Articles by: WFM Staff

The Economics of Leak Detection

The Economics of Leak Detection

Condition Assessment, Water Loss, Water Management April 18, 2017 at 12:30 pm

Taking the Guesswork Out of Water Loss Management with Auditing & Analysis By Lucy Andrews, Reinhard Sturm & Kris Williams The decision to deploy leak detection crews can be difficult. Utility managers often ask, “Will we find enough leakage to justify the expense of hiring leakRead More

A Call to Action for Non-Revenue Water

A Call to Action for Non-Revenue Water

Water Loss, Water Management April 17, 2017 at 9:37 am

A Look at Statewide Efforts to Eliminate the Blind Spot of Water & Revenue Losses By George Kunkel It is a highly unfortunate occurrence for many drinking water utilities that a considerable portion of the water that they withdraw from available resources never reaches aRead More

Balance the Fund with ‘Customer Conversations’

Balance the Fund with ‘Customer Conversations’

Albuquerque Uses Customer Outreach to Gain Deeper Insights into Infrastructure Needs, Conservation and Rate Increases By Frank Roth & Carol Malesky As many utilities look to implement water conservation programs in order to address drought and water shortfalls, the challenge of maintaining a utility’s fundRead More

Technology Stream — Spotlight on Condition Assessment

Technology Stream — Spotlight on Condition Assessment

Editor’s Note: Check out some of the innovative products sent our way this month as we feature condition assessment technology. GraniteNet – The Next Generation Asset-Inspection and Decision Support Software GraniteNet is the next-generation infrastructure inspection and decision support software for water, wastewater, stormwater and municipalRead More

Bucks, Bonds or Borrowing

Bucks, Bonds or Borrowing

Bucks, Bonds or Borrowing By David Clamage Welcome to 2017 – a year that’s certain to be filled with change for you and your business of delivering, treating and addressing the water needs of your community. Politics, as always, will play a role in yourRead More

Valve  Maintenance: 10 Considerations for Pressure Management Zones, DMAs

Valve Maintenance: 10 Considerations for Pressure Management Zones, DMAs

Condition Assessment, Water Management February 28, 2017 at 10:33 am

The Top 10 Valve Considerations for Pressure Management Zones and DMAs By Brad Clarke For basic pressure management or more advanced modulating pressure management, water suppliers create a network of District Metered Areas (DMA’s) or smaller, more manageable pressure zones. The DMA or pressure zoneRead More

Where Is Your Utility on the Smart Water Continuum?

Where Is Your Utility on the Smart Water Continuum?

AMR/AMI, Water Management February 24, 2017 at 8:00 am

Smart Cities Start with Smart Water So, Where Is Your Utility on the Smart Water Continuum? By Dave Hanes What is a smart city? According to Jesse Berst, founder and chairman of the Smart Cities Council, a coalition of organizations that seeks to accelerate theRead More

An opportunity to reduce operating costs that may not be readily apparent is the implementation of Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) to reduce aeration costs while improving effluent quality (Photo credit: Black & Veatch).

Performance Contracting Delivers Maximum Flexibility, Upgrades

Water Management February 23, 2017 at 2:00 pm

How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too Energy Savings Performance Contracting Delivers Maximum Flexibility Along with Upgrades By Pete Thomson & Mike Hanna People who judge sports, video gaming and baking competitions often consider “degree of difficulty” in evaluating performance. That consideration shouldRead More

Raising the Bar: Unique Financing Offers Solution to Fast Track Project in West Texas

Raising the Bar: Unique Financing Offers Solution to Fast Track Project in West Texas

Pipe Selection, Water Management February 20, 2017 at 11:38 am

By Rick Deremiah Although it had a booming economy fueled by the oil and gas industry, Midland, Texas, a city of about 120,000, was running on empty — water, that is. In 2011, West Texas suffered its third worst drought in recorded history. By 2012,Read More

Affordability Programs for Water Utilities

Affordability Programs for Water Utilities

Rates & Affordability, Water Finance February 8, 2017 at 9:00 am

  Customer Assistance Programs Integrated Into Business Processes Can Help Struggling Ratepayers Stay Afloat By Neil Grigg Rate increases by water utilities are needed to sustain high quality services, but their impacts on low-income customers are a major cause of concern. In some communities, theseRead More