The U.S. Senate and the President signed a new piece of legislation that is set to improve the upgrade and maintenance of water infrastructure all over the country. The Water Infrastructure Act (known as WIA) will allow states to put more finance into water infrastructure and is hoped to ensure the eventual reality of all Americans having personal access to safe drinking water. Water … [Read more...]
The Manila Water Model – Community Engagement with Water Utility Management
In the mid-90s the Philippine Government recognized that they had a national water crisis on their hands. Only 26% of the residents of Metro Manila had 24-hour access to drinkable water and the poor of the city didn't have access to clean drinking water at all. In 1997 this changed dramatically for the East Zone of Metro Manila when the Manila Water Company utility took over management of the … [Read more...]
Water Utility Management Lessons from Lansing’s Water System Project
Lansing, Michigan has succeeded in replacing all of it's 12,500 lead pipes. This large project has come at a high cost for the utility, but with careful investment, it has become a very manageable cost. The city has succeeded in avoiding problems that have arisen in other areas of the state of Michigan by thinking ahead and realizing that replacing old water infrastructure is crucial and … [Read more...]
Applying Infrastructure Asset Management Practice to Shun “Day Zero”
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 a 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., has recently been thinking through this problem and has held a conference in hopes … [Read more...]
Asset Management Perspective on the August 2017 Unsafe Drinking Water Report USA
News21’s investigative report that around 63 million Americans are exposed to unsafe drinking water is making headlines in the USA’s major online news agencies. The report examined the Environmental Protection Agency violations on water quality and monitoring affecting places from California to New York City The USA Today reports: The findings highlight how six decades of industrial … [Read more...]
California Legislation Recognizes Watersheds as Critical Infrastructure
It is no secret that the US State of California has spent the last hundred years creating a vast system and network of pipes, pump stations, and aqueducts that reach far and wide into distant regions in order to filter water from remote rivers into hard to reach dry zones in the Southern part of the state. It's an engineering marvel, but only so long as the ecosystems they are drawing from can … [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...]
Singapore’s Answer to Wastewater Management – Effective Infrastructure Management
Engineers in the tiny island nation of Singapore have been constructing a state of the art new sewer system, know as the DTSS (Deep Tunnel Sewer System). Phase one of the project was completed in 2008 and phase two began in 2013. It is a cost-effective and sustainable solution, offered by the Singapore Public Utilities Board, to meet the country's long-term wastewater needs. The main feature … [Read more...]
21st Century Approach to Water Utility Resilience
For those investing in water infrastructure and water solutions, there is a concept that must be grasped: water will always win against human control. It is possible to think outside the box and not trying to stop or change the naturally occurring patterns in waterways or geographically wet areas, instead to build resiliency and go with the changing tides. For design technology and … [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...]
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