WIP Editorial

  1. What State Hard Water Rankings Reveal About Utility Operations 8/11/2026

    Water hardness is not regulated as a drinking water contaminant and is generally not considered a public health concern, yet it remains one of the most visible aspects of water quality for customers and one of the most misunderstood.

  2. Midyear Reality Check: How Accurate Have Our 2026 Water Predictions Been So Far? 8/4/2026

    At the start of 2026, Kevin Westerling and I laid out a compelling roadmap on The Water Online Show, highlighting the trends we believed would shape the water and wastewater industry. Now, halfway through the year, I wanted to take a step back and evaluate how those predictions are playing out in the real world.

  3. Beyond Compliance: The Utilities Setting A New Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) Standard 7/17/2026

    Every year, drinking water utilities across the U.S. publish Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs), the federally required reports designed to inform customers about the quality of their drinking water. While utilities have generally succeeded in meeting regulatory requirements, communicating that information in a clear, accessible, and engaging way has proven more challenging.

  4. Building A Better Water Workforce Starts With People, Not Positions 7/10/2026
    A discovery at ACE26 offers practical ideas for attracting, developing, and retaining the next generation of water professionals.
  5. Inside The Blueprint To Standardize State Water Reuse Regulations 7/6/2026
    Water scarcity in the U.S. is increasing almost as rapidly as demand for clean drinking water. In response, more municipalities and public utilities are actively pivoting toward water reuse strategies. Yet many of these projects are running up against an archaic administrative bottleneck.
  6. How Risk Management Can Build More Resilient Utilities 6/30/2026
    From rapidly evolving cyber threats and extreme weather patterns to regulatory pressures and emerging contaminants, modern water and wastewater utilities are facing an unprecedented era of growing risks. To navigate these challenges, forward-thinking organizations are adopting structured risk assessment frameworks that support long-term resilience rather than reactive emergency response.
  7. How Water Infrastructure Can Drive Economic Growth 6/18/2026
    The U.S. water and wastewater industry is standing at an awkward crossroads. For years, technical capabilities, federal funding, and a shared sense of industry urgency have all co-existed in a critical mass. However, the rollout of major infrastructure projects remains sluggish.
  8. An Attendee's Guide To ACE26 6/12/2026
    What to expect, where to focus, and how to get the most from AWWA’s flagship water event.
  9. AMI Adoption In Water Is Still Structurally Constrained 6/12/2026
    Over the last two decades, utilities have increasingly viewed the transition from automated meter reading (AMR) to advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) as the next step in modernizing their operations. The benefits of moving toward a truly digital ecosystem are well-established, yet AMI continues to face a slow, asymmetric rollout in the water industry.
  10. World Cup 2026: A Stress Test For U.S. Water Utilities 6/10/2026
    As the FIFA World Cup kicks off across the U.S. this summer, most attention will be on transportation, security, and stadium readiness. But the bigger strain will be less visible: water and wastewater systems.