Social media implications, at the recent Illinois Rural Water Conference, was listed as one of the many challenges utilities currently face and will continue to face over the next 10 years. An MIT study concluded that falsehoods are 70% more likely to be shared with...
Sam Wade
Inflation Red Flags
by Sam Wade | Jun 15, 2022 | Financial Shock, ServLine, Water Solutions
Inflation has and will continue to increase operational cost for water and wastewater utilities. These challenges, seeded by the COVID pandemic, require business and utilities to undertake planning to address these immediate challenges. These challenges require...
Apprentice Scholarship Program Develops Skilled Water Workers
by Sam Wade | Jun 3, 2022 | ServLine, Skilled Labor Gap, Water Solutions
The water and wastewater industry has suffered challenges attracting employees over the past few years. The ServLine by HomeServe Apprentice Scholarship is designed to address the challenges faced by rural water systems in attracting and developing the next generation...
Workforce Shortage More Than Local
by Sam Wade | May 24, 2022 | Home Maintenance, ServLine, Water Solutions
Help Wanted signs are prevalent across the United States including in the water and wastewater industry. The workforce shortage will have a far reaching impact on utilities, especially if construction and upgrades are planned. Systems should expect the shortage...
ServLine Shields Ratepayers, Utilities from Water Loss Costs
by Sam Wade | Jul 16, 2021 | Financial Shock, ServLine, Water Solutions
By SAM WADE Retired NRWA CEO Addressing aging water infrastructure is a priority, but rural systems are squeezed financially by an aging and shrinking customer base and increasing regulatory mandates. Much of the costs associated with infrastructure repair and...
Ratepayer Support for Infrastructure
by Sam Wade | May 18, 2021 | Education, ServLine, Water Solutions
While aging infrastructure is a well-known and mounting problem for the water industry, underinvestment can have devastating long-term consequences for the U.S. economy and the American public. While there are various governmental funding programs at the state and...
Recent Posts
Ohio Homeowner Saved by Seamless Claim Process for Water Leak
When Keith saw his water bill, he knew there was something wrong, and he knew just what had happened. Not too long before, he had discovered a leaking hose bib outside his home and had it repaired. “I had no idea how long it had been leaking, though,” he said. The...
Residential Water Conservation Solutions Call for Urgency During Periods of Record Heat
The year 2023 was the warmest since records began in 1850, putting it at 2.43 degrees Fahrenheit above the preindustrial average, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The record was driven by fossil fuels and an El Niño climate...
Municipalities seeking federal funds to address lead service lines may benefit from PPPs
The dangers of lead exposure are well understood, and replacement of lead water service lines is a key factor in limiting this exposure. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has earmarked $15 billion for lead pipe replacements; however, that figure is considerably short...