Editor's Letter
Overcoming Municipal Sticker Shock
The municipal water industry has been painfully aware for years that America's water infrastructure is ailing and that fund- ing needed to restore and expand it is scarce, to say the least. But, even the jaded had to shudder at the proposed price tag: a not-so-cool $1 trillion(!) over the next 25 years.
The need for foresight and investment was a hard lesson learned, and one that now needs to be heeded.
The staggering trillion-dollar estimate was submitted by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) in its February report Buried No Longer: Confronting America's Infrastructure Challenge. The AWWA analysis trumps the U.S. EPA's latest Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, published in 2009, which pegged the cost at "only" $334.8 billion over 20 years. It seems the EPA was low-balling us. On the financing front, the water community has rallied this year in support of leg- islation that would help ease the cost burden for local governments and, in turn, utility customers. The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authority (WIFIA) initiative, which seeks to leverage available federal dollars through low-interest loans, is exactly the sort of shot in the arm the industry needs in these trying economic times. However, even with innovative financing efforts such as WIFIA, the funding gap remains significant. In order to bridge that gap, the water community must learn to do more with less — to be more efficient, more responsible, and flat-out smarter. This issue of Water Online The Magazine addresses these concerns with articles devot- ed to improving your operations and your bottom line. For example, Dollars And Sense: The Financial Case For Automation, starting on page 16, explains how unified plant controls and remote SCADA systems can help municipalities overcome today's financial, environmental, and efficiency challenges. Meanwhile, on page 12, Real-Time Monitoring Offers Savings Across The Spectrum details the cost-saving advantages of spectral analysis. While saving money in the present is important, we must also understand that our predicament — strapped with underfunded, failing infrastructure — did not happen overnight. The need for fore- sight and investment was a hard lesson learned, and one that now needs to be heeded. As popula- tion and water consumption rates increase, and federal regulations get ever-tighter, the pressure
on municipalities will only increase as well. To help plan for the future, learn about Maximizing Your ROI On Test Equipment on page 28, then turn to page 20 for Spend Now To Save Later: Evaluating Water Treatment Systems Over The Long-Term. Speaking of the future, decentralized water treatment is a growing trend poised to have significant impact on municipalities, industry, and communities at large. Turn to page 8 to see what's driving this movement (hint: it may have something to do with the economy). If money makes the world go 'round, then lack of money (or misuse, waste, etc.) can grind things to a halt. Therefore, it is incumbent upon municipalities to stretch their dollars further than ever, and to "find" money in the course of their operations. Tips to do so can be found in the article Do You Think You're Out Of Money? Think Again, starting on page 34. Since this ever-present funding issue is so impossible to ignore, we chose — for this edition — articles that address this reality and provide solutions — because while money isn't readily available, technology and innovation are abundant. Relying on these tools, municipalities can generate revenue to help finance the necessary repair and expansion of our distressed water infrastructure system.
With a $1 trillion sticker price, we better g et moving.
6 Water Online The Magazine, Cleanwater Edition ■ wateronline.com
Kevin Westerling Editor
editor@wateronline.com
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