Toronto is a Canadian city looking to the future, a future that includes climate change. There have been reports and conversations over the last few years discussing whether or not Toronto's wastewater treatment plant can handle sewage during extreme weather. During the summer storm of 2013, …
Singapore’s Innovative Water System – Good Utilities Infrastructure Management
This year the words 'California' and 'drought' have become synonymous in media throughout the world, but it is interesting to note that California is not the only place to struggle with very limited water resources. Singapore has had a permanent water crisis ever since the island city-state was …
Infrastructure Management Planning – Solution for Water-less CA Town
East Porterville is a rural city with a population of 6,700 - mostly poor Latino farmworkers; and this city has a big problem - there is no more water. Nearly 1000 private wells that once delivered water to homes and small businesses have dried up, leaving residents with very limited options and …
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Major Gains in Utility Infrastructure Asset Management at Taunton MA
In 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an order to Taunton, Massachusetts to eliminate all CSO from its water systems. Originally the city was given a 2013 deadline, but this has since been extended. Years ago, city managers concluded that relining aged sewer lines is far …
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Infrastructure Asset Management – Wichita Falls TX Beats the Drought
Although the drought lingers in Texas and other Western states, Wichita Falls has taken a very proactive approach. They are currently the only U.S. city to serve recycled wastewater to homes. Wichita Falls relies on reservoirs and continues to be under a Stage 5 drought emergency. Last year …
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Infrastructure Implications of California’s Water Reduction
There has been a lot of talk in the last couple of weeks about the Governor of California’s water restrictions. He is calling for mandatory 25% reductions in potable water usage in urban areas. There are many issues to work out regarding how these reductions will be implemented across the …
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Californian Drought-Fighters Learn from Australia’s Experience
Australia is well known for managing almost every drop of water available to it, to make the most of the supplies on the driest inhabited continent. This has not gone unnoticed by California, which is now looking to the land Down Under for inspiration on ways to manage its …
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Will Mayor’s Declaration of Infrastructure Emergency Solve Jackson Mississippi’s Funding Issue?
On March 27 Tony Yarber, Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi declared an infrastructure emergency, which expired after seven days. Soon after, Mayor Yarber signed a second emergency declaration declaring a 30-day emergency. This second declaration has yet to be approved by the City Council, who are …
Avoiding Water Politics in the American West through Infrastructure Management Tools
In the American West, nothing sets politics aflame as quickly as water. In early April, California Governor Jerry Brown (D) issued mandatory restrictions on water use. This has never before happened in California and is just another step on the path to combating the now 4-year drought. 60% of the …
Interesting Economic Fact on the USA – More Water Systems than Schools
The ongoing drought in the American West has been raising concerns about the nation's water use and supply. Water scarcity has both political and economical ramifications. The Hamilton Project has taken the recent water crisis seriously and has written a paper highlighting nine economic facts …
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Asset Management Planning and CA Water Agencies and Native Tribes Water Disputes
The two largest water agencies in California's Coachella Valley are seeking to appeal a federal judge's ruling that the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has a "reserved right" to groundwater. Desert Water Agency maintains that everyone, including the tribe, should have equal access to …
In Preparation for Water Week
The Water Environment Federation, or WEF, as it's known in the industry, has always celebrated thinking outside the box when it comes to water strategies and technologies. Eileen O'Neill, Executive Director of WEF comments as Water Week 2015 approaches and experts all over the USA get ready to …