Drinking Water Features

61. How Today's Water Facilities Are Successfully Integrating Advanced Technology, Data Analytics, And Predictive Modeling 7/11/2024
    The water industry is seeing greater adoption of advanced technology, data analytics, and predictive modeling to enhance operational efficiency, improve equipment reliability, and ensure sustainability. These technology interventions need a concerted effort that considers people, processes, and technology to establish operational success after the planning phase.
62. A Multi-Billion-Dollar Water Industry Segment Not To Be Overlooked 7/11/2024
    Water resources are a critical component of any region's ecosystems. But, perhaps even more important is the realization that water is also essential for human survival. Its needs cannot be ignored.
63. Climate Crisis Sees Rise In Illegal Water Markets In The Middle East 7/8/2024

    Water delivery via road is increasingly relevant in major cities worldwide. In parts of the world, urban water networks have deteriorated to such a degree that 1 billion people already face frequent public water supply interruptions. This has led to a proliferation of informal water markets.

64. Unlocking The Potential Of Corporate Funding To Address Water Challenges — Part 2: Defining Metrics To Prioritize Water Projects 7/3/2024

    The second installment of Brown and Caldwell's three-part series on corporate water stewardship (CWS) dives into the CWS program metrics used by companies when prioritizing investments in water projects, and how utilities can leverage private sector funds.

65. What's Next After Supreme Court Curbs Regulatory Power: More Focus On Laws' Wording, Less On Their Goals 7/1/2024

    Federal Chevron deference is dead. SCOTUS overturned a 40-year-old legal tenet that when a federal statute is silent or ambiguous about a particular regulatory issue, courts should defer to the implementing agency’s reasonable interpretation of the law. At question is whether most courts will still listen to expert federal agencies in determining which interpretations make the most sense.

66. A Digital Journey Through ACE24 6/28/2024
    With more than 10,500 attendees at ACE24, AWWA's Annual Conference and Exposition is getting back on track to (almost) pre-COVID levels. And if you were away for a while, you were struck by the amount of digital technologies on the show floor.
67. Replacing Lead Water Pipes With Cheaper Plastic Carries Hidden Costs, Say UW-Milwaukee Researchers 6/26/2024
    The EPA estimates that 9.2 million service lines that deliver drinking water to U.S. homes and businesses are made of lead, and is now proposing to require their removal within 10 years. The agency has been silent, however, regarding what should replace lead. We see concerns with a popular replacement material: plastic.
68. Unlocking The Potential Of Corporate Funding To Address Water Challenges — Part 1: Understanding Corporate Water Stewardship 6/21/2024

    This three-part series explores how corporations are voluntarily investing in projects that address water risk while demonstrating responsible leadership. Funding from corporate water stewardship (CWS) programs earmarked to address local water challenges has the potential to catalyze innovation in water management. Hence, CWS has important implications for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), utilities, and municipalities who can leverage these funds to drive meaningful positive impacts for the benefit of communities and our environment.

69. Sargassum Is Choking The Caribbean's White Sand Beaches, Fueling An Economic And Public Health Crisis 6/5/2024

    Sargassum events have been occurring more frequently and are lasting longer, and the amount of algae is increasing. The situation has gotten so bad that NOAA created a weekly sargassum inundation risk index in collaboration with the University of South Florida. They have predicted that 2024 will be another terrible year for the Caribbean.

70. Fresh Water And Key Conditions For Life Appeared On Earth Half A Billion Years Earlier Than We Thought 6/4/2024

    The oldest life on Earth left in our fragmented rock record is 3.5 billion years old, with some chemical data showing it may even be as old as 3.8 billion years. Scientists have hypothesized life might be even older, but we have no records of that being the case. Our new study published in Nature Geoscience provides the first evidence of fresh water and dry land on Earth by 4 billion years ago. Knowing when the cradle of life — water and land — first appeared on Earth ultimately provides clues as to how we came to be.