Consumer Outreach Features, Insights, and Analysis
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Preparing To Tackle The Hydra Of LCR Revisions
12/30/2019
As a journalist serving the water industry — but not yet a seasoned technical veteran — I attended a recent Lead In Drinking Water Forum sponsored by AWWA NJ to learn about the challenges of complying with the proposed Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). What I heard impressed upon me the technical, administrative, and logistical challenges of delivering safe, lead-free drinking water all the way to user taps. Here are my takeaways.
-
WWEMA Window: I Am Thankful For Water
12/3/2019
Having recently celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday, it is an opportune time to step back, take a deep breath, and consider all that we have to be thankful for. Whether it is family, friends, health, pets, or opportunities, each of us has something for which we are grateful.
-
Utilities Can Use Digital Communication To Fix A Fractured Customer Experience: Here’s How
10/2/2019
For much of their history, utilities haven’t had to pay too much attention to customer experience (CX). The focus in many areas has tended to be on technologies that supported infrastructure and reduced operational costs.
-
A Smarter, Safer Method For Non-Payment Collection
8/30/2019
Addressing past due accounts traditionally means sending out a crew to turn off the water and then sending them back to restore service when the bill is paid. This can create a less-than-ideal situation by generating significant labor costs while having a potentially negative impact on vulnerable populations. Fortunately, there is a newer method available to address revenue capture while providing enhanced customer service by avoiding a turnoff.
-
Water-Sharing Experiment Suggests People Put Their Own Survival First
7/15/2019
There’s been talk lately about empathy, its components and its general decline. A decline in empathy concerns me as an assistant professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Environment and Sustainability: I study how people cope with water problems or learn to share scarce resources, like water, gas, oil, and energy.
-
8 Ways To Make Utility-Customer Communication Seamless Across Digital Channels
7/1/2019
If a water utility is going to use digital communication to enhance the customer experience, it needs to ensure that it does so as seamlessly as possible.