Private Financing / P3s

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.

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.

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and Ranking Member Nick J. Rahall, II (D-W.Va.) have announced the establishment of the Committee?s next special panel, which will focus on the use of and opportunities for public-private partnerships (P3s).

United Water currently chairs SWIC and provides water and wastewater services to approximately 5.7 million people in the United States. In addition to owning and operating 20 water utilities, the company operates 100 municipal and industrial water and wastewater systems through innovative public-private partnerships and contract agreements.

According to a recent ITT study, there are approximately 650 potable water main breaks every day. That means there are millions of gallons of drinking water being leaked into the soil ? undermining other infrastructure and environmental stability.

Public-private partnerships (P3s) in the water sector are used increasingly as a means for addressing infrastructure around the globe.

Water Utility Infrastructure Management (UIM) is pleased to announce that Steve Maxwell has joined its editorial board. Maxwell is Managing Director of TechKNOWLEDGEy Strategic Group, based in Boulder, Colo.

Aclara, a leader in Intelligent Infrastructure technologies part of the Utility Solutions Group of ESCO Technologies Inc., announced that the Toho Water Authority, Kissimmee, Fla., has chosen the STAR Network advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system for a phased deployment, beginning with a 5,100-meter pilot.

Attendees to the Plastic Pipes XV Conference, Sept. 20-22, 2010 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada will now have more sessions available than at previous conferences.