August is National Water Quality Month so it seemed appropriate to dedicate some time to explore the difference in how customers perceive water quality as opposed to those in the industry. Ask anyone in the industry to define water quality and they’ll cite some definition related to the chemical and biological components of the water […]
ENCOURAGING HOMEOWNER WATER CONSERVATION
The internet is flooded with articles on homeowner water conservation, yet why do so many water utility attempts to educate customers seem to fall on deaf ears? Perhaps the problem is not as much about educating people on what to do (water-saving checklists and guidelines) as it is about motivating them on why to do it (personal reward). Consider […]
PREVENT WATER SCARCITY FROM BECOMING JOB SCARCITY
It doesn’t matter which came first — chickens, eggs, farmers, or consumers. When water scarcity is involved, all parties are interdependent. Limiting agricultural or industrial water use in favor of residential use does a community no good if the local economy cannot support existing jobs, or attract new ones, for its residents. In regions chronically […]
CAUGHT RED-HANDED: HOW TO STOP WATER THEFT
Identify The Potential Exposure Why do people steal water? Beyond the obvious answer “because they can,” there are multiple reasons why people might be pressured into diverting the metered flow of treated drinking water: Personal Greed. Residential customers in various circumstances might be tempted to bypass their water meters for at least part of a billing period. […]
(ULTRA)SOUND OPPORTUNITIES FOR AGING METERING INFRASTRUCTURE
Most people accept that major purchases in life — e.g., housing, automobiles, appliances — come with cyclical budgeting impacts that require amortizing costs over the long term, through savings or borrowing. Why should anyone expect the national water infrastructure to be any different? The reality is that relatively long life-expectancies for major water infrastructure components […]