Commentary

Safe, Secure & Modern: Future-Proofing Water Supply through Collaboration

Safe, Secure & Modern: Future-Proofing Water Supply through Collaboration

May 22, 2023 at 8:32 am 0 comments

By Constantine Antoniou Sodium hydroxide is used as an acidity control and metal remover by water utilities. Too much of the corrosive material can cause chemical burns and other uncomfortable side effects. In 2021, when a hacker accessed a Florida water utility’s computer system andRead More

Balancing the Risks & Rewards of Underground and Trenchless Delivery Methods

Balancing the Risks & Rewards of Underground and Trenchless Delivery Methods

March 23, 2023 at 11:00 am 0 comments

By Steve Kramer Too few bidders. Bids above engineer’s estimates. Labor shortages. Material shortages and price increases. Delays in design or construction. Increasing claims or change orders. Do these events sound familiar? The underground construction business is impacted by continuing and new challenges. The linearRead More

Non-Revenue Water Trends to Watch This Year

Non-Revenue Water Trends to Watch This Year

March 6, 2023 at 9:30 am 0 comments

By Simon Wick With another year behind us, we are excited about what innovation, collaboration and strategies are trending for non-revenue water (NRW) in 2023. However, five old industry challenges remain certain for the foreseeable future: The industry is slowly moving away from one-time surveysRead More

Community Engagement: A Key Component of Successful Infrastructure Projects

Community Engagement: A Key Component of Successful Infrastructure Projects

February 13, 2023 at 10:30 am 0 comments

By Rebecca Zito Effective community engagement has become a crucial part of water utility operations. Because public expectations have changed dramatically, the silent utility provider is an outdated concept. Communities now demand more from their utility. Modern technology and convenience have forever altered the wayRead More

Commentary: The Clean Water Act at 50

Commentary: The Clean Water Act at 50

December 12, 2022 at 8:28 am 0 comments

By Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells October marked five decades since leaders came together to make a monumental change, impacting our daily lives ever since. And no, I’m not talking about the 50 years that my agency, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, has been protecting public healthRead More

As the Akron team continued to refine its treatment strategies, it discovered that optimal treatment 
resulted in less chemical use than they had previously relied upon. Filter performance was also 
substantially improved.

COMMENTARY: How Can Mass Spectrometry Techniques Identify and Curb ‘Forever Chemicals?’

August 22, 2022 at 9:27 am 0 comments

By Craig Butt As government regulators seek to limit per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – which are chemicals linked to a range of health and environmental risks – testing for these chemicals has proven challenging. Called “forever chemicals” because of the extreme resistance to breakdownRead More

Digital Asset Management: Dynamic Use of Relative Re-Investment Budgets

Digital Asset Management: Dynamic Use of Relative Re-Investment Budgets

June 20, 2022 at 8:09 am 0 comments

Over the past 25 years, Nordic water experts have taken a proactive approach to digital asset management and data-driven decision making that U.S. utilities can learn from to optimize CAPEX spending, reduce OPEX, and ensure efficient and resilient service. By Ulrich Borup Hansen & AndreasRead More

Commentary: From Extractive to Sustainable: A Way Forward for the Water Sector

Commentary: From Extractive to Sustainable: A Way Forward for the Water Sector

June 13, 2022 at 6:00 am 0 comments

By Will Sarni & Austin Alexander Humanity has a long history of extracting natural resources while ignoring damage done to the environment, to communities and to the long-term health and prosperity of whole societies. Traditional approaches to forestry and mining have famously taken their toll,Read More

Commentary: For Better Water System Security, We Need More Carrots, Not Sticks

Commentary: For Better Water System Security, We Need More Carrots, Not Sticks

March 2, 2022 at 6:00 am 0 comments

By Charlie Moskowitz It has been another record-breaking year for cybersecurity incidents. According to Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) research, data breaches in just the first nine months of 2021 surpassed all breaches in 2020 by 17 percent. Many of these incidents have been metRead More

COMMENTARY: When it comes to water utility asset management, data is power

COMMENTARY: When it comes to water utility asset management, data is power

November 15, 2021 at 5:17 am 1 comment

By Michele Samuels Crisis management and emergency response are terms all too familiar to water utilities. As providers of one of our most essential customer services, utility operators have a proven track record in pragmatic problem-solving to ensure continuity for their communities. But as new threatsRead More