Consumer Outreach Features, Insights, and Analysis

  1. Domestic Water Use Grew 600% Over The Past 50 Years 3/10/2020

    Humanity’s thirst for freshwater has more than doubled since the 1960s, keeping pace with growing populations and economies. One-quarter of the world now faces extremely high water stress, where more than 80 percent of the available supply is withdrawn every year.

  2. Digital CX: How Utilities Can Exceed Customer Expectations 2/26/2020

    Most people don’t expect a good digital customer experience from their utility providers. While leading retailers, insurers, and banks have all put serious resources into digital customer experience (CX) and reaped the rewards, utilities have been slower off the mark. 

  3. Water Industry Responds To Proposed LCR Revisions 2/21/2020

    With more than 50,000 community water systems (CWS) in the U.S., it is amazing that only 285 individuals had logged public comments on the U.S. EPA’s proposed Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) Revisions by the February 12, 2020 deadline. Yet, what those respondents had to say could have a big impact on how we deal with lead in drinking water moving forward. Here is a cross-section of the industry’s response.

  4. LCR Revisions: Speak Now, Or Forever Hold Your Peace 1/29/2020

    Are you completely ready to implement the scores of changes in the U.S. EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), exactly as proposed? If not, act quickly, because time to register constructive feedback before the February 12th deadline is running out. Less than three weeks before the end of the comment period, the EPA’s webpage for feedback displayed only 131 public submissions regarding the proposed regulations.

  5. LCR Revisions Push Systems Into Uncharted Waters: Schools & Childcare Facilities 1/27/2020

    Here are some thought-provoking considerations for water testing at K-12 schools and the utilities, government officials, and engineering firms who serve them.

  6. Preparing For Lead-Service-Line Inventory And Replacement Requirements 1/27/2020

    With all the new facets of the revised Lead and Copper Rule revisions (LCRR) — increased sampling requirements, lead service line (LSL) inventory and replacement, new communications requirements, and school/childcare-facility monitoring — any water utility that has not yet started making preparations is at risk of non-compliance now that the new rule has become law. Here are some factors to consider when reviewing LCRR requirements and conducting LSL inventories and replacements.

  7. Preparing For Increased Sampling Frequency Mandated By LCR Revisions 1/27/2020

    The proposed Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) announced by the U.S. EPA offer new hope for identifying and reducing sources of lead contamination in drinking water, albeit with new levels of testing required to pinpoint problem areas. Preparing for the new rules means taking active steps toward identifying both the technicalities and logistics of meeting them, as outlined in the links and bullet points below.

  8. Avoiding Crisis: Meeting LCR Revision Communication Requirements 1/27/2020

    Complying with communication requirements is as much a part of the proposed Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) as the actual water testing and identification of lead service line (LSL) inventories. Given the magnitude of the proposed changes, it is critical for water distribution utilities to start preparing for its implementation well in advance. Here are some key factors to consider.

  9. 2020 Vision For Water: Better Days Ahead 1/21/2020

    The past year was another trying one for the water industry. With the long tail of the Flint lead crisis carrying into 2019 (and 2020, with Lead and Copper Rule revisions still pending), even more contamination headlines were made with the discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — dubbed “forever chemicals” — in various hotspots across the nation. It even spawned a big-budget movie at year’s end. But 2020, I trust, will be different.

  10. Serious Games: Transforming Customer Engagement And Professional Training In The Water Sector 1/20/2020

    If you thought gaming was just for kids and couch potatoes, serious gaming may change your perspective — and how you manage your utility.