Articles by: Contributing Author

Significant Water Loss Leads to New Technologies, Improved Service for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina By Molly Kilmas The EPA report from 2014 didn’t have good news for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). Its water system was experiencing an overallRead More

By Kevin Hardiman The local newspaper for my town described us as having two seasons: winter and construction. I’m sure my peers around the country can appreciate the joke. But the truth is, we do spend the time between periods in which we can carryRead More

By Erin Boeke Burke What Does “Affordable” Mean? There are a wide range of opinions on what it means for water and sewer service to be “affordable.” To some, water is a human right, others a property right, and still others a commodity. One thingRead More

By Alan Ambler Most municipalities that have been maintaining aging infrastructure for decades simply absorb the effort and costs required to repair water main pipeline breaks when they occur. Seldom do many municipalities make the efforts required to track the costs and evaluate the costRead More

By Greg Baird Overnight, our worldview on public health has changed. The global threat of COVID-19 has forced all of us – as individuals, as families, as communities and as water operators – to re-evaluate our priorities. Water and wastewater facilities are re-examining emergency plans,Read More

By Kristy Neckowicz Recently one of our clients, an engineering director of a major water utility, made a bold claim when she stated, “Against the will of every engineer, their job needs them to also be an accountant.” I’d argue that the same applies for everyRead More

By Ian MacLeod It doesn’t matter which came first — chickens, eggs, farmers or consumers. When water scarcity is involved, all parties are interdependent. Limiting agricultural or industrial water use in favor of residential use does a community no good if the local economy cannot supportRead More

Municipal pipe market spend makes up 30 percent of overall utility CAPEX for water infrastructure. In part, to address aging pipes, bursts, and other leakage management issues, the pipe market is turning to new materials (plastic) and new technologies (trenchless). More than $234 billion (USD)Read More

By Megan Glover In October 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its long-awaited proposed revisions to the existing Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). The proposal would update the original 1991 rule, change the current standards and add several new responsibilities for water utilitiesRead More

By Glenn Barnes Water systems exist to serve their communities. But do the water system’s rate structure, prices, and policies align with community values? The annual rate process is an opportunity to measure this. Every year, water systems should calculate the annual cost of providingRead More