FUNDING RESOURCES

• Nation’s Aging Water Infrastructure Thirsts For Faster Action

  America’s water infrastructure may soon get the attention it deserves now that funding is available. Billions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) are on the way to public officials throughout the United States. Most states are allocating additional funding as well, and many local officials will take advantage of consolidating the two new revenue sources to finance large and costly projects.

• The Shape Of Water, Starring AWWA’s Tracy Mehan

  If water-industry superstars were celebrated like entertainers, an introduction to G. Tracy Mehan III wouldn’t be necessary. But water, as industry veterans know, doesn’t quite get the attention it deserves … until services are threatened. At that point, as all along, we turn to our water leaders for answers.

• The Contractor’s Song: The Times They Are A-Changin’ — Managing Commodity Volatility In Water Infrastructure

  Bob Dylan clearly didn’t mean to describe in his song, “The Times They Are A-Changin,” the tremendous upswing in commodity prices that has occurred in the last six months and that could potentially “drench” our projects with added uncertainty and costs, but it is certainly true that one thing we can all count on is that in all times, things change. In our role of  building water infrastructure projects, there is no doubt that managing change is one of the biggest requirements. So, let’s walk down the path of pricing change that has gotten a lot of people’s attention recently.

• Capital Planning In The U.S. Water Market — A Guide For Business Developers

  Readying a bid for a contract can be an expensive and time-consuming process. That’s why successful contractors try to only target opportunities they think they have a good chance of winning.

• Find The Right Rate To Fund Water Infrastructure Updates

  Of course, every water system sets rates and discusses when, why, and to what extent they should increase. But here’s the problem: We don’t raise rates often enough — or high enough.

• Federal Funding From ARP Can Jumpstart Water Infrastructure Improvements

  The pandemic has hit many households hard, but perhaps none more so than those who have struggled to access and afford water. Falling behind on water bills, lower-income households and communities of color have struggled the most, not only dealing with economic pain, but also challenges protecting their health and safety. While many states and localities have prevented water shutoffs and offered to help cover these bills, they lack the economic certainty and fiscal capacity to develop lasting solutions in the months and years to come.

• What Biden’s Infrastructure Plan Means For Rivers

  This past week President Biden unveiled his American Jobs Plan, proposing a nearly $2.3 trillion investment in our national infrastructure. Does this bold plan do enough for rivers?

• $500 Million Now Available For Pre-Disaster Mitigation Projects

  Climate change and the need for mitigation efforts for disaster control have resulted in more federal funding available for public entities throughout the U.S.

• WWEMA Window: Conflict — Sounds Bad, But Is It Really Good?

  Conflict is all around us. Even the most well-run organizations will encounter conflict in their daily operations, and sometimes, healthy conflict is a sign that things are running well. The natural result of competing interests and limited resources, conflict can be an opportunity to refine and improve processes, outcomes, and relationships across an organization. When managed poorly, it can also be a serious hindrance to getting things done and deplete employee morale. In our personal and professional lives, people often go to great lengths to avoid conflict and the sometimes unsettling feelings it evokes, but is that really the wisest choice?

• Now Is The Time To Rethink America's Infrastructure And Grow The Economy

  Like many parts of the economy, the engineering sector has been negatively affected by the COVID-induced downturn. Based on the federal government’s own numbers, the engineering and design sector’s revenue declined by 7 percent in 2020, and the ACEC Research Institute's newly released 2021-2025 Engineering Industry Forecast projects another 4 percent decline in 2021 before recovery begins to kick in during the second half of the year. The industry will grow modestly (3 percent annually) from 2022-2024, primarily due to pandemic-related stimulus spending, but then will tail off slightly in 2025.