?Payback? is getting more from an investment than what you invested. Every last one of us intuitively makes payback estimations before investing our money, time, careers and everything else. Some people do some actual math. That is seldom required for most decisions. Whether we use math or just intuition, we all seek positive paybacks, meaning we want more out of our investments than what we put in.

Water utility managers today have an often unenviable task: make the most of the assets they have to offset rising operational costs, both in the short and long terms. The key is water efficiency. In addition to the obvious, the resource itself, ?water efficiency? speaks as well to wise management of infrastructure, energy, revenue and more.

Wastewater facilities are faced with a myriad of challenges: aging infrastructure, rising labor costs and difficulty in getting rate increases to properly fund maintaining their operations. This has focused many utilities on looking for smart ways to cut costs without negatively affecting their ability to perform their mission

Imagine it is a typical Tuesday morning and your alarm sounds. You slap at the buttons to turn off the blaring buzz, climb out of bed and shuffle to your bathroom to wash your face and brush your teeth. You are getting ready to start your day as an operator at the nearby drinking water treatment plant. You go turn on your tap, but nothing comes out. You try the shower and, again, nothing. The same goes for the kitchen faucet, the one next to your coffee pot. No shower, no pearly whites, no coffee?this is not going to be a good day.

Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) publishes ?The Report Card for America?s Infrastructure,? which grades the current state of the nation?s infrastructure categories on a scale of A through F. This year, the U.S. infrastructure earned a D+ average — only a slight improvement from 2009. The report card provides an updated look at the state of U.S. infrastructure conditions, but there is also a larger question at stake: How does a D for infrastructure affect America?s economic future?

Ultraviolet (UV) light is a form of light that is invisible to the human eye. Specific wavelengths, between 200 and 300 nanometres (or billionths of a metre), are categorized as germicidal ? meaning they eliminate bacteria, viruses and protozoa. UV has been used to disinfect water since the early 1900s. Today, UV is applied to treat various water issues in municipalities all over the world

Xylem Inc., last week, signed a $158 million financing agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to fund innovative and aspirational research and development (R&D) projects across Europe.

WEX Events Limited has a wonderful track record when it comes to organizing specialist high level summits for the global water and energy sectors.

Drinking water experts will convene at the Sacramento Convention Center, Feb. 5-6 for a symposium focused on inorganic contaminants found in water. The Inorganic Contaminants Symposium will feature presentations and seminars led by renowned U.S. and international experts. Topics include new techniques for treatment andRead More

CH2M HILL announced last week that the Spokane County Regional Water Reclamation Facility (SCRWRF) in Spokane, Wash., has earned the Washington Industrial Energy Leaders (WIEL) Award for its innovative energy management. Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire presented the WIEL Leadership in Innovation Utility Sponsor Award toRead More