Water Online Highlights

  1. Six Weeks Or Six Hours? Why Lead Times Are Breaking Wastewater Utilities 5/20/2026

    Wastewater utilities cannot afford six-week delays when pumps fail. Learn how domestic manufacturing and local inventory are reshaping emergency response and maintenance strategies.

  2. Beyond Non-Payment: 5 Emerging Use Cases For Remote Water Shutoff Valves 5/20/2026

    Remote shutoff valves are evolving beyond non-payment management, helping utilities improve emergency response, conservation, compliance, operational efficiency, and long-term system resiliency.

  3. The Missing Link Between Data And Action 5/20/2026

    Jennifer Steffens, PE, Tech Practice Director for Digital Water at Carollo Engineers, makes the case that having confidence in your data is only half the battle — the real value of digital tools is turning that confidence into priorities you can actually defend.

  4. Breaking Down Non-Revenue Water: Why Categorization Is Key 5/20/2026

    Will Jernigan, PE, CEO of Cavanaugh, reveals that not all water loss is what it seems — and that identifying where the problem actually lives can change everything about how you solve it.

  5. Your Data Has a Leak Too 5/20/2026

    Will Jernigan unpacks why water audit data is so often unreliable — and the answer may surprise utilities.

  6. The Water Talent Shortage Is Also A Diversity Problem 5/19/2026
    Utilities across the U.S. are facing growing pressure from aging infrastructure, climate resilience demands, regulatory scrutiny, and a workforce approaching retirement. Yet despite the scale of the challenge, much of the industry is still drawing talent from the same narrow pools and approaching hiring the same way it did years ago. That approach is becoming increasingly unsustainable.
  7. Navigating Changing Water Standards Without Losing Trust In Your Tap 5/19/2026
    When new contaminants show up in the news, or standards change and you see lower numbers combined with words like “maximum level,” “parts per trillion,” or “detected,” it’s completely reasonable to wonder: Was my water unsafe before? Did something get worse? Are we looking at things differently? In most cases, the answer is the last one. We are looking at contaminants through a different lens.
  8. Detroit's Water Affordability Crisis Is Tied To The Uneven Distribution Of Stormwater Management Costs 5/18/2026

    Utility bills are the primary source of revenue for public water and wastewater systems. Yet both the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) and The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) are caught in what utility experts call an affordability gap.

  9. The Water Online Show: Top 5 Thoughts Of The Month For May 2026 5/18/2026

    Each month, host Travis Kennedy and co-host Kevin Westerling break down the top issues on the minds of engineers, operators, and utilities across the industry. In this kickoff episode, the two make the case that the water sector is at a turning point that will require utilities to adapt financially, digitally, and culturally to meet the challenges ahead.

  10. Turning AMI Data Into Better Customer Service 5/18/2026

    For decades, the relationship between a water utility and its customers was simple. As water flows, the bills go out, and sometimes complaints come back. Customers had little visibility into how much water they were actually using on a day-to-day basis, and utilities had limited tools to give them any. Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) has long since changed that equation.