|
|
Entries for the 'AWWAs' Category
Steve Wilson posted on March 24, 2012 19:26
These aren't new words. In fact, it seems like everyone is coming out with a bigger estimate of the future cost of infrastructure every few weeks and because the numbers are so big, they all seem irrelevant for small systems. Not so. This new report by AWWA definately puts some perspective on the issue for small systems.
Buried No Longer
AWWA has released a report entitled "Buried No Longer: Confronting America's Water Infrastructure Challenge". Recently, there have been snippets on the news about $1 trillion dollars over the next 25 years and other details that certainly catch your eye. But I encourage you to take a look at the report. AWWA has set up a website for the report here, where you can download the report and read more of the AWWA perspective.
What It Says
The report is short and to the point. It's only 16 pages and a good portion of that is made up of pictures and figures. But the information provided is sobering. It points out in Figures 7 and 8 that the estimated costs per household for infrastructure replacement are about $100 annually for large systems, but $400-$800+ per household for small systems.
Small systems are a widespread concern. According to AWWA, 84.5% of all public water supplies serve less than 3,300 people. The main findings are that for most systems, water bills will have to go up. More importantly, the time is now to start planning for future upgrades. The report also looks at geographic area and how populations are changing (going up in the south and west, no so much in the Northeast and Midwest). This has implications for how your town might grow in the future.
Pipe Matters
The report lists the estimated service life for all of the major kinds of pipe. You can find that on page 8 in Figure 5. Basically, you have ductile iron and PVC on the low end of about 60 years, and cast iron on the high end of about 120 years. The take home message is this, "...most of our buried drinking water infrastructure was built 50 or more years ago..." (p.4) and "Because pipe assets last a long time, water systems that were built in the latter part of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century have, for the most part, never experienced the need for pipe replacement on a large scale." (p.14) How long has your pipe been in the ground?
What It Means
Most people living in your small community have never seen the pipes that bring them their water daily. They have no understanding of the costs of replacement, nor are they willing to pay more for their water today to plan for infrastructure replacement in the future. It's time to educate your customers and begin putting money in the bank today. Failure to do so may result in even higher costs in the future, or worse, create an unsolvable situation in your community that can only be dealt with by consolidation or reduction in service. The days of government bailout for systems that can't sustain themselves are coming to an end, so you need to ask yourself, how important is your way of life today and how important is it for the future.
Next Steps
Becoming sustainable requires planning and financial management. Is your system putting money in the bank for future infrastructure needs? Do your rates reflect the true costs of providing water? Is there "extra" in your rates for replacement costs? Do you review your financial situation and consider rate changes on a regular basis? Does your community have a long-term plan for the sustainability of its water (and wastewater) system? All of these answers should be "Yes". If they aren't, its time to get some help from your TA providers on what you can do to start down this path.
Jennifer Wilson posted on December 07, 2011 12:41
 The American Water Works Association is retiring Streamlines, its biweekly web/email newsletter, with the intent to communicate relevant news even faster to those who want and need it.
In place of the newsletter, AWWA will operate two different RSS feeds: one for breaking news and organization announcements and another for their DrinkTap blog, a source for more general industry news.
RSS is a format that allows news to be pushed to you via an RSS reader, without having to visit multiple websites to retrieve that information. We wrote a post about the value of RSS earlier this year. This is what makes blogs different from regular websites - the ability to keep up in an easier way.
We know that many people prefer to have their news come directly to them by email - our newsletter isn't going anywhere. We'll make sure to bring you the most relevant AWWA news articles, as we have been over the past year. If you do want the very latest though, adding AWWA's feeds to a RSS reader (with SmallWaterSupply.org's feed, of course) will help you do that!
What do you think of this change?
Steve Wilson posted on October 04, 2011 18:40
As you may or may not realize, some of the Federal programs that support operator training and technical assistance for small systems were not funded this fiscal year (starting Oct 1). This will affect many states as training providers look at charging for training that has been free in the past, and technical assistance providers struggle to maintain staff levels.
Small System Technical Assistance
The programs I am referring to are for the state Rural Water Assocations and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) affiliates. Here in Illinois, the message from the most recent Illinois Rural Water Association newsletter is that training will no longer be free. We have seen the same from several other state Rural Water Associations, as some have eliminated part of their training programs or lost staff altogether. It's the same for the RCAP affiliates and their state programs. Many are losing staff and that will mean fewer services provided. Its a frustrating time as we watch the organizations operators have come to rely on struggle with funding issues. It's also a worry that the expertise these folks provide may not come back, and thats everyone's loss.
Understanding Value
As a small system operator, now is the time to realize that this may be the new normal for the forseeable future. Free or not, you still have to maintain your CEU's. That means you need to budget for training, some of you for the first time in a number of years. What it also means, I hope, is that any operator who has taken advantage of the free training opportunities in the past realizes how valuable a service it has been.
Steve Wilson posted on July 25, 2011 08:51 
I was at AWWA's Annual Conference June 12-16 and attended several of the small systems sessions. As has been the case over the last few years, one of the prominent topics revolving around capacity development is the potential shortage of operators.
We All Have To Get Involved
It's not enough to take care of your system and just go about your business. All of us, operators, TA providers, vendors, educators, and state/federal authorities, need to get involved in promoting jobs in water/waste water. Most of us know of an operator who is over 70, who's community/system has no idea what they are going to do when that person moves on/retires.
What You Can Do
There are a number of things you can do. One is to contact your state's operator schools and offer to host an intern. Many of the operator training programs are desperate for on-the job opportunities for their students. Talk to your state folks and TA providers and find out what intern opportunities might be available in your state and offer to help.
It's Time To Open Up Your Plant
After 9/11 many plants closed their doors to schools, youth groups, and other civic organizations. I understand the worry and the need to take safety seriously, but its time to start plant tours again. It was one of the best ways to inform the public, and more importantly, the next generation of potential operators, about the need, benefit, and importance of water and waste water treatment. If we want an informed public, we have to let them in and show them what we do. We have to publicize ourselves, toot our own horns, be proud of what we do, and look ahead to what our systems are going to do when its our turn to pass the responsibility down to the next generation.
|