Cape Town, South Africa is facing a very dire situation due to a three-year-long mega-drought. By May, the city was expecting to have to turn off its water supply and hand out a meager 25 liters per day to its citizens, who will have to make their way through long and potentially dangerous crowds to one of 200 distribution points throughout the city. The shut-off day - known as "Day Zero" … [Read more...]
Asset Management Career in the Water Infrastructure Sector Pushed
In the USA, many water infrastructure upgrades are going to be needed in the next couple of decades. There is growing concern, however, that with many laborers in this field set to retire soon, there may not be enough people to do the jobs. Brookings Metropolitan Policy Programme, based in Washington D.C., have recently been thinking through this problem and have held a conference in hopes … [Read more...]
The ASCE 2017 Wastewater Infrastructure Report and Asset Management Planning
Wastewater and Stormwater infrastructure in the 2017 ASCE report Card received a D+. This is up from the 2013 report card grade of D. This is in part due to the fact there has been some innovation with the treatment plants to ensure protection against flooding and cross contamination and new more efficient and modern techniques being used to preserve water and reuse waste. However, to keep … [Read more...]
ASCE 2017 Infrastructure Report Card and Asset Management Planning
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) release a report on the state of the USA’s general infrastructure both on a Federal and State level every few years, with the previous report being issued in 2013. The ASCE conducts this detailed report in sixteen major target areas of infrastructure, such as Roads, Transit, Rail, Inland Waterways, Wastewater and Drinking water to name a … [Read more...]
New Investment Center Initiative to Aid Water Systems and Development in Western USA
The U.S. Department of the Interior launched a new center in December 2015 to encourage water infrastructure investment in the dry West of the United States. The Natural Resource Investment Center (NRIC) has been set up in the hopes that new infrastructure will be developed and invested in as well as increased conservation of existing water. Ecosystem Marketplace reports: "It is not yet … [Read more...]
Infrastructure Asset Management Planning Thoughts on EPA-Funded Water Infrastructure Projects of Connecticut
On 1 December 2015, EPA announced it had awarded Connecticut $26 million to help finance water improvement projects. These funds are intended for the upgrading of sewage plants and drinking water systems, as well as dealing with aging infrastructure through the state. The EPA reports: "This funding will pay for projects that improve water quality and protect drinking water across … [Read more...]
21st Century Innovations to Solve Water Shortages – Infrastructure Management
It has been observed by many that quite often water utilities are trying to replace aging infrastructure from the 20th century or earlier with very similar infrastructure such as central water and wastewater systems. What if this thinking was turned upside down? What if new, innovative, 21st-century technology could be employed to cut water prices and water infrastructure costs while … [Read more...]
Forging Public-Private Agreement as a Water Utility Infrastructure Management Strategy
Phoenix, Arizona's EPCOR Water and Maricopa Water District announced an innovative agreement on the 17th of November 2015 that will assist in supplying water needs in western metropilatan Phoenix as land uses changes from farming to residential. The partnership is signed for 50 years, allowing EPCOR Water to purchase water from MWD and ultimately decrease its reliance on groundwater pumping. … [Read more...]
USDA Provides $314 Million in Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Improvements in Rural Communities
On 2 November 2015, the USDA Secretary announced that they will be awarding $314 Million to upgrade and repair water and wastewater systems across the US - mostly in rural communities. The money is being divided between two grant programs: the Waste and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program (which is receiving $299 Million) and the Emergency Community Water Assistance Grant (ECWAG) program, … [Read more...]
Infrastructure Asset Management Solution to US Septic System Challenge
Nearly one-fifth of households in the USA are attached to septic tanks. These systems are generally fine when they are properly maintained but problems have become more frequent within these small waste management systems. Raw sewage leaks from septic tanks are causing health risks and ecological damage nationwide. Many research experts believe that this could be avoided by … [Read more...]
World’s Biggest Thermal Hydrolysis Waste-to-Energy System and Infrastructure Management Planning
Washington DC should be the first city in the U.S. to start using thermal hydrolysis to convert biosolids from wastewater into renewable methane. The facility at Blue Plains then uses the methane to feed into three giant turbines which produce electricity at a net of 10 megawatts. Clean Technica reports: "At a price tag of $470 million, the new thermal hydrolysis system has been 10 years in … [Read more...]
Assessing Future Demand, Florida Sinkholes and Groundwater Pumping
A deadly sinkhole that claimed the life of a Florida man two years ago reopened last summer. Local authorities believe that this may be due to heavy rains. Sinkholes are often the result of groundwater levels becoming too low following excessive pumping. Florida has also seen wells dry up due to overuse of groundwater during dry spells. The Southwest Florida Water Management District, or … [Read more...]
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