Water seems ubiquitous – we turn on the tap, and it’s there. However, less than two percent of water on the planet is freshwater, and only 1 percent is available as drinking water – the rest is frozen. The United Nations predicts that two-thirds of the world...
As Congress and the president eye a bipartisan effort at improving our aging infrastructure, the time for a wide-reaching infrastructure program to rebuild water, electric, transportation and information infrastructure, is now. The need for locally-based planning and...
In a previous newsletter we introduced the idea of Six Pillars that must be addressed to reverse the dire state of America’s water infrastructure. The solution lies in leadership and a plan that addresses these many challenges comprehensively. Pillar #1...
President Trump is inviting local and state governments to “Build a Stronger America” through investment in infrastructure. The president’s plan is to spur $1.5 trillion in investment by distributing $200 million in matching grants, while putting decision making into...
National League Of Cities Written by Cathy Spain In the late 1970s, I was a research economist writing guidebooks for local officials about the affordability of new infrastructure to achieve national water quality standards. At the time, new wastewater treatment...
Potable water is valuable and requires time, labor and resources to produce and deliver to ratepayers, and water utilities are expected to maintain a constant, clean supply with aging infrastructure and rates that are less than ideal. We’ve looked at recouping costs...
Three percent of water on our planet is freshwater and only 1 percent is suitable for drinking, so it’s not difficult to see that we must conserve water for the planet – a plan that can save utilities and their customers money. Conservation is good for the planet and...
A state audit found that Pittsburgh is losing half of the clean water it processes; Olean, N.Y., loses two of every five gallons; Ontario, Canada, is losing $700 million a year in water leaks – the list goes on and on. America alone loses an estimated 2.1 trillion...
As municipal officials turn to the cost-savings and environmental and social benefits of green infrastructure, there’s one important factor that can mean the difference between success and failure: community buy-in. How do you convince residents not only to buy-in to...
As municipal officials look to improve infrastructure, rehabilitate distressed neighborhoods and make communities more livable, many are turning to green infrastructure, which uses existing infrastructure, such as parks, to contain and filter water and direct it away...
Aside from wasting a tremendous amount of water, leaking water and sewer lines can result in unexpected high water bills and repair emergencies for which your customers are unprepared. Leaks are also costly to the utility, leading to lost revenue, bad debt and...
In addition to public infrastructure challenges, water systems are dedicating resources to support customers with myriad private infrastructure issues. An average household in the U.S. uses about 300 gallons of water every day, 12% of which is lost to water leaks from...
“Among residential customers, water leaks in their home used to be a real problem for us,” Cam, who has been GM at Kingsbury General Improvement District of Stateline, Nevada (KGID) since 2008 explained. “It wasn’t so much the financial cost to us because of the way...
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