By John Ryan Stakeholders of the U.S. EPA WIFIA loan program will recall that the program ran into a serious-sounding issue about correct budgeting a few years ago. The issue arises when a WIFIA loan is made to an infrastructure project that has some degreeRead More

A split second: that’s all it takes for calm to turn into calamity. On Dec. 10, 2021, residents of Mayfield, Kentucky, settled into their homes, unaware of the destruction headed their way. In just three minutes, a devastating tornado touched down, claiming 22 lives andRead More

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 Because public expectations have changed dramatically, the silent utility provider is an outdated concept.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

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a $340 million financing commitment to upgrade the City of Philadelphia’s aging drinking water infrastructure, including replacing customers’ lead service lines. The agency says a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) low-interest loan will jumpstart theRead More

The Town of Wayland, Massachusetts, has announced it has filed a lawsuit against multiple manufacturers of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for their involvement in the manufacture and sale of products containing per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The defendants in the lawsuit are 3M Company, E.I.Read More

The recent announcement of Xylem’s agreement to acquire Evoqua was significant news for the municipal water/wastewater utility sector. According to Xylem, the $7.5 billion deal will help the combined company achieve a global reach in a range of water-related markets. The company will be ledRead More

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) expressed its disappointment this week at the outcome of a nearly five-year process to significantly overhaul the U.S. EPA’s Financial Capability Assessment (FCA) Guidance and ‘meaningfully address’ the growing ratepayer affordability gap. First issued in 1997, theRead More

Several critical initiatives are facing the U.S. water utility sector including pipe repair and replacement, funding, long-term water supply, workforce issues, cybersecurity and emergency planning. It’s a mix of challenges affecting both daily operations and future threats more indicative of the modern era. They willRead More

In January 2023, the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) released its 2022 U.S. State Policy Scorecard for Water Efficiency and Sustainability (Scorecard), which ranks each U.S. state based on its adoption of laws and policies that advance water efficiency, conservation, sustainability and affordability. California wasRead More

We know that a digital twin is a realistic and dynamic virtual representation of a physical asset, process or system created by integrating existing models and data. But what makes it unique among many of the software offerings available to water systems? What are some of theRead More