Sacramento, California has made some tough decisions recently about which areas of its water infrastructure it will upgrade first. The areas in question are the water meters of the entire city or the water mains and other projects. The City Council has allowed Sacramento to draw from funds …
Vanuatu – A Utility Infrastructure Management Perspective
I am sure many of the readers of this site will be following the unfolding story of the damage from Cyclone Pam in the small Pacific nation of Vanuatu. This has been a very large cyclone (typhoon) and has caused widespread damage. Yesterday, immediately after the cyclone communications and …
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Architects Design Water Resiliency Infrastructure for Boston and New York
Following the example of cities such as Hoboken and New Orleans, the cities of Boston, Massachusetts and New York City have both announced exciting new resiliency projects. The project in Boston is called "Living With Water" and is a competition for architects to redesign Boston for the year …
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Controversy Surrounds O’Fallon, IL as They Prepare to Lease their Water Utility
The mayor of O'Fallon, Illinois says that leasing the city's water and wastewater systems to a private company would generate $50 million that could pay for citywide improvements. The issue of water is the hot topic on O'Fallon's April 7 election ballot. Three companies are going head to head …
Hoboken, NJ Awarded for Flood Risk Management Solutions
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has designated the City of Hoboken, New Jersey as a Role Model City for its flood risk management practices. These include the use of green infrastructure to retain large amounts of stormwater runoff. Hoboken is only the second city in the …
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Richmond, Virginia Addresses its Combined Sewer Overflow Systems
Richmond, Virginia has had a fair amount of problems with its water mains recently which has led the city to debate whether they should or shouldn't boil their water. Their outdated combined sewer overflow system is constantly keeping residents guessing as to how much waste the city is dumping in …
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How Can New Orleans Avoid Making a Serious Water Problem Worse
New Orleans is a city that deals with water issues on a sometimes daily basis. As flood-level water pours in, they have a system of levees and pump stations that can have the city clear of the water in 30 minutes. This all seems good at surface level, but below the surface, problems abound. The …
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John Oliver Attempts to Make Infrastructure “Sexy” to Show its Importance
When you hear the word "infrastructure", what is your initial reaction? "Cool!", "Wow", "Sexy", 'Important", or..."What?", "I don't know." This is exactly the point that popular comedian John Oliver tries to make on his show Last Week Tonight. With a satirical smile, Oliver shows …
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Carlisle, PA is Infrastructure Asset Management Planning for the Future of its Sewer System
In the 1950s, towns and cities across America invested in wastewater and water infrastructure, improving and constructing all the necessary systems and installing pipes in place. Then the focus of these towns and cities moved to other things until now. It becomes more obvious every day that …
China – Urbanization and Infrastructure Management Growing Pains
China has been undergoing a remarkable level of growth and urbanization over the past few decades, with just over half of China's population now urban. Urbanization in China is predicted to continue to about 70% of the population, so there is a lot of urban growth still to come. The …
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Water Infrastructure Projects of Barre, New York Gets Funding Grant
The federal government has approved $692,000 for a new water district in the Town of Barre, Orleans County. This was announced by Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday the 24th of Feb. The grant will go towards constructing a new water main, valves, and hydrants that will …
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Texas Debates Brackish Water Desalination — Effects on Infrastructure Asset Management
The use of brackish water is not a new phenomenon for Texas. It was first identified as a supply strategy in the 2007 State Water Plan, and by that point, 80 desalination plants were already operating around the state. However, there has been a consistent debate about the pros and cons of its …