypt. 

Storella hails from Boston and currently lives on Long Island. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University and a Master of Business Administration from Long Island University.

 

About AECOM

 

AECOM (NYSE:ACM) is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate critical infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organizations. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOMhad revenue of approximately $20.2 billion during fiscal year 2018. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM.

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