Water Finance

Private water markets in the United States are poised for significant growth, according to a new report from Bluefield Research. Privately-owned water supply networks serve 15 percent of the U.S. population.

Recently, Trimble announced that the Orange County Sanitation District has implemented its Trimble Connect software in combination with Trimble Juno T41 rugged Android mobile devices for automating utility manhole maintenance, mapping and inspection.

Last week, U.S. Senators and Representatives from California and Oregon introduced ?W21: Water in the 21st Century,? legislation that would help communities nationwide better prepare for future water management needs.

As many urgent updates to the United States? infrastructure continue to be derailed by a lack of funding, the use of public-private partnerships, also called P3s or PPPs, is providing a viable path to completion for an increasing number of these projects.

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding $2.1 million to 37 organizations in 17 states and Puerto Rico to help protect and restore urban waters, improve water quality and support community revitalization and other local priorities.

At the time of this issue?s publication, the Los Angeles Times reported that the agricultural industry is facing $1 billion in lost revenue while the state could wind up paying an additional $500 million for groundwater pumping. Among the many questions the situation poses, one is, ?How do city leaders cope with these challenges??

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is beginning to explore the use of public-private partnerships to repair the nation’s aging infrastructure due to provisions in the new Water Resources Reform and Development Act.

This month, an estimated 11,000 water professionals will convene in Boston, Mass., for the American Water Works Association?s (AWWA) Annual Conference & Exposition (ACE14). Attending the association?s annual conference is nothing new for people in the water industry. Perhaps for some, attending each year has turned into somewhat of a formality.

The Utah State University (USU) Buried Structures Laboratory has published a comprehensive study on PVC pipe excavations, testing and life cycle analysis. USU, located in Logan, Utah, is also home to the Utah Water Research Laboratory and has significantly contributed to water and wastewater research internationally for more than 50 years.

Membrane filtration is nothing new in the area of water treatment. But while the large majority of municipal water and wastewater treatment plants still use conventional filtration methods, membranes continue to be recognized as the modern filtration technology of choice.