RESILIENCY RESOURCES

• The Hidden Role Of Water Infrastructure In Driving A COVID-19 Recovery

  The COVID-19 pandemic has not only disrupted the social and economic realities of our communities, but also undermined some of the basic infrastructure we depend on. Our water infrastructure has been at the heart of this realization; its importance to health, hygiene, and safety has never been more obvious, yet millions of disadvantaged and vulnerable households still lack reliable and affordable access to water.

• Army Corps Partners With Community For First Line Of Coastal Defense

  Hurricane Isaias stormed up the east coast of the United States in early August, bringing heavy rain and winds up to 85 mph to the shores of flood-prone Port Monmouth, NJ. Immediately, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District reached out to the community to find out how they were doing and how its flood risk management project was working.

• Announcing The Launch Of The Water Equity Network

  This extraordinary year has put a sharp focus on how inequity affects a community’s well-being. The COVID-19 virus has highlighted how interconnected we are, but we are definitely not all “in the same boat” as we navigate these waters. In a time of pandemic, intensifying climate change, and growing awareness of racial inequities, we see clearly that people in vulnerable communities experience worse outcomes in terms of health and well-being, employment, and access to the basic needs of food, water, and housing. We know that these disparate outcomes are underpinned by systemic racism and classism in our cities and their systems of operation—and that includes our water systems.

• Balancing Utility Performance, Cost, And Risk In The Face Of A Pandemic

  A lot will change moving forward, as water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities add pandemic risks to their list of priorities and must consider a growing array of threats in the development of capital improvement plans (CIPs).

• A Flood Of Support: New Approach Taps P3s For Resiliency Projects

  Based on a model from Texas, public-private partnerships (P3s) can be the catalyst for making America’s water infrastructure more resilient to storms and catastrophic events.

• Building A New Spillway In The Name Of Safety

  Denver Water launches $8.5 million investment at 1930s dam north of Golden.

• A Good Time To Reassess Utility Resiliency

  The Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC) is reminding water utilities that September is National Preparedness Month in an effort to focus attention on steps they can take to improve resiliency and be prepared for a variety of challenges to their continuity of operations. Here are some industry guidelines and valuable links to help that happen.

• Adapting To The 'New Normal' In A Post-COVID Water Sector

  Beyond all the health-related impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, there have been some ripple effects to the daily operations and related employment conditions for water-treatment personnel. Here is a recap of some of those issues, their impacts, and alternatives for water-utility management.

• FERC Gives Final Federal Nod Of Approval For Gross Reservoir Expansion

  Project to raise dam will improve water reliability for more than 1.5 million people while benefiting the environment.

• As Waters Rise, So Must We. New Report Calls For Equitable Solutions To Urban Flooding

  Scientists tell us we have less than 10 years to avert irreversible and devastating impacts of the climate crisis. And yet, climate change is already hurling towards us with disproportionate impacts for low-income and communities of color. We see this frequently in the water sector, where climate impacts are felt first, and most often. From the record-breaking Midwestern floods of 2018 to the aftermath of Hurricanes Sandy, Katrina, Maria, and Harvey, floodwaters are rising around the nation.