WIP Editorial

  1. Water Infrastructure Has A New Bottleneck — And It's Not Money 5/1/2026
    Billions have been approved, but millions remain idle. The EPA's new report on earmarks sheds light on the logjam.
  2. What Is The Future Of Source Water Protection? 4/28/2026
    Water utility managers and municipal leaders have long struggled amid the convergence of several threats to public water supplies. During a recent Water Online Live event, I sat with a panel of industry experts to examine the transition from reactive crisis management to a proactive, adaptive resilience framework.
  3. Common AMI Implementation Mistakes And How To Avoid Them 4/23/2026

    The journey from manual water-meter reads to a fully integrated digital ecosystem is long and complex. To help utilities along, the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN) released the global Smart Metering Playbook, which includes both implementation best practices and common pitfalls. Here are five common advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) rollout mistakes from the Playbook, along with examples of how to overcome them.

  4. Q&A: Inside A Municipal Water Deal That Didn't Happen — And Why That Matters 4/22/2026
    After initially voting for it, the Rahway (NJ) Municipal Council reversed course and canceled its bid process for the potential sale of the city’s water utility. As more municipalities explore alternative ownership, financing, or partnership models to address aging water infrastructure, Rahway’s experience offers a useful case study in how quickly these processes can shift — and why — explored in this Q&A with Obermayer’s Tom Wyatt.
  5. Americans Rank Water Reliability Alongside Cost Of Living As A Top National Priority 4/15/2026
    Reliable access to water now ranks alongside inflation and the cost of living as one of the most important national issues for U.S. voters, according to the 2026 Value of Water Index, the latest national survey conducted by the Value of Water Campaign.
  6. The Augmented Operator: Navigating The Intersection Of AI And The Water Sector Workforce 4/2/2026
    The water sector is facing a convergence of crises. On one side, an estimated 30–50% of the utility workforce is projected to retire within the next decade, taking with them irreplaceable institutional knowledge. On the other, AI is no longer future technology; it is being deployed today for operations. These two forces are colliding at precisely the moment utilities can least afford disruption.
  7. The Future Of In Situ Chemical Oxidation For Targeted Solvent Destruction 3/24/2026

    The U.S. EPA’s 2026 trichloroethylene (TCE) compliance deadlines are now forcing a concrete shift toward source-zone destruction. In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), sequenced with enhanced bioremediation, is proving to be the most credible path to groundwater contaminant rebound mitigation.

  8. When Drinking Water Raises Bigger Questions About Brain Health And Environmental Risk 3/13/2026

    A new study linking certain groundwater sources to higher Parkinson’s risk underscores a broader question for the water sector: how environmental exposures in drinking water may influence long-term health.

  9. EPA Seeks Court‑Ordered Removal Of 4 PFAS Limits 2/23/2026
    The U.S. EPA is testing a new procedural strategy to remove four PFAS drinking‑water limits from ongoing litigation, asking the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to invalidate those limits on the grounds that the EPA itself committed a procedural misstep when issuing the 2024 PFAS rule.
  10. Study Reveals A Comprehensive Guide To IoT Integration For Non-Revenue Water Management 2/18/2026
    A recent study argues that the traditional, manual approach to drinking-water distribution-network monitoring and leak prevention is no longer sustainable. Instead, utilities must embrace the Internet of Things (IoT) to transition from reactive repairs to proactive asset management.