REGULATIONS AND LEGISLATION RESOURCES

• 5G – A Game Changer For The Water Industry

  The autonomous operation of plants, the use of data in real time and the remote driving of robots are just a few examples of how 5G will build smarter water utilities.

• 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.

• Let’s Work Together To Fix Regulatory Guidance

  Responsible parties all want clean water and to abide by the rules that secure it, but what if the rules do more harm than good? With a recent Supreme Court decision on wastewater discharges and a change of presidential administrations as the backdrop, this op-ed from the National Ground Water Association addresses the conundrum.

• Water Quotes From U.S. Presidents

  I recently wrote an open letter to President Joe Biden requesting a commitment to make the funding of U.S. water infrastructure a priority in his Build Back Better program. I sent a similar open letter to president-elect Donald Trump back in 2016.

• Recovering Stronger: Transforming Water Management In America

  COVID-19 has upended life across America, disrupting business as usual in every sector and shifting the way we relate to, and work with, one another. In many ways, and across many sectors, the pandemic exposes and reinforces structural challenges and social inequities. In the water sector, this plays out through access to water, the cost of water services, governance structures, and even how we fund and deliver those water services.

• Better Drinking Water Quality Starts Upstream

  While every potable water treatment process requires a balance of chemistry and biology to deliver safe, clean drinking water, added concerns from upstream stormwater or agricultural runoff only make the job that much more difficult. How can we do a better job of safeguarding water treatment plant (WTP) operations while protecting the health of water utility customers against threats of upstream nonpoint source (NPS) pollution?

• Giving Thanks For Water Advocates’ Big-Picture Thinking

  Confronted by everyday operating challenges, many decision-makers at drinking water and wastewater organizations do not always have all the time they would like to develop big-picture strategies and tactics for current and long-term concerns. Fortunately, multiple dedicated water-advocacy organizations do. Here are seven areas where water strategists, decision-makers, and other leaders can benefit from those valuable insights.

• An Open Letter To Water Professionals Around The U.S. Elections

  2020 has turned out to be quite the year, and that is especially true in Washington, D.C. With an upcoming election that may not be resolved for weeks after polls close, things are only going to get more dramatic before it’s all over.

• WWEMA Joins Other Water Leaders To Create Joint Funding And Policy Paper

  The Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (WWEMA) recently joined with other national water associations to develop a joint paper titled Sustainable Solutions for America’s Water and Wastewater Infrastructure: Urgent Funding and Policy Considerations.

• Florida Legislation Pushes For Better Wastewater Asset Management

  On July 1, 2020, two new laws took effect in Florida on Environmental Accountability (SB 1450/HB 1091) and more broadly Environmental Resource Management (SB 712/HB 1343).  I will let you read the 50 pages of the Environmental Accountability bill or the 100+ pages of the Environmental Resource Management bill, but it easily gets boiled down to good ol’ fashioned asset management.